Just a few days ago, it was National Pet Travel Safety Day, and I thought it was a perfect time to share with all of Rover’s family, cousins, and Sun Lakes pet parents the importance of keeping your dog, cat, or critter safe when traveling with you in a car.

While your pet is excited and happy to go on a car ride, and you want to keep those good feelings rolling, you allow them to ride without restraints in the front seat, in your lap, or with her head out the window. But while it tends to dampen the mood a bit to put her in a crate or a harness, for her safety, it is the right thing to do.

Ask any first responder—an unrestrained pet in your car is a recipe for disaster. “With any unsecured pet, at just 10 mph, if you must stop quickly due to an animal or hazard in the road or swerve to avoid someone who crosses the line into your lane … your dog faces the risk of flying into the dashboard, windshield, or the back of your seat and, at the very least, suffering emotional distress, cuts and bruises, and broken bones from blunt force trauma.”

Going on a car trip? Before attempting a car trip of any significant duration, get your pet familiar and comfortable with her carrier (or safety harness) well in advance, and if she’s not used to being in the car, take several short trips to acclimate her to a moving vehicle. Make sure your dog or cat is wearing a collar with a current ID tag.

Just as you need a travel kit, so does your pet. Be sure to include several pictures of your pet and phone number, food, treats, fresh bottled water, bowls, a harness and leash, a brush, a few toys, bedding, and any supplements or medications your dog or cat requires. Also, remember to bring along an emergency first-aid kit.

What, you don’t have a safety harness? The Center for Pet Safety does not recommend the use of any pet travel seats or booster seats currently on the market to protect your four-legged family member in the event of a vehicle accident. A side note, Center for Pet Safety (CPS) and Subaru of America have teamed up to conduct studies of pet restraint systems. Very interesting read, www.centerforpetsafety.org.

So, when purchasing any safety products, beware of manufacturers’ claims regarding pet safety restraint products. They are free to make safety claims that may or may not be true (how sad). Check the Center for Pet Safety before purchasing your safety products.

Rover’s Rest Stop and Ranch Kids wish you and yours a very happy, safe, and healthy new year! Please put the second Saturday of every month on your calendar. We would love to see you at our Meet & Greet events in the Dance Room at Cottonwood. For more info, call 480-600-2828. Hug those necks for us.