A very grateful customer recently contacted us to inform us that another of our variocages has withstood the force of a horrific accident and would have saved her dog’s life if he had been with her at the time.
Angyl Viton contacted us earlier this year:
“Early this morning I was involved in a car accident. I hit a patch of ice going 60mph on the interstate. I slid across 3 lanes of traffic hitting the guard rail head on, bouncing off, then spun across the same 3 lanes hitting a concrete divider. All my airbags deployed. I walked away with minor bumps and bruises (Thank you Jeep).”
Having read her story, we’re so relieved that Angyl was not injured, and that her American Bulldog, Rufus, was not with her. Angyl very gratefully let us know that, if he had been with her, his variocage would have kept him safe:
“My Variocage Is always tethered in my cargo area. Luckily my American Bulldog was not with me but if he had been he would’ve been COMPLETELY protected and contained. I bought this crate for this very reason. Peace of mind that my boy is always safe when traveling with me.”
The vehicle in which Angyl was travelling in, a 2018 Jeep Compass Latitude, was completely written off, demonstrating the severity of the impact. The Variocage large single crate, that was secured and fully extended in the vehicle at the time, can be seen in the image above (with Rufus inspecting!).
It’s clear to see in this photo the way in which our crates compress to a safe threshold, absorbing the full force of the impact whilst keeping the dogs safe. Emergency workers at the scene of the accident were impressed with the crate and commented that if Rufus had been present in his crate, amazingly, he would have escaped serious injury.
Crash Testing
We’re always shocked and sickened to hear about such awful accidents but also so pleased to hear from owners who are so grateful to us for the complex research that we carry out that enables us to design and build such safe dog crates. We run a comprehensive program of crash testing, studying road traffic accidents and working with many of the top car brands. Using this information, along with the expertise of our experienced design engineers, we design and build crates that will work alongside the deformation zones in different vehicles to withstand the many forces involved in a collision. We are the ONLY crate manufacturers that test our crates in situ in the vehicles themselves, giving us an accurate record of their true performance in the event of an impact.
Our crash testing schedule thoroughly examines frontal, rear and side impacts, as well as the forces involved in a rollover. What’s more, we test the consequences of an impact on all the occupants of the vehicle, not just the dog. Our work focuses as much on the human passengers as their canine companions. A high degree of skill and innovation is applied to this level of design, build and testing and it’s why our crates aren’t cheap, but they are certainly the best and worth every penny in terms of your peace of mind.
Angyl confirmed this, commenting: “The Variocage is a well crafted, solid, safe travel crate. Rufus’ variocage took the impact (guardrail head-on at 60mph then a concrete divider) in my accident like it was built to do. I will have another one, it’ll just take some time. I have to buy a new car first Thank you for making such a great quality and safe travel crate.”
Thank you so much, Angyl, for getting in touch and for your kind permission to use your photos and your comments. We wish you all the best in your recovery from what must have been a very traumatic ordeal.
