Road Dogs
Driven by concern for his dog, one entrepreneur gives car-loving canines everywhere a brand new leash on life.
What: A canine vehicle
restraint harness
Who: Carl Goldberg of Ruff
Rider LLC
Where: Boulder, Colorado
When: Started in 1995
Carl Goldberg's dog, Maxie, almost lost his life when the
unrestrained Labrador took out the front windshield with his head
in a car accident. From that day on, Goldberg vowed he'd never
expose his beloved pet to danger again. With the guidance of
Maxie's vet, a $500,000 investment and six years of
development, the Ruff Rider canine vehicle restraint system was
created to benefit pets and give their owners greater peace of
mind.
Shaped as a figure eight, the safety harness is both
ergonomically and orthopedically correct for dogs. It directs
overload forces to the clavicle, the strongest part of the
animal's body, without interfering with its normal movement.
Available in nine sizes with three movement settings, the versatile
Ruff Rider system fits all canine breeds.
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"There are 26 states with laws stating it's illegal to
transport a living animal over the road in a moving vehicle in a
way that [might] cause torturous injury or death," says
Goldberg, 52, who insists that no real pet lover should ever expose
his or her pets to the hazards of the road. So far, pet lovers have
agreed: 2001 sales reached $350,000, and Goldberg expects sales for
2002 to exceed $1 million.
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