For the second year in a row, the Chicago Auto Show was invaded by an assortment of furry, four-legged friends as the Bark Buckle Up campaign announced its Pet Safe Choice Awards. An adorable group of canines was also in attendance, demonstrating skills they'd learned after graduating from the American Kennel Club S.T.A.R. program and modeling select pet travel/safety products.
Bark Buckle Up is dedicated to pet travel safety, and as the leader in pet safety education travels the country to work closely with first responders, safety experts, and pet industry leaders to educate and promote awareness for pet safety while traveling with our pets. The recognized leader and experts for pet travel safety, Bark Buckle Up announced the Pet Safe Vehicle, Hotel, Airline, and Retailer of Choice awards in a presentation of the center stage at the Chicago Auto Show. The Pet Safe Awards are earned by premium products and services each year and are tested and selected by judges including first responders, pet experts, safety, and travel experts.
So who won? Here are the 2009 Bark Buckle Up Pet Safe Awards Winners:
Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice: GMC Acadia
Pet Safe Hotel of Choice: Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Pet Safe Airline of Choice: American Airlines
Pet Safe Retailer of Choice: PetSmart
More then a dozen graduate dogs and adorable puppies from the American Kennel Club S.T.A.R. program were invited to demonstrate a variety of dog safety products presented at the 2009 Bark Buckle Up Pet Safe Awards. Besides the special doggy guests, the presentation also featured special first responders Kane County Sheriff Patrick Perez and Fire Chief John Schuldt; distinctive executives Christina Selter Pet Safety Expert-Bark Buckle Up; Cheryl Catton Executive Director of Advertising & Promotion, Buick, Pontiac & GMC; Robert Allegrini Vice President Communications, The Americas Hilton Hotels Corporation; and Judi Gorman Manager Sales Promotions & Community Relations, American Airlines.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states, "Wearing your seat belt costs you nothing, but the cost for not wearing one certainly will." During the summer of 2008, Bark Buckle Up met with the NHTSA Occupant Safety Division and International Police Chiefs Association Occupant Safety Conference to discuss the necessity to secure pets during travel. Not just for our pets' safety, but the passenger, driver, and our first responders.
Would you drive with a baby on your lap or laying on a seat? Then why would you drive and allow your beloved pet to be unrestrained in the vehicle? In a car crash, an unrestrained pet can be seriously injured, but that pet can also injure human passengers or first responders such as firemen. Equally dangerous is the fact that an unrestrained, frightened, or injured pet can escape from a wrecked car and cause another collision or bite people offering assistance nearby. If you are rendered unconscious in an accident, you would be unable to call or calm your pet!
Did You Know?
- In a 30-mph accident a 60-pound pet can become a flying projectile with an impact of 2,700 pounds, slamming into a car seat, windshield, or other passengers.
- Pet travel has increased 300% since 2005, 82% of dogs travel in the car and on vacation
- 98% of dogs travel unrestrained in a moving vehicle. (Traffic Safety Evaluation Guide)
- 63% of US households - 71.1 million homes - have a pet. (APPMA)
- 50% of dog owners consider pet travel needs when selecting a vehicle. (APPMA)
National safety statistics definitely show the number of pets traveling in vehicles is now at an all-time high. As most animals travel unrestrained, the corresponding risk to vehicle occupants, pets, and first responders called to an accident site is of growing concern. For first responders called to render aid, the challenge of securing a frightened or injured animal before treating victims can be of equal concern. It only takes a few minutes to safeguard your pet's safety by buckling them up. Accidents do happen, and you owe it to your beloved pet to
