Cockapoo saved from harm by harness in road accident

A relieved driver has revealed how a car safety harness saved her puppy from serious injury in a frightening road accident.

Chloe Arbuckle was stationary and waiting to pull onto a roundabout when her car was suddenly ploughed into from behind by another vehicle.

The force of the crash threw Chloe forward – and could have seen her beloved Cockapoo Daisy hurled through the windscreen.

But because one-year-old Daisy was properly restrained in her harness – effectively a seat belt for dogs – she escaped unhurt.

Chloe, who is supporting Vets Now's plea to pet owners to travel safely with dogs, is keen for other owners to know what a huge difference the harness made.

Chloe, from Glasgow, said: "I just can't emphasise strongly enough how important it was that Daisy was in her harness.

"It was me and Daisy in the car and we were on our way to a dog play area we go to so that Daisy could get a good run around."

"Then the crash happened and the whole car was catapulted forward, with the car which ran into the back of us ending up wedged into my back bumper."

"It's really scary how one minute you can be on a routine journey – then the next minute you're caught up in something like this."

"The first thing I did was turn around and check on Daisy, who was in the back seat."

"She looked really confused and worried, and I tried to reassure her. Then when I got out of the car to speak to the other driver she started barking in distress, which was totally understandable as she'd obviously had a horrible fright. But thankfully she seemed fine physically and that's down to the harness."

"There was quite a lot of damage to the back of my car but I was able to drive it still, so after swapping details with the other driver we headed head home."

"But Daisy just wasn't herself at all – and I was still in a bit of shock myself so my sister, Kayleigh, who'd come round to check on me, rang Vets Now and together we took Daisy into the Glasgow hospital.

"The staff there were great with her. They checked Daisy over really thoroughly and the good news was that she hadn't come to any harm and was just suffering from a bit of shock."

"For quite a while afterwards Daisy was very clingy and tired and it wasn't until a week or so later that she was back to her playful normal self – stealing socks and running off round the house with them."

"Even now, she still gets a bit nervous sometimes when travelling – whereas before the accident she just loved being in the car."

"I know it always looks cute when you see a dog jumping around a car and sticking its head out of the window as the car drives along."

"But what happened to us shows very clearly that you never know when something might go wrong if a dog isn't properly restrained."

"You wouldn't let a child jump about a moving car without a harness and it's the same really for dogs. Daisy is part of my family and I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her."

Dave Leicester, Head of Telehealth at Vets Now, said: "Chloe's absolutely right about the importance of a harness for your dog in the car.

"Motorists have a responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone inside their vehicle, including pets. In the event of a crash an unsecured pet could be seriously injured or thrown forward, hurting other passengers."

"Keeping a dog properly secured in a car is actually a requirement of the Highway Code, motorists must ensure 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. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.

"So please do what Chloe did – and secure your dog in the car before you head off anywhere. It only takes a few seconds – and it really could save their life."