Dogs in car accidents

Following our recent experience of a car crash, when thankfully the dogs weren't with us, I wondered if anyone had been in an accident with their dogs.
What does happen to injured scared animals? Obviously the emergency services have to sort out the human casualties first. I know once I'd decided we'd both survived one of my first thoughts was 'thank goodness the boys weren't in the back'.

My son in law works on Traffic/Motorways, when such an accident has occured, if animals are involved and they can be caught, they are taken to the nearest vets if injured, if not they place them at a rescue kennels. Usually yourselves or the family pay the bill involved afterwards.

However if the animal escapes obviously they can not chase after them if they run over fields, your family are notified and then it is up to themselves or you to advertise etc.,

It's one reason I always put my girl in the back now in a special crate. Apparently one of the big problems that can happen is that the animal can escape and either get killed or else cause mayhem

I always hated the idea of dogs in the back of cars due to having been in a few accidents where people have driven into the back of me but on the whole I do believe it is the safest place.

Wys
x

Ours travel in the back and their leads are clipped on to the rings on the floor for restraining luggage, so if the worst happened they couldn't run off. But what's special about the crate? Can you get crates with padding or anything? Knowing how much we were thrown about and I'd imagine the dogs would suffer a lot too in the back. Of course I suppose it all depends on exactly what happens.

Maggie has her own crate in the boot, it's got an escape hatch on the back so if the back of the car is pushed in in an accident then the back of the crate can be removed to let her out and also there's little chance of her escaping and running off.

my cousins friend was in a car crash last firday,

she had two kittens in the car, it was a farily horrid smash, they had to be cut from the car, the kittens were in a travel crate thingy, they were kept in the back of one of the ambulances, then when it was clear they were ok, the police took them back to her mums for her while she was taken to hospital.

I have had crates built in the back of the van. They will open from either end so should hopefully always be able to get out.

I had a friend who used to clip her dogs leads in the back - it always really scared me in case the dog got thrown forward and the possibility of breaking its neck. (I could understand if they were wearing car harnesess)

There was a nasty car accident down here that an aquaintance of mine was in. They had a dog with them and also another car in the accident had a dog with them. I think 1 or 2 of the dogs died at the scene but there was at least one that surived - the police (or someone) contacted the dog warden to come out and deal with it (I think it was loose).

Many crates...I dont mean the cheap ones you can buy , but some of the bigger makes... are reinforced to stand up to being rammed in the back of the car.

I have always used a crate... got a "Guardman " but it does not fit this car I have now... and to be honest, for the first time in yrs.. my dogs travel without being crated...and I have to admit, it is something I am still not comfortable with.

they are safe enough in the boot of my car... but I worry if the above was to happen..

Talking myself into buying a new crate here

A good friend of mine(sadly no longer alive)used to make custom built car/van crates. He made some for a lady who had bought a new car & she collected them & he fitted they into her car.

On the way home she was side swiped on the motorway by an Arctic's trailer & the car rolled over & down an embankment.

The car obviously was a write off & her life & her dogs lives were saved by the crates which had stopped the roof crushing her. The emergency services expected to find her dead, but although she had cuts & bruises & whiplash & the dogs were shaken & bruises they could all walk away from car !

Another customer was rear ended & his tailgate flew open, the dogs were safe in the crate & were easily removed from the inside via the "escape"door at the back of the crate.

Some show people were in an accident in Scotland, a poodle wearing a safety harness was killed(she was crushed by the side impact), but the dogs in the crates next to her were all OK.

Hi,

I've been in 2 extrmely nasty and serious accidents where once my car was squashed by an HGV and the other time I was T-boned by a car travelling at over 50 miles an hour. The mos tminor injury I had was part of the metal from the door being embedded in my leg.

I'm grateful that my dogs weren't in the car with me. I have a big crate that will accommodate any 2 of them (couldn't fit all in the car at any one time). Now I have harnesses that although can be used for walking also, I only use them to restrain the dogs, even whilst in the crate.

I know the crate will stop them escaping but it won't protect them from injury, so they hae harneses that have a lot fo padding aroudn the chest and shoulder area so they can't be thrown about in an accident.

Just for going to training (which is round the corner and I usually walk anyway), the dogs are in the car one at a time and are free in the back of the car. There is no traffic at that time of night during the 90 second drive so 'm happy to do that. Anywhere else, they have to be restrained now.

Laura xx