Better Safe Than Sorry (Hi-Craft Dog Car Harness)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Hi-Craft Dog Car Harness
Date:	24/05/09 (235 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Provides a safe and secure way for dogs to travel. Well made and well priced.

Disadvantages: There may not be a size suitable for very small or very large dogs

*What is the Hi-Craft Dog Car Harness?*
This valuable car safety device for dogs is produced by the Hi-Craft brand that make and produces a large variety of dog associated items and pet care equipment but specialise mainly in these Car Safety Harness.

*The product itself*
Grace and Benson travel in the car very regularly, generally at least once a day. They come to work me with so they're in the car on my journey to and from the surgery and on the days I'm not working, I like to take them out somewhere a bit different for their walk, like the beach and we get there via car. Even, if I am just popping out for something, and it's safe to leave the dogs in the car whilst I get whatever I need, I'll generally take at least one of them, just for a ride and a bit of company for me!

They've always travelled in the boot. I have a Land Rover Discovery, so there is plenty of room in there for them and it just seemed to be the most practical and comfortable way of transporting two large dogs- they have the space to lay down and chill out back there and also when they return soaking wet and covered in mud from walks, the boot is pretty easy to clean out afterwards. It's the way they have always travelled, right from when I got Benson as a pup four years ago, and then Grace a couple of years later and it never really crossed my mind that there was anything wrong with it.

That was until we nearly had a huge lorry go into the back of us on the motorway a couple of months ago. Thank god, the lorry driver managed to slam on his breaks in time, and no body was hurt but if he hadn't of done so, the effects could of obviously have been devastating. Although this time, everything was ok, the thought alone of what could have happened was enough for me to seriously re-think the way I travel with Grace and Benson and I decided I'd feel a lot happier if they were on the back seat, so if, god forbid, a vehicle did ever go into the back of us, the boot would take the majority of the force, and not my dogs.

If they were going to be on the back seat though, this proposed a new problem. If I ever had to break suddenly, they could be thrown forward, possibly killing themselves, me and a passenger if I had one in the car so I needed something that would keep them securely restrained and safe on the back seat in case of emergency. I remembered using a car harness for Ruby, my old dog who use to travel on the passenger seat and thought they seemed like a good idea for Grace and Benson.

I had a look around and finally settled on these Hi-Craft ones as it was the brand I had used with Ruby and I had been very happy with her harness. They claim to be the Original car safety harness for dogs and in the form of an easy to fit, comfortable padded harness, provide safety and peace of mind should you ever need to suddenly break hard or are involved in a car accident. The majority of the force of your dog moving forward is absorbed by the heavily padded chest and shoulder pieces and in return, this helps to reduce the risk of any injury to your pet.

The harness then has a loop in which you can pass the car seat belt through, and click into the regular seat belt holder and this keeps the dog securely on the seat. This not only provides safety in the event of an accident, it also prevents your dog from moving around or climbing onto the front seat, distracting the driver.

The Hi-Craft harness comes in five sizes (XS, S, M, L & XL) so there should be something to fit most dogs, except perhaps the very tiny or giant breeds of dog and they are fully adjustable, allowing you to alter the straps to get the best possible fit for your dog and the unobtrusive red and black design of the harnesses makes them an attractive item for any dog to wear!

*Packaging*
The Hi-Craft harness comes packaged in a clear plastic box which has been heat sealed- you need a pair of scissors and a lot of force to get into them, trust me! Inside you'll find a cardboard insert which gives full details of about the product and how to use it and also some information giving advice on how to travel safely with dogs. Lastly, as you'd expect, there are contact details for Hi-Craft should you have any questions or comments.

*Price & Availability*
The Hi-Craft harness, along with the RAC one, seems to be the most popular on the market and therefore available in most pet shops, both on and offline. I purchased Grace and Benson's harnesses online from www.valuepets.com where the prices are as follows:

X Small (suitable for Yorkies etc) - £11.45
Small (suitable for Westies, JRTs etc) - £13.45
Medium (suitable for Springers, Collies etc) - £13.95
Large (suitable for Labs, Retrievers etc) - £14.95
X Large (suitable for Rotties, GSDs, Huskies etc) - £15.75

To give you some idea of actual size, Benson who is a Bernese Mountain Dog wears the X Large size and Grace, who is a Rottweiler bitch, uses the Large.

*My opinion*
I think it is safe to say I have never in my life been as frightened as I was when I saw that lorry coming up behind me and knowing there was no where I could go as I had cars both in front of me and on both sides. My initial thought was of course, sheer panic that I was just about the be hit, but that soon turned to pure fear for Grace and Benson who were in the boot and would have taken the full force of the lorry, hadn't the driver stopped in time. Thank god, on this occasion, we were lucky but I realised next time we might not be and as soon as I had calmed down enough to drive home, the first thing I done when I stepped foot inside my front door, was jump on the computer to order some car harnesses so I could have Grace and Benson travel in a much safer location- on the back seat.

As I mentioned earlier, it was the Hi-Craft harnesses I ordered as I had used them before with my old Ruby and was pleased with their quality, they were also very reasonably priced too, which sealed the deal for me! Once my order was submitted, I waited eagerly for them to arrive so I could start taking the dogs out and about with me once again. Sure enough, they did a few days later and I tried them on Grace and Benson immediately.

When I took the harnesses out of their packet, I was instantly very impressed with their quality- the straps felt thick and strong, but were also padded and lined with a soft fleece material so I knew they'd be comfortable for the dogs to wear and lastly, the plastic buckles which fastened the harnesses on the dogs felt very strong and sturdy and I felt there was little chance of them letting me down. A D-Ring was also attached to the back of the harness, which I couldn't really see much use for, but a quick read of the information that came with the harnesses, informs me that this is to attach your dogs lead when walking them to/from the car, but must not be used for long periods of time.

I called Grace through to have her harness fitted first. Initially, it was all a bit confusing and the fitting instructions weren't much help either but I soon figured out that there were two red straps, one to fasten around your dogs neck, just below their collar and then another to secure behind your dogs front legs, with the chest panel running straight down the middle of your dogs chest and the seatbelt loop at the back of your dog. Once fitted, it looked quite smart on her and moving on to Benson, I put his harness on him and he looked equally good. At first they were a little bit bothered by the presence of the harness as they had never worn anything like it before but they soon settled down and forgot all about them, so I took them for a ride in the car to try them out.

After the initial battle of actually trying to get Grace and Benson on the back seat (they kept insisting on going in the boot!), the harnesses were a breeze to secure. I simply needed to put the car seat belt through the loop at the back of their harnesses and then clip the seatbelt buckle into the holder as usual. The dog is then securely attached to the seat, but still has the freedom to turn, sit and lay down comfortably. Grace and Benson quite liked their new position I think- they were both sat as proud as punch next to each other on the back seat, looking out their windows waiting to see where I took them!

When I started driving, Benson did start to try and stand up like he normally does when he travels in the boot but he soon realised he wasn't able to do this and settled back down quite comfortably whilst Grace, bless her, sat as good as gold the entire way just looking out of her window. Once at our destination, the harnesses were equally easy to remove from the car as they were to attach and I kept them on the dogs whilst they went for their walk. This was the first, and last time, I did this however as they got incredibly wet and muddy. I now take the harnesses off the dogs when we get to our destination, chuck them on the backseat and then reattach them when it is time for the dogs to go back in the car, it only takes a minute or so for each dog so is worth doing to keep the harnesses in best possible condition.

All in all, a great item and one of the best dog related purchases I have made, I am extremely happy and confident knowing they are safe on the back seat and are in less danger in the event of an accident- I, and any passenger I may have, are also a lot safer too as the dogs cannot be thrown forward should I need to break suddenly. Also, god forbid, I am ever in a car accident and am seriously injured and need medical treatment at the scene, I know that if paramedics were to open the car door, Grace and Benson can't freak and run off, possibly killing or injuring themselves on the motorway or getting lost. Instead, they are there, safe and secure, for a friend or relative to take for me. Also, they're incredibly protective dogs, and if they could get near me in the event of an accident, I'm sure they wouldn't allow anyone else to get to me if I was seriously injured meaning I couldn't be treated. Not a nice thing to have to think of I know, but it's just one of those things.

The quality of the harnesses are exceptional, being very well made from incredibly tough yet soft material and strong plastic buckles made them excellent value for money, whilst at the same time, making car travel an awful lot safer for both you and your pet. Highly recommended to any dog owner, you may never have to use them to their full potential, but the peace of mind is always there.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask all those who do travel with their dog in the boot to seriously re-think things. It may seem safe enough, I certainly thought it was for many years, and I know the chances of anything happening are slim, but I'd hate anyone to learn the hard way what could potentially happen to a dog travelling in the boot should a vehicle ever crash into the back of your car.

Summary: All sizes are under £16- not alot to pay for the safety of you and your pet.