Safety & Research
Pets depend on us
to keep them safe.
Every Sleepypod product is designed and tested to the same standards we'd want for our own family — because for us, that's exactly what they are.
Crash Test Dummy Dogs
The Sleepypod Safety Test Program
Tested to the standard set for child safety restraints.
We use the framework developed for protecting children in cars — FMVSS 213 — and apply it to the harnesses and carriers our pets ride in. The protocol has three layers.
1. Static tensile testing
A static tensile test determines the strength and limit of materials. Webbing, buckles, and stitching are subjected to a sustained, even load until failure. Tensile tests assess the breaking strength of individual materials and combinations of materials and designs in a linear direction.
2. Dynamic crash testing
Crash tests assess materials and designs under simulated vehicle impact conditions. Velocity of loading strongly affects a material's mechanical properties, revealing any weak points. Sleepypod's proprietary data-collecting dog and cat crash test dummies test products to FMVSS (U.S.), CMVSS (Canadian), and ECE (European) child safety seat standards, prior to independent testing and certification by the Center for Pet Safety.
3. Real-world iteration
Sleepypod collects crash data through its crash replacement program. Data collection from these real-world findings drives the next revision. Geometry, materials, and hardware adapt in response to data — not aesthetics and trends.
Test #2024-A
Meet the Crash Test Pets
Built to take the hits
so your pet never has to.
Crash testing began in 2008 and was revolutionized in 2012 with the introduction of the world's first crash test dummy dog, Max. Since then, eleven weighted, instrumented dogs and cats have served the program — each one named, photographed, and retired with honors. Their data shapes every harness, carrier, and buckle we ship.
2005
Launch
The Sleepypod mobile pet bed launches. It was the first carrier of its kind.
2012
MAX 1
12 lb weighted crash test dog. MAX 1 can be seen at the Smithsonian Museum of American History's online collection.
2012
MAX 2
6 lb weighted crash test dog. MAX 2 can be seen at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
2012
SHEPHERD
75 lb weighted crash test dog.
2013
DUKE 1.0
75 lb weighted, upright, forward-facing crash test dog.
2014
Smithsonian Collection
MAX 1 accepted into the permanent online collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
2015
CLEO 1.0
15 lb weight cat with point-of-view camera. CLEO 1.0 can be seen at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation's online collection.
2017
DUKE 2.0
75 lb dog with point-of-view camera, articulated legs & waist, flexible and compressible neck & spinal structure, improved weight distribution, and instrumentation in chest that measures force in a collision.
2018
CLEO 2.0
15 lb cat with point-of-view camera, improved weight distribution, and instrumentation that measures force in a collision.
2019
SCOUT 1.0
45 lb weighted dog in side lounging position.
2020
The Henry Ford Collection
The Henry Ford accepts MAX 2 and CLEO 1.0 into its permanent online collection.
2021
SCOUT 2.0
45 lb dog with improved weight distribution in side lounging position.
2024
DUKE 3.0
Evenly distributed and adaptable weight from 75 to 90 pounds, steel skeleton, articulated waist and legs, and g-force instrumentation.
2024
DASH 1.0
Evenly distributed and adaptable weight from 75 to 90 pounds, steel skeleton, articulated waist and legs, point-of-view camera, and g-force instrumentation.
Today
Research
Our job isn't done. Research continues to this day.
Trusted by Professionals, Loved by Pets
Zero crash-related injuries to date.
To date, Sleepypod has recorded zero crash-related injuries among pets secured in our carriers and harnesses.
Real outcomes
Sleepypod saves lives.
We get the messages we never want to receive — and the ones we hope for. Here are a few, in their own words.
Kate H.
Clickit Sport Plus
"A pickup ran a stop sign at 40 mph. The car was totaled. Maple walked out of the harness without a scratch."
Dr. Lin, DVM
Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed
"I keep one in my exam room as a demo. Every owner who sees the crash footage leaves with one for their dog."
Marcos R.
Atom carrier
"Side impact at speed. The carrier stayed strapped, the latch held, and our cat was calm in our hands within a minute."
Crash Replacement Program
After an accident, we'll help you replace it. Even if it isn't ours.
A restraint that has absorbed a real impact should be retired. Send us the report — yours or any brand's — and we'll get a new Sleepypod harness or carrier on its way to you, fast.
Start a claim
routine moment