The Sleepypod Clickit Sport dog travel harness was awarded the Center for Pet Safety’s highest possible crash-test score, the manufacturer reported Thursday. The five-star rating covers small, medium and large Clickit Sport harnesses. The maximum score was the first under the Center for Pet Safety’s new Harness Certification Program. “Few manufacturers demonstrate the commitment to product safety testing that we have seen from Sleepypod,” said Lindsey A. Wolko, founder of the nonprofit Center for Pet Safety. “Theirs is a landmark achievement for pets and the people who love them.” The new Clickit Sport travel harness will be available for sale beginning in mid-October at suggested retail prices of $64.99 to $74.99, a Sleepypod spokeswoman said. The company’s co-founder and lead product designer, Michael Leung, called the five-star rating “a meaningful validation of Sleepypod’s steadfast commitment to pet travel safety innovation.” The Harness Certification Program is the first formal crash-test rating system for pet travel harnesses, the Center for Pet Safety stated. Harnesses volunteered for testing may be awarded five stars, four stars or a rating of “not recommended.” The Reston, Va., research center in October 2013 judged another Sleepypod travel harness, the Clickit Utility, the best among seven devices tested. The crashworthiness assessment was used to establish test protocol for the new certification program, which was announced in July. “The Center for Pet Safety took great care evaluating the data returned from our 2013 study to understand what safety harness products should do to protect life,” Wolko said. “Pet product manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that these safety devices protect human life and provide the best chance of survival to the pet in the case of an accident.” The harness tests are conducted using dummy canines of various weights and sleds that are accelerated and then brought to a sudden stop. The researchers check for canine excursion—the distance a harness-wearing dummy travels from the original seated location—and at the performance of the anchored device’s hardware, webbing and stitching. Manufacturers whose harnesses earn Center for Pet Safety certification may print a seal on the product packaging for each size that qualifies.
