Car Seat Saves the Day!

Meet Louie. Louie has always hated moving vehicles. He threw up 20 feet from home, ten minutes from home and randomly with no predictable pattern in the car ride for the first full year of his life. Louie would start to drool and get as green as a dog could look from just being in a car, moving or not. Louie was crated in the back seat as well as the back of the SUV. He was in both a small crate and one much bigger than he. Louie was loose and harnessed in the backseat, which was of course, covered with a tarp and towels. Louie left drool and predigested kibble presents on front seat as well. And as it happens with a dog that gets sick in the car, he always managed to throw up in that one spot where the seat protection had shifted and of course between the front seats in the deep crevasses that make up the driver’s console.

Unfortunately for Louie he lives in a working family home and he and

his canine brother attend day care two to three days a week. Louie would arrive drooling and green and an hour or two later, he would eat his breakfast. Finally, relief for Louie! A "Snoozer" car seat lined with just a hand towel and a few calming signals from the driver and Louie is much better in the car. There are many brands of elevated car seats for dogs. Snoozer is my personal favorite because it is not only comfortable for the dog but it is easy to remove when the seat needs to be used for a person. Also, with a dog that is wearing a body harness, the Snoozer bed’s safety strap provides a safe and secure way for a dog to travel without encumbering the dog’s movement. The comfy elevated perch not only allows the dog to see where they are going but they can even

stick their nose out the window if they are inclined. Seeing where Louie was going with fresh air flowing in was a big help for him. It also became very obvious that the driver yawning (calming signal) repeatedly helped Louie settle between almost green and throwing up. At times it was hard to

stay on the road and force one’s self to continue yawning, but the payoff for Louie was worth it. The first day that Louie just laid down and relaxed for his fifteen-minute drive to day care was the best. Louie has been traveling vomit free for months now thanks to his Snoozer car seat and a sleepy looking driver.