A family has issued some important safety advice for fellow dog owners who plan to travel with their four-legged friends after their dog survived a high speed collision thanks to a £30 harness.
On Sunday 28th July Leigh Fuller and Callum O’Reilly, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, took their dog Trevor to the beach for the first time when they were involved in a serious three car collision on Bridgnorth Road. An oncoming car sped around a blind corner on the wrong side of the road, causing a crash with an impact speed of 130mph – writing off all cars involved.
When Leigh smelled burning, her first thought was of Trevor, saying: “While Callum called the emergency services, I rushed to get Trevor. I unclipped his seatbelt and got him out of the car. I couldn’t believe he was all okay, just understandably shaking and scared.”
Trevor was secured in the back seats with a harness Leigh picked up a last-minute decision before the trip, after feeling that Trevor wasn’t secure enough in his previous set up. She said: “If we hadn’t bought that harness, on top of all the trauma of the whole situation, we could have lost Trevor. The 3 Peaks harness undoubtedly saved his life.”
Leigh added: “Buying it was one of the best things that we did.” Thankfully, Leigh, Callum and Trevor all escaped with minor injuries and are now recovering at home. But they took to social media to share an important safety message to help spread awareness about keeping your dog safe and secure when travelling in a car.
In an Instagram post on an account dedicated to Trevor, a sprockerdor, they wrote: “Normally when travelling he is on his normal harness and clipped in using a “dog seatbelt” now these are great for travel but would have caused him to be flown around in the back of the car upon impact potentially causing serious injuries to both us and Trevor.
“Luckily due to the distance we were travelling we had swapped him to use a crash tested (ironic I know…) specific car harness for dogs. Now these harnesses clip through the actual seat belt of the car. This ensured that upon impact the seat belt locked and Trevor was kept still.
“This is 100% what saved his life and ensured we didnt have any more injuries. He came out of the crash shaken and anxious but physically fine and was quickly back to his normal self after lots of love and attention. This harness still allows him to comfortably move around on the seat, he is able to sit, stand and lie down with no issues but ensured that upon impact he is safe. The £30 decision we made late on Friday evening at Pets At Home has saved not only his life but ensured we came out with only the injuries we did.”
Concluding the post they had a very important message for dog owners: “So please I beg anyone that travels with pets in the car to please consider how they are travelling and that they are restrained safely for both your safety and theirs.”
Over a third of British drivers who own dogs are unaware of a Highway Code rule that could set them back by £5,000, a survey has found. According to Rule 57 of the Code, all dogs must be restrained in a vehicle using a harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard.
It states: “When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly.”
