How safe is the dog harness you use?
As a responsible pet owner, you invested in a dog harness to keep your beloved safe, right? Well, Fetch! Pet Care wants you and your bestie to live long and healthy lives, so we’re taking this time to talk to you about an important dog harness warning that you may not be aware of. Some pets have been seriously injured due to their well-meaning owners not knowing what we’re about to tell you, so please stop what you’re doing and read carefully!
First Things First
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that we recently featured a post on pet carrier safety. Haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet? We are begging you to please go do so now! Such a crucial warning can seriously save your pet’s life and we want to make sure you don’t miss it.
Not All Dog Harnesses Are Equal
While pet carrier safety is of the utmost importance, that’s not all you need to know. Many of you use dog harnesses, some of which can be just as dangerous as not securing your pet at all. What’s worse is the false sense of security (literally!) that some manufacturers give when advertising that their restraints have been tested and come highly rated for pet safety. The truth is that they don’t!
Unfortunately, pet products aren’t considered safety products, so dog harnesses don’t fall under the watchful eye of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In fact, there’s no official government testing done at all to ensure that a manufacturer’s dog harness claims are accurate.
See Dog Harness Safety Fails in Action
The following report is as difficult to watch as the videos we shared in our pet carrier warning post. Resist the urge to ignore both reports, however, as it is important for you to see that, even at a mere 30 miles per hour, your pet can be seriously injured even while wearing a dog harness! Brace yourself and take a look:
Thank goodness that Subaru and the Center for Pet Safety teamed up to test the reliability of dog harnesses just as they did with dog crates. In a special investigation shared by reporter Jeff Rossen, 25 out of 29 harnesses failed rigorous testing. And in many of these tests, a dog harness simply snapped and dogs were sent airborne. It bears repeating here that manufacturer safety seals mean nothing!
Some Harnesses Are Better Than Others
According to Rossen’s Facebook page, the following dog harness products performed the best:
- Gunner Kennel G1 Intermediate w/Strength Rated Anchor Straps
- PetEgo Jet Set Forma Frame Carrier w/ISOFIX-Latch Connection
- Sleepypod Clickit Utility
- Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed w/PPRS Handilock
Key Dog Harness Takeaways
- Pet products are not tested like other consumer products are
- There is no official government-approved testing for dog harnesses
- Dog harness safety seals are often deceptive
- An unsafe dog harness can cause serious injury or death to your pet
- An unharnessed or improperly harnessed dog can become a projectile causing injury to others
Your Take on Dog Harness Safety
Which dog harness do you use? Do you have anything to add to this warning that may be useful to our readers? We hope that you will all take this matter to heart when purchasing pet harnesses in the future and please share this post with other pet lovers so that we can help ensure the safety of all of our furry pals!
