Thursday, December 27, 2012

Product Review: Bergan Dog Auto Harness

It's something that's been on my mind for awhile, but Dogster also had an article lately about whether car restraints for dogs are in fact adequate safety devices, or just a placebo. Of course, I have the EzyDog Chest Plate Harness, which Elka wears on walks (attached to both a leash and her collar, with Liberty's Attachment, for backup safety) and has worn in the car since we got it. She'd already ridden in the backseat once I'd realized that an air bag could kill a dog. But, was the EzyDog Chest Plate Harness safe enough, or only to prevent driver distractions? Should I look at other options as well?

Then one day I was browsing the Animal Rescue Site, and lo and behold, I saw the Bergan Dog Auto Safety Harness, which claimed to be safety rated. It certainly bore investigation! I contacted the Bergan Pet Products company via their web site, and they were kind enough to provide a harness for me to review.




A definite point of appeal is Bergan's claim that their harness complies with the Dog Auto Harness Durability Test. Unlike seat belts and say, car seats, for humans there is no such standard for dogs. It seems only recently that some owners are realizing that crating or otherwise restraining their dogs in the car is a good idea. I certainly still see dogs in laps, and in the backs of pickup trucks, but it seems like a smaller number than a few years ago. The standard for safety is an interesting read, if you have a mind to, and there's a web site called Paws to Click, with a safety pledge for promoting responsible pet travel.



The Dog Auto Harness is a step in harness that buckles in the back, and adjusts on the side through metal (!) hardware. The buckles themselves are still plastic.


There is a flap that then Velcros shut over the buckles, and the resulting handles are for a carabiner on a strap (also provided) to clip through. 



The other end of the strap is another carabiner that affixes to one of the car seat anchors in your vehicle.


Elka, to her credit, is very calm and patient when I'm putting things on her, and always has been. Her first night home, we put her collar on. She jumped around like a bronco for like five seconds, and then was done. When we got her first hoodie, I popped it on her, and she was all "Oh, okay." Same with the Ezydog harness. Same with this one. 


Really, the single complaint (other than the ubiquitous plastic buckles) I have is that the Bergan Dog Auto Harness is not also a walking harness the way the Ezydog one is. While the snap hook on the end of Liberty's attachment will close over both of the little nylon handles, it isn't ideal, though I'm not sure what a good solution for that would be with this design. Another slightly smaller, though still weight rated, carabiner? The harness material is reasonably soft to the touch, and doesn't appear to chafe in any manner.  The strap provides Elka enough room to lay down, though I do need her to be in a sit in order to affix the carabiner to the harness upon entering the car. I haven't quite gotten the hang of quick carabiner detachment, though I think that's just user unfamiliarity and not a product flaw. 

(action shot; don't worry, the car was in park at the time, though I did not turn around to take the picture)

If you do occasion to order a Bergan Dog Auto Harness based on whim or this review, keep an eye out for the silica gel packet, though. I think that's where the one blogged about in Do Not Eat came from, and I just didn't see it when I opened the package.






16 comments:

  1. Really appreciated your review. I've lost the source, but a few months ago read something about these dog auto restraints being just as dangerous as no restraint. With two large dogs, I think I'd wish for one that could double as a walking harness with less hassle (time) on and off. Maybe not... ?

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    1. Unfortunately, a dog Elka's size could kill a driver/passengers in a bad enough accident by becoming another force in motion in the vehicle. I obviously want her to be afe as well, but if restraining her saves somebody else's life, it's the choice I'll make.

      I really like that about the Ezydog Harness, that it doubles as a walking harness.

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  2. I would worry about those plastic clips being strong enough in case of a crash. Sometimes I have trouble getting plastic clips all the way in to lock. Did you have any issues with that?

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    1. The clips seemed to lock just fine. They're bigger on the Ezydog harness, but I don't know if bigger is better? On the Bergan harness, they fasten all right, and it seems that the harness relies more on the fact that the carabiner clips on both the handles. So the clips are non car backup?

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  3. Thanks for your review. Mom yells at those harnesses cause they are usually confusing to put on. We rather our booster seats cause we are little
    Benny & Lily

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    1. They can be confusing! The Bergan was very easy, though. It was just a matter of getting both legs through at once! Booster seats are great for little dogs, I think? (I don't know as much about them).

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  4. I'm still on the fence about this restraint issue. I'm not sure I like the idea of my dog bouncing around the vehicle, but then I wonder what kind of injuries result from the impact vs restraint of harness.

    Thanks for the review!!

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    1. It is one of those things. Especially if it's a minor accident, I don't want Elka to be harmed because she was restrained vs. not. Even before I started restraining her in the car, she would simply lay down in the back seat.

      There are also those blanket sling things that take up the entire back seat, which would still prevent the dog from flying through the front, but be lower-impact I guess. I wonder if any of those are safety rated?

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  5. Good point about the dog being a force in motion in an accident. Geez - there's so much loose stuff rolling around in my car that the dogs would only be one more thing in an accident. I'm afraid it's all I can do to insist all the humans wear seat belts.

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  6. Great review, Thanks Jen!
    I, too have the EzyDog harness, and I just love it. This harness does sound good too, I have gone to REI and gotten mountain climbing carabiners that 'lock', maybe these could work for walking too.

    Kisses,
    Ruby

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    1. Adding a carabiner like that is a good idea! Maybe I'll get one to try like that.

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  7. I once was busted by the trauma surgeon I work with when I had Margie, a Border Terrier mix, in my lap when I stopped for gas. Another concern I have about not harnessing, crating, or leashing a dog in a car (despite the Margie debacle) is they can easily get lost, run in panic and never found if they are ejected or able to get out in an accident. I usually crate or leash up my dogs in my vehicle. Will look at both your suggestions. Thanks for the review!

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    1. Yes, we do see sad stories of dogs that are lost after accidents. Just this past summer (I think it was summer?) somebody in the Arizona agility community was in a car accident with her dogs. I don't know if they were crated and the crates broke, or if they weren't all crated, but a couple of the dogs were lost for days before I think just the one was recovered. (wouldn't it be great if I could actually remember the story to tell it?)

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  8. Good review! We use a large crate in the back which also has a padlock on it for added security. With the harness (or others) how have you found it when the dog wearing it wants to turn around (and around, and around) before laying down in the vehicle. We tried a harness once and within five minutes had a dog almost strangle.

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    1. With the way the strap attaches in the car the way it does, Elka doesn't have the leeway to turn around at all, so I haven't seen her get tangled or a leg caught or anything. I wasn't sure at first if she would even have the room to lay down with the Bergan one, but she does. Neither harness I have for her moves much; the EZYDog one slips to the side, but doesn't ever encroach on her neck area. Or she just doesn't move in a way that would make it do so, I'm sure it's possible!

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  9. hi.

    Thanks for sharing a good review. I really enjoy reading your blog...

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