Yes, Skoda's Dog Seat Belt Is An Actual Thing

Ever seen a bit of a news that prompts you to glance at the calendar, to check it’s not 1st April? We had one of those moments today, when a curious press release landed in our inbox from Skoda, which began with a picture of a dog seatbelt. It’s all part of the Czech company’s new range of dog-related accessories, which includes this ‘dog safety belt’ (not an original idea, it turns out, but news to us as an office mostly of cat lovers), which comes in sizes small to extra large, to ensure no pooch is left out of the potential safety benefits.

Once we put aside our amusement of seeing a nonchalant French bulldog strapped into the back of a Skoda, though, we realised that this is actually a reasonable idea. After all, an unsecured dog will be particularly vulnerable in an accident, and at a time of year when man’s best friend often finds itself dangerously locked up in hot cars, it’s not a bad opportunity to start thinking about canine car safety. Whether or not your dog is placid enough to make strapping in an easy task, though, is another matter…