The next thing we need to worry about is how Cocoa and Luca travel safely, but as comfortably as possible on this mammoth trip. In their jobs Cocoa and Luca test a lot of harnesses and the ones they give a paws up to are the ones we continue to use. A good travel harness is one of the most important everyday essentials for them and us. Cocoa uses the Ruffwear Load-Up Harness, she has used this particular one for 3 years now and it is still going strong. I admit it is one of the most expensive ones on the market but it really has earned its money with the amount of miles and kilometres we do in a year. It is still in very good condition, the stitching has not come undone and it's just as strong as the day we bought it. It has a good thick chest strap so it supports in all the right places in the event of the unthinkable happening. She looks comfortable and she can lay down in it but because it's secured to the seat belt she cannot travel any further than she should i.e. disrupting us when we are driving and it would also halt her crashing through into the front of the car and the windscreen if we are unlucky enough to have an accident.
For Luca, as he is a much bigger dog, he travels in the back of the Landrover, don't worry he still has his creature comforts, a rug or bed so he can lay down on the longer journeys. But he still wears a harness and for him we use the Kurgo Enhanced Strength Tru-Fit Harness. Again we have used this particular model for a couple of years and we are still pleasantly surprised by the strength and durability of it. It is far cheaper than the one Cocoa wears but still gives good protection and does what it should. It is easy to put on and very adjustable. The buckles are metal and are proving to be very sturdy. This harness comes with a seat belt attachment included in the cost but because Luca travels in the back and the securing point is further away for him, we needed a longer extension so we bought an additional strap which clips onto his harness and then clicks into the seat belt plug. This should still stop him travelling through the air and hitting anything in this path. Luca is 45KG so imagine what damage he could do to himself and to us if this happened! Spike also used the same type of harness and it never bothered him wearing it.
So now the harnesses have all been checked to make they sure they are in tip top condition, next are the essentials for the trip and plenty of them - check out the next blog for this in #Doggy Travels!