Securing your best friend in your Jeep

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.

Wow. thank you for the write up. I always worry about my girl jumping out while on the trail or the road.
never thought about being ejected. That is the next mod done to my jeep. Again thank you.:thumb:

I agree...good stuff


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Good call! Will be doing this. This is how I did it in my TJ but haven't rigged the JK yet.

I have a problem with using their collars as the anchor point. I would get a harness and attach them to it instead. If a kind stranger did not come to the rescue of my dog Saydie, I would have walked back to my jeep to find that she hung herself. I understand wanting to keep them in the jeep and making sure that they don't jump out when you park somewhere. :twocents:

Notajerryskid said:

I have a problem with using their collars as the anchor point. I would get a harness and attach them to it instead. If a kind stranger did not come to the rescue of my dog Saydie, I would have walked back to my jeep to find that she hung herself. I understand wanting to keep them in the jeep and making sure that they don't jump out when you park somewhere. :twocents:

Click to expand...

In the picture, Emma is actually wearing a harness. It's just hard to see because the top strap where the chain is attached is red, but the rest that goes under her belly and across her chest is black and blends into her fur. We use a harness for that exact reason.

i put a harness on the dogs, then a velcro strap with carabiner (husky brand- home depot $5), and a chain with carabiner to the harness. Wrap the velcro strap around the center of the B pillar hoop, and attach the chain. Gives them enough room to go side to side in the backseat or ride shotgun as my 7 year old lab loves to do

I always teather her down, ever since my pup jumped out of the front passenger window when I had to slam on the brakes (low speed 5-10MPH) and suffered a nice gash by her eye... Kong harness with a short Kong leash that I buckle around the overhead speaker support bar.

I definitely need to figure something out now. Wasn't sure if he was a "jumper" but found out the hard way. Knucklehead jumped off the upper deck of a houseboat two weeks ago. Scared the crap out of me...


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Here is how Sadie Jo gets secured. We use a good comfortable harness and a carabiner that we attach to a buckled seat belt. The seat belt will lock when necessary and allow her a little freedom in moving.