Your pets can be injured or killed in an automobile accident just as easily as your human passengers can be. It’s crucial to protect your pets when they travel with you, even if it’s just a short ride to the veterinarian. With a little help from the Humane Society of the United States, Banister’s Upholstery suggests the following to protect your pet & upholstery when you transport them.
Don’t Let Them Roam
Never let your dog or cat roam around in the vehicle during transport. Dog and cat claws shred upholstery, the animal could get sick or defecate on the upholstery, and roaming creates dangerous situations for them, your other passengers, and you. Pets distract drivers by getting into their laps or underneath their feet. They could also be thrown if the driver makes a sudden stop. Freedom for the pet is not an option in a moving automobile. Keep them restrained by using the methods below.
Carriers
The best way to restrain a pet is to put it in a carrier and secure the carrier to the seat using the seat belt or another restraining method. Think of the carrier as a child seat. You want to make sure it can’t go anywhere if you make a sudden stop or get into an automobile accident. Protect your upholstery by placing a towel under the carrier but make sure it doesn’t make the carrier slide too much. If it does, place a dry, rubber shower mat underneath the carrier to prevent upholstery damage.
Dog Restraints
Cats must be in carriers but dogs have other options. You can use a cage if you have a large dog or you can secure your dog in a special dog restraint. The restraints, such as seat hammocks, are not as safe as a carrier or cage, however, so you might want to stick with what’s been proven to work best in the past. Plus, other restraints keep the dog outside of an enclosure and physically on the seat, which opens you up to the claw and car sickness damage mentioned above.
Pet & Upholstery Don’ts
You might love the sight of a dog sticking its head out the window enjoy the wind but this is so dangerous for your pooch. Flying debris, trees or other cares can hit your dog and kill it. You should also never put your dog in the bed of a truck, even if it is to protect your vehicle’s upholstery. Even restrained, dogs might try to jump out of the bed and are killed horrifically when they do so. Finally, secure your pet in the back seat or turn off the passenger airbag in the front seat.
If your pet does damage your vehicle’s upholstery, don’t punish it. It didn’t mean to. Rather call Banister’s Upholstery in East Point, GA, to have the upholstery repaired. We can also design custom seat covers for you to protect your upholstery when Fido or Fluffy is in the car.
