Kristy
08-05-2005, 08:06 PM
By Tony Manolatos / The Detroit News
SHELBY TOWNSHIP -- Valerie Joseph doesn't go anywhere without her dog, Shelby.
"We left him one time when we went to Florida, and he almost died," Joseph, 50, of Macomb Township said as she caressed the back of Shelby's ears. "He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't drink. We came home early for him."
Whether it's a trip to Lowe's, PETsMART or Erma's Ice Cream, where Shelby gets his own cup of vanilla custard, Joseph's 4-year-old Maltese goes along for the ride, usually resting on Joseph's lap or on the leather seats of her 2004 midnight-blue Cadillac Deville. When she can't bring Shelby into a store, Joseph leaves him with a water-spray fan blowing in her Caddy.
Canine cruising has sparked a cottage industry of pet products that make road trips a little smoother and safer for pet owners and pooches. But veterinarians warn that all the gadgetry is no substitute for common sense when traveling with your pet.
At the PETsMART in Shelby Township, half an aisle is dedicated to travel and auto safety products for dogs. The label for one item -- a booster chair that sells for $19.99 -- depicts a small dog strapped into a portable perch that's secured to the backseat of a car.
"Safely satisfies a dog's natural urge to look and see out the window while riding," the packing says.
Travel carriers range in price from $19.99 to $79.99; a crate cooling fan sells for $13.99; the Comfort Cruiser, and a rubber bumper your dog can rest his chin on when your window is halfway down, is $4.99. Harnesses and tethers, which veterinarians say more owners should use, range from $19.99 to $24.99; a variety of seat covers are for sale, and so is a gate that keeps dogs in the rear of a minivan or SUV. A pet ramp, to get your animal into a minivan or SUV, is $149.99.
Outside of PETsMART, Deanna Acre's 2-year-old English springer spaniel, Domino, leaps out of her 2002 Chevy TrailBlazer. "I like to get him out of the house, so he doesn't go stir-crazy," said Acre, 33, an information technology manager from Utica. "This is his store. He loves it here. He starts whining as soon as he sees the sign."
Acre says her dog travels well, but Karl Koss said his 14-year-old cairn terrier doesn't. So the only time Snickers goes for a ride is when it's time for him to visit the vet.
"He's up all over the seats. He jumps down and he tries to crawl under my feet when I'm driving," said Koss, 53, a teacher from Clinton Township.
Dogs bouncing around a car or hanging their head out a window worry people like Sue Lewandoski.
"I know they love their pets, but for God's sake, keep them safe," said Lewandoski, a veterinary technician at Cageside Manner Veterinary Hospital in Macomb Township.
Dogs should be restrained with a harness or a pet safety belt that attaches to a car's seat belt, Lewandoski said.
"They're relatively easy to get on and off," Lewandoski said.
Crating your dog is another option, but you have to make sure the crate is secure, she said. Gates that block off the rear of an SUV or minivan also help keep dogs safe. Once, an owner called Cageside after a car wreck in which her dog wasn't caged or belted, she said. His head hit the windshield and he wasn't breathing. She brought him in, only to find his neck was broken. Veterinarians couldn't save him.
While some dogs seem to live for the breeze they get when hanging their head out of window, flying debris can lead to infections, or to the loss of an eye, Lewandoski said.
"Plus, too, you don't have good control of your car when your dog is on your lap, or standing on your steering wheel. It's scary, but it happens," she said.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/commuting/0508/01/A02-265620.htm
SHELBY TOWNSHIP -- Valerie Joseph doesn't go anywhere without her dog, Shelby.
"We left him one time when we went to Florida, and he almost died," Joseph, 50, of Macomb Township said as she caressed the back of Shelby's ears. "He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't drink. We came home early for him."
Whether it's a trip to Lowe's, PETsMART or Erma's Ice Cream, where Shelby gets his own cup of vanilla custard, Joseph's 4-year-old Maltese goes along for the ride, usually resting on Joseph's lap or on the leather seats of her 2004 midnight-blue Cadillac Deville. When she can't bring Shelby into a store, Joseph leaves him with a water-spray fan blowing in her Caddy.
Canine cruising has sparked a cottage industry of pet products that make road trips a little smoother and safer for pet owners and pooches. But veterinarians warn that all the gadgetry is no substitute for common sense when traveling with your pet.
At the PETsMART in Shelby Township, half an aisle is dedicated to travel and auto safety products for dogs. The label for one item -- a booster chair that sells for $19.99 -- depicts a small dog strapped into a portable perch that's secured to the backseat of a car.
"Safely satisfies a dog's natural urge to look and see out the window while riding," the packing says.
Travel carriers range in price from $19.99 to $79.99; a crate cooling fan sells for $13.99; the Comfort Cruiser, and a rubber bumper your dog can rest his chin on when your window is halfway down, is $4.99. Harnesses and tethers, which veterinarians say more owners should use, range from $19.99 to $24.99; a variety of seat covers are for sale, and so is a gate that keeps dogs in the rear of a minivan or SUV. A pet ramp, to get your animal into a minivan or SUV, is $149.99.
Outside of PETsMART, Deanna Acre's 2-year-old English springer spaniel, Domino, leaps out of her 2002 Chevy TrailBlazer. "I like to get him out of the house, so he doesn't go stir-crazy," said Acre, 33, an information technology manager from Utica. "This is his store. He loves it here. He starts whining as soon as he sees the sign."
Acre says her dog travels well, but Karl Koss said his 14-year-old cairn terrier doesn't. So the only time Snickers goes for a ride is when it's time for him to visit the vet.
"He's up all over the seats. He jumps down and he tries to crawl under my feet when I'm driving," said Koss, 53, a teacher from Clinton Township.
Dogs bouncing around a car or hanging their head out a window worry people like Sue Lewandoski.
"I know they love their pets, but for God's sake, keep them safe," said Lewandoski, a veterinary technician at Cageside Manner Veterinary Hospital in Macomb Township.
Dogs should be restrained with a harness or a pet safety belt that attaches to a car's seat belt, Lewandoski said.
"They're relatively easy to get on and off," Lewandoski said.
Crating your dog is another option, but you have to make sure the crate is secure, she said. Gates that block off the rear of an SUV or minivan also help keep dogs safe. Once, an owner called Cageside after a car wreck in which her dog wasn't caged or belted, she said. His head hit the windshield and he wasn't breathing. She brought him in, only to find his neck was broken. Veterinarians couldn't save him.
While some dogs seem to live for the breeze they get when hanging their head out of window, flying debris can lead to infections, or to the loss of an eye, Lewandoski said.
"Plus, too, you don't have good control of your car when your dog is on your lap, or standing on your steering wheel. It's scary, but it happens," she said.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/commuting/0508/01/A02-265620.htm