jhires
Member
When my wife and I got our puppy, Emma, last April one of our biggest concerns was how to secure her in the Jeep when the top and doors were off. After a bit of digging around my junk bins I came up with the following.
At first it was only intended to secure her when the Jeep was naked, but then we saw a horrific sight on the freeway. A car had rolled over tossing two dogs out the windows as it went over. The passengers were ok, but the puppies did not make it. So now Emma gets secured just like we do any time she is in the car.
The trick was to do this so it would be easy to do, easy to adjust for top-on vs top-off arrangement, out of the way of passengers in the back seat, and always just "there" so there is no excuse not to use it.
Hope this helps someone who is looking for an easy way to secure their puppy as well.
What you need:
1 chain leash
2 key rings
1 carabiner clip
Remove the leash handle from the chain. I did this mostly because I didn't trust the attachment ring, nor the handle itself. YMMV.
Next attach the two key rings at the end of the leash. One near the end, and the other a bit further up. The ring close to the end is for when the top and doors are in place. Emma likes to stick her head out the window in the wind, but at this position, the chain would let her hang herself out the side of the Jeep, possibly hitting the tire if she fell. the second ring is used when the top and doors are off, limiting Emma's travel to the edge of the seat. You will need to adjust for your puppy's size and collar or harness.
All recently made cars come with child safety seat anchors. This is the center anchor in my JK with the carabiner attached to it. The chain is tucked in between the top and bottom of the seat. Even when I have passengers, this is not in the way. If it is, I just pull it back through into the cargo area.
And one last shot of Emma attached to it. In this picture I need to shorten it just a bit. I also need to move the second ring as well being just a bit short when it is on the carabiner. The idea with the second ring is that even if we roll over with no top and top doors, her body will not cross the plane of the roll bars or the side of the jeep. We also use a harness so she won't be hung by collar.
At first it was only intended to secure her when the Jeep was naked, but then we saw a horrific sight on the freeway. A car had rolled over tossing two dogs out the windows as it went over. The passengers were ok, but the puppies did not make it. So now Emma gets secured just like we do any time she is in the car.
The trick was to do this so it would be easy to do, easy to adjust for top-on vs top-off arrangement, out of the way of passengers in the back seat, and always just "there" so there is no excuse not to use it.
Hope this helps someone who is looking for an easy way to secure their puppy as well.
What you need:
1 chain leash
2 key rings
1 carabiner clip
Remove the leash handle from the chain. I did this mostly because I didn't trust the attachment ring, nor the handle itself. YMMV.
Next attach the two key rings at the end of the leash. One near the end, and the other a bit further up. The ring close to the end is for when the top and doors are in place. Emma likes to stick her head out the window in the wind, but at this position, the chain would let her hang herself out the side of the Jeep, possibly hitting the tire if she fell. the second ring is used when the top and doors are off, limiting Emma's travel to the edge of the seat. You will need to adjust for your puppy's size and collar or harness.
All recently made cars come with child safety seat anchors. This is the center anchor in my JK with the carabiner attached to it. The chain is tucked in between the top and bottom of the seat. Even when I have passengers, this is not in the way. If it is, I just pull it back through into the cargo area.
And one last shot of Emma attached to it. In this picture I need to shorten it just a bit. I also need to move the second ring as well being just a bit short when it is on the carabiner. The idea with the second ring is that even if we roll over with no top and top doors, her body will not cross the plane of the roll bars or the side of the jeep. We also use a harness so she won't be hung by collar.