When I first started looking at a Variocage, I was surprised at how much they cost. Are they worth it? Does the crate really do such a great job in a wreck? I am a sceptic by nature, so it takes a lot to convince me. After much debate, I decided that it probably was the best crate to put in the back of my Subaru Forester. So I purchased one…still skeptical.
It went into the vehicle with no issues, made no sound and it looked really nice. But I still had in the back of my mind, what are the chances it will ever have to do anything but just keep the dogs contained. I was proven very wrong on this thought.
On the evening of October 6th, 2015 I was driving home from teaching agility at my training facility. In the back of my SUV I had my 3 agility dogs in a Variocage: Gator, Lynn and Gig. The center divider was not in and all dogs rested comfortably together.
At the intersection of two roads, I was struck on the passenger side (T-boned) by a Toyota Corolla going approximately 70 miles per hour. My vehicle rolled several times and ended upside down in the middle of the road. The dogs were removed from the SUV quickly and moved to safety. They were then taken to a vet for further evaluation. I was knocked out but woke up quickly.
All dogs sustained bruising and soreness from the wreck, but there were no additional injuries to the dogs. The Variocage kept my dogs contained and safe. The top of the cage was damaged, but the ties kept the crate from moving too much during the rollover. The side bars on the cages left side were very bent. We believe this happened when at least one of the dogs hit the bars on the side. The vet agreed it was most likely Lynn, as she had the most pain on the side of her body. If the bars would not have had any “give” to them, I truly believe that she would have ended up with broken bones.
The vehicle was considered a total loss, as you can see from the photos. We were able to extract the Variocage from the back of the vehicle. It held up well considering how hard we were hit and the rollover. The Variocage did just what it was supposed to do.
I firmly believe my dogs are alive and are back to full work as agility dogs because of the Variocage. I would not put my dog back into a vehicle without one. I am grateful I bought one and had it in my car at the time of the accident. I can only imagine what could have happened without one. That is the problem with accidents, you can’t plan for them.
I will always have a Variocage in my car, it was put to a real-life test and passed with flying colors. That is my choice for a crate in the back of my vehicle. It is a wonderful product and I am so grateful.
Thank you,
Loretta Mueller
Full Tilt Agility Training
