Many people who travel in motorhomes and campervans travel with their dogs as this is the perfect way to travel with your furry companions and one of the most popular ways to travel with pets. Dogs are a part of the family, and they deserve to enjoy the fun, too. A motorhome is an excellent option for vacationing with your dog.
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A few safety tips to remember: Secure a dog with a seatbelt in their own seat belt or harness, just as humans wear their seatbelts when travelling for safety, it’s equally as important to secure a dog in the same way.
Securing your dog in a motorhome can be a challenge, but it is necessary for the safety of both you and your pet. Here are some tips on how to safely secure your pup while travelling in a motorhome:
1. Use an appropriate restraint system – Installing an approved restraint system such as a car seat belt or harness, will keep your pup safely secured while the vehicle is in motion. Make sure that the restraint system fits properly and is secure enough to withstand sudden starts or stops.
2. Place pet beds and crates away from emergency exits – Pets should never be allowed to block an emergency exit, as this could prevent passengers from escaping if necessary. Pet beds and crates should be placed away from the main exit, preferably in the middle of the vehicle.
3. Secure pet carriers – If you are using a pet carrier to transport your pup, make sure it is securely strapped into place. This will prevent it from sliding around or tipping over during sudden turns or stops.
By following these tips, you can safely secure your pup while travelling in a motorhome and enjoy peace of mind that both you and your pet will arrive safely at your destination.
Why is it important to secure a dog in a motorhome?
It is written in the Highway Code that dogs must be suitably restrained so that they cannot distract you whilst you are driving or injure you or themselves if you stop quickly, however it is not a legal requirement written into any legislation so there is no official penalty.
Saying this though, you could still be pulled over by the police for driving without due care and attention which comes with penalties such as points on your license, so it’s really important to ensure your dog is restrained safely when you’re driving, for your safety and theirs.
How do we secure our dog in our motorhome
For our dog Lottie, we have the seat below which we attach to our 2 captain seats either side and she sits in the middle of us both when we’re driving.
The seat has a seatbelt so we can clip Lottie in and secure her whilst we’re driving, and it works perfectly for us. Lottie loves the seat, it’s comfortable, looks nice in the van but also keeps all of us safe when we’re driving.
FRISTONE Dog Car Seat
Booster Car Seat Travel Carrier with Clip-on Safety Leash and Storage Pocket Dog Seat for Puppy, Small Pet Comfortable and Anti-Slip – Grey.
Other ways to secure a dog in a motorhome
Adjustable Dog Seat Belt
You can also get this type of seat belt for dogs that you can clip into the seat belt clip and then attach to their collar or harness.
Headrest Dog Car Seat Belt
There is also this type of seat belt which you can attach to the head rest and then attach to the dogs collar or harness.
Collapsible Dog Crate Dog Carrier
Another option might be a dog carrier or a dog crate, but you would need to ensure that you have enough space to have it somewhere in the motorhome or campervan that is safe and secure.
Final Thoughts
For us with our dog, the dog car seat works best. It also really helps that we have space between our captain seats that the car seat fits in perfectly and Lottie can ride up front with us. In a normal car usually when Lottie has to be in the back, she cries and is very unsettled, but in the motorhome in the car seat, where she can be between the two of us, she travels perfectly.
We really hope that you have found this post useful and it has helped you to understand the importance of securing a dog in a motorhome, for yours and the dogs safety, and also different ways that you can do this.
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I love everything about travel, from seeing new places, learning about new cultures and trying new foods! I believe that travel is one of the best forms of education you can get, I have learnt so much about myself and about the world from travelling all over. Travel is something I feel so passionately about, and I love the fact that we are now lucky enough to have this opportunity to do what we love as much as we can, it’s a dream come true.
Before we started travelling, I worked in local government in administration. I had been in this job for several years and had reached a complete brick wall where I was so fed up, but didn’t know what else to do. The only thing I knew that I wanted to do was to travel, and had wanted to do that for many years.
There were hundreds and hundreds of places on my wishlist that I wanted to go to, and I knew that going on a weeks holiday maybe twice a year if we were lucky wasn’t going to cut it.
After being in lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, and working from home staring at the same 4 walls every day, 2021 seemed like the perfect time for us to take the risk to finally do what we had dreamed of for so long.
It was a hard decision to completely change our lives, but so far it has been the best decision we have ever made!
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