Most CPSTs recommend that pets be restrained when in vehicles, but not all understand what that entails.  CPST and assistant pet store manager Jessi Brothers of Snohomish, Washington, provides some insight with this description of one such device.  (Note: This review does not constitute SRN Publications endorsement.)

     I often encounter parents with dogs who ride in the family vehicle.  I tell them to always restrain their dog, both for the dog’s safety and to keep it from being a lethal projectile.  The restraint I use for my dogs is the PetBuckle by IMMI because it uses attachment and harness hardware that is the same as that used on CRs and because IMMI has performed sled testing on the product.

PetBuckle Sizes and Parts

     PetBuckle comes in two sizes, small (for dogs under 20 pounds) and universal/standard (for dogs over 20 pounds).  Either size can be purchased for under $40.  For small dogs, the product is just a harness, and the universal/standard for larger dogs additionally includes a D-ring for wrapping around a seat belt, a storage bag, and an adjustable connector strap that can optionally be used for adjustable attachment to vehicle lower anchors. (The adjustable connector strap can be purchased separately for smaller dogs, too, which I do recommend for their comfort.)

Using the PetBuckle

    You first have to put the harness on the pet (I’ll say dog, but a car-friendly cat could certainly use the small size). The key part of the harness is the attachment loop on the back, including one that is a metal ring and one that is a webbing loop.   


This metal ring serves as an attachment point.


There is also a webbing loop for attachment using the seat belt.

    Next you attach the harness to the vehicle in one of three ways.  For dogs less than 60 pounds, the connector strap can be used to attach between a lower anchor bar and the harness on the dog.


Harness attached by adjustable connector to LATCH lower anchor

This method is easy, but you have to be in a car equipped with LATCH.  The connector strap is adjustable from 15 to 20 inches, and it takes some trial and error to find the perfect length that allows the dog to be comfortable to shift position and lie down, while not being so long that it can move between rows of the vehicle.  (I find that 15 inches tends to be adequate, even for my dog that weighs close to 60 pounds.) Also, I find the connector strap can double as a temporary leash when leaving the vehicle.

     For dogs over 60 pounds up to 120 pounds, or when LATCH is not available, you can use the included D-ring seat belt adapter by running the vehicle seat belt though its webbing loop and then buckling.  The LATCH bar connector, attached on one end to the dog’s harness ring with a hook, is then connected to the metal D-ring.


Harness attached by D-ring to seat belt

     The final option, threading the seat belt directly through the harness’s webbing loop on the dog and then buckling, works for all dog sizes up to 200 pounds. This option limits how much the dog can move around, and is also likely to allow the least movement in a crash.


Harness attached directly to seat belt.

     A note of caution when using seat belt installment:  Dogs might step on the buckle, and some designs are prone to unbuckle if the dog is heavy enough.  If possible, tuck the buckle into the seat bight after buckling if this is a concern.

 Pet Buckle Installation Methods Allowed by Weight

“Truck tether” option:  Though I’m against transporting a dog in the bed of a truck due to risks posed by projectiles and rollover crashes, dogs who do ride in the cargo area should be secured.  The IMMI truck tether system that I looked at (purchased separately) consists of a long piece of seat belt webbing (roughly 8 feet) that can be adjusted to the width of the particular truck after attaching its heavy-duty hooks onto cargo loops found on either side of most truck beds.  I personally think that loops located lower in the truck bed would be safer than using those near the top edge.  The harness is then attached by the connector strap to a metal ring set on the webbing at the middle of the bed, so that the dog is unable to jump out.