I remember once awhile back when a client gave me a kitten that nobody wanted. She was found alone and abandoned on the street, but the client was not in a physical condition to be able to continue taking care of the kitten and asked for my help. I’m actually more of a dog person than a cat person (just too many bad memories from an old neighbor with too many cats), but we both did not want the kitten to die, so I hesitantly volunteered to be the temporary caretaker.
The drive home was quite a circus spectacle, if any! The kitten didn’t want to stay on the floor of the car, nor stay put in the passenger seat. She did not want the rear seats either. She wanted to hang on to me for dear life! We played tug-o-war, with my car swerving back and forth on a two-way street. I was pretty scratched up by the time I made it home… but I made it home is all that matters, thank God! And the cat? Forget the cat… it’s like nothing ever happened, thank you very much!
The point is, having pets in the car can be a safety issue, especially for pets that are not trained. My story involved a kitty cat… but what if it were a bigger dog? I know it looks very endearing when you see a dog sitting on the lap of their owner (or standing), enjoying the cool breeze as they extend their neck out the driver’s side window, while the owner is merrily driving down the road. It just wants to make you say “Awwww, how sweet!” (I’m tempted to say the same thing, believe me). But if you ask me, I just personally think it is a safety issue. It can be distracting, and you’re just putting yourself (and the dog), including others on the road, at risk.
Now, I can probably turn the other way if it were a well-trained dog who can sit still and enjoy the ride from the passenger’s seat without problem. (I guess I’m not that idealistic after all (=)
Anyway, if you just want to play it safe and own an SUV with enough cargo space for your beloved dog to still enjoy a ride, then putting up this pet barrier provides a good safety net (see below photo):
NOTE: I have some pictures, but am having issues uploading at this time. I will update this post with photos once the problem is resolved.
We have a suburban, so this Ohuhu Adjustable Pet Barrier Safety Gate is a nice fit for us. We don’t have a family dog anymore, but this doesn’t render the pet barrier useless. What I like about it is that the set still doubles as a protective barrier between my family and our cargo in the back of the suburban. This is especially useful for long road trips during a family vacation. I have once read a research article explaining how loose, flying objects or unsecured cargo inside the vehicle have been the cause of serious injuries and even death in some accidents in the country.
Just be aware that some assembly will be required. Just look for the instruction manual in the package. It’s easy to follow.
NOTE: I have some pictures, but am having issues uploading at this time. I will update this post with photos once the problem is resolved.
I was at first concerned when the unit I received had some brownish discoloration on the iron bars and was worried that the iron components were rusted. But they disappeared when I ran my finger through those areas. They appear to be brown dusty looking material. I still don’t have any explanation for that, but once I wiped the bars off with cloth, they disappeared and the iron bars looked fine. My guess is those rusty dusts must have rubbed unto the bars during the production/factory process and remained there during packaging. Otherwise, as I have said, they disappeared and the black bars looked fine afterwards.
So if you’re looking for an extra safe guard for your family or pets while traveling, the Ohuhu Adjustable Pet Barrier Safety Gate is something to consider. It is currently available on Amazon at a 14 percent discount at the time of this writing.
As far as the kitten is concerned… no worries, Ms Kitty Cat is safe! After a couple of days of being her “daddy”, she found a new home with a better “mommy.” My wife found a cat lover at work who was more than delighted to keep her (=
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