It looks just like your 60 lb dog in a 60 mph collision.
As a Child Passenger Safety Technician, I often encounter parents with dogs who ride in the family vehicle. Some people, parents or not, opt to use pressure mounted gates to contain their dogs in the car. My experience with these products has been less than favorable as many will rattle loose and I have actually had the bars fall on my dog while the vehicle was moving! I typically advise pet owners to purchase and use the Pet Buckle Restraint System by IMMI Outdoor to safely restrain their pet in the car or truck. I feel this system provides adequate safety for all of the occupants of the vehicle-canine and human. At the very least, it should prevent the dog from becoming a lethal projectile. I doubt anyone wants to know what a 60 pound dog feels like when they are hurtling through the air at 60 mph. It will also safely restrain your dog if emergency response crews need to approach your vehicle after a collision.
According to the manufacturer’s website (http://www.immioutdoors.com/petbuckle/), the PetBuckle restraint has been crash tested at their Center for Advanced Product Evaluation (CAPE). I am reviewing both harness sizes-Small and Universal/Standard as well as the Truck Tether System. I am using my 2003 Honda Pilot for my review as it is our only vehicle with LATCH. Please pardon the mess! Also note that the checkered Britax Marathon is NOT installed during these pictures. It is normally installed in the seating position in which I was putting the dogs, so I just moved it over out of my way. It should not be installed at the recline angle it is sitting in in these photos.
The newer models of the PetBuckle harness have push-button adjusters to make them more secure. Mine are older and have tilt adjusters that tend to loosen, so I have tied knots in the excess webbing to prevent loosening. Another improvement with the newer harnesses is that IMMI has replaced the rigid plastic chest plate with a softer more rubbery piece.
The PetBuckle Package
When you purchase the Standard PetBuckle restraint, the package typically includes the harness, a LATCHable Kwik-Connect strap, a D-ring and a handy little storage bag. When you purchase a Small PetBuckle restraint, you only get the harness without the connector strap. The connector strap is available for purchase separately.
Pet Buckle Restraint System packaging contents
The connector strap can be adjusted in length from 15 to 20 inches.
When the D-ring is attached to the connector strap, you have a handy out-of-car temporary leash too!
For dogs weighing less than 40 lbs, you can connect the LATCH connector strap to your vehicle’s lower LATCH anchors. For dogs over 40 lbs, use of the D-ring loop is required. You simply buckle the vehicle seatbelt through the loop and attach the connector strap to the d-ring. If your vehicle has the type of buckle release button that is on the front as opposed to on the top like in my Pilot, I can see it becoming unbuckled if the dog steps on it. In this situation, I would try pushing the buckle between the seatback and the seat bottom, or try another seating position.
I’ve lost the D-ring that came with one of my harnesses, so I just buckle the belt though the loop of the connector strap.
The Small Breed Harness
The Small Breed harness is designed for dogs under 20 lbs. I am using my mother’s 6 lb Poodle as my model for demo purposes.
The Small harness fits the 6 lb dog pretty well, though with no opening buckles you have to pull the dog’s legs through the straps as though you were putting a shirt on the dog. I see no reason it wouldn’t also fit a cat that is used to wearing a harness. Some cats like road trips too!
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