The accident occurred whilst driving on the interstate approaching the tollbooths; I was in the Sun Pass Lane, travelling around 40 miles an hour. We were driving a Subaru Forester.
There was a fair amount of traffic and a couple of cars had tried changing lanes only to find that the red light was on and they needed to get over in to the original lane they were in.
The car ahead of me decided to let one car in front of her and then accelerated to avoid allowing a second vehicle to get in. I slowed thinking the vehicle might pull in front of me instead.
Suddenly, the driver in front of me changed her mind and slammed on her brakes. I had to slam on my brakes and I almost came to a full stop. However, I was immediately hit from the back with such force that it pushed me into the car in front of me.
A flatbed tow truck that was carrying a car hit us. As a guess I would say it was probably travelling over 30 miles an hour. I was unable to see what was going on ahead of me and therefore just unable to stop.
As I was hit, I banged my head on the top of the window and remember hearing Dash, my 14-month-old Malinois, let out one long horrifying squeal along with a horrendous crunching noise.
I was a little dazed as I got out of the car and so anxious about Dash who was now completely silent. As I went to the back of the car the damage was devastating, yet I was so relieved to see a very bewildered young dog standing up and staring through the bars of his Variocage out of a now missing rear window.
There was no way of opening the tailgate and the rear passenger door had to be forced open. Dash stood silently & safely in his Variocage, which I will say without a doubt saved his life!
The impact pushed in the back of the vehicle so hard that it rose up over the wheel arches and made it impossible to open the passenger doors or the rear lift gate.
The crate had been pushed back against the rear seats and through the back window. There was no way of opening the tailgate and the rear passenger door had to be forced open.
Not only did the Variocage save him from the impact of a tow truck, but it also held up so well that he was able to stay safely in the crate while we waited for someone to come and help get Dash out of the car to safety. This was critically important since we were in 6 lanes of traffic so the Variocage was by far the safest and most secure place for him to be until someone could help me get him out of the car to safety.
I called my husband, knowing that the best thing for the dog was to be taken out by people he knew. When he arrived we forced open the passenger door and folded down the rear seats. We were then able to remove the Variocage escape hatch panel from the crate as designed. Dash was then lifted through the gap and up over the top of the front passenger seat to get out of the car.
Whilst definitely very bewildered, Dash was safe in his Variocage without any injury, for which I am vey grateful. The biggest effect on him was the fact that it was really tough to get him back in the car for a few weeks, and really I can say I blame him, I felt the same!
Dash is a working dog and my K9 search and rescue partner. I made the decision to buy a Variocage based on the amount of driving I do and the amount of additional time the dog needs to spend in a crate whilst out working or training. Variocage was without a doubt a very wise decision and one I believe kept my partner and I safe to enjoy each others company for many years to come!!!!
Thank you
Anita & Dash!
