Petsafe Happy Ride - User Manual

This manual describes the Happy Ride™ Metal Dog Barrier, a device designed to safely contain your dog in the cargo area of your vehicle, preventing distractions while driving.

Function Description:

The Happy Ride™ Metal Dog Barrier serves as a physical separation between the vehicle's passenger compartment and the cargo area. Its primary function is to keep your dog securely in the back of the car, preventing them from jumping into the front seats or moving freely around the vehicle. This enhances safety for both the pet and the driver by minimizing potential distractions. The barrier is adjustable, allowing it to fit a variety of vehicle sizes and shapes, ensuring a snug and stable installation. It is constructed from metal components, providing a robust and durable solution for pet containment during travel.

Usage Features:

Assembly:

The assembly process begins by preparing the straight tubes. You need to remove a threaded rod and a short, black plastic spacer from inside each of the two straight tubes, discarding the plastic spacers. This step ensures the tubes are ready for the next components.

Next, you will attach the oval caps and mounting brackets to the straight tubes. Push an oval cap firmly onto one end of each straight tube. Then, slip three mounting brackets onto one straight tube, ensuring all hexagonal holes face the same side. For the other straight tube, slip three mounting brackets onto it with the hexagonal holes facing the opposite side, so the two tubes mirror each other. This symmetrical arrangement is crucial for proper installation.

Following this, you will secure the mounting brackets with short bolts and wingnuts. Insert a short bolt through each mounting bracket, making sure the bolt head fits into the hexagonal hole. Screw a small wingnut onto each bolt. At this stage, leave these wingnuts loose, as they will be adjusted later during the final fitting.

The threaded rods are then prepared. Screw a large wingnut onto the uncapped end of each threaded rod. Twist a round cap tightly onto the same end of each threaded rod. These components will form the base and top of the upright supports.

Next, you will assemble the oval tube clamps. Insert a long bolt through each of the clamp halves that have blue buttons, ensuring the bolt head fits into the hexagonal hole. Position two of these clamp halves with the blue buttons facing the same direction. Then, set an extendable oval tube across them, making sure one clamp half is on the extendable (thinner) section of the oval tube. Repeat these steps for the remaining oval tubes and clamps.

To complete the clamp assembly, set the other half of each clamp over the bolt and secure it with a small wingnut. Similar to the mounting brackets, leave these wingnuts loose for now, as they will be adjusted later. Repeat this for all remaining oval tubes and clamps.

Installation in Vehicle:

Once the components are assembled, you can install the barrier in your vehicle. First, create the upright supports by inserting a threaded rod into each hollow tube. Stand these upright supports in your vehicle with the round bottom caps resting on the floor, spaced evenly across the width of your vehicle. Rotate each large wingnut to adjust the height until each oval top cap is pressed firmly into the ceiling. Both upright supports should now stand securely on their own.

After the upright supports are in place, adjust the mounting brackets so that the flat rectangular slots all face towards you. These slots are where the oval tube clamps will be mounted.

Finally, mount each oval tube onto the upright supports. To snap each pair of clamps into place, press and hold the blue buttons, slide the clamps down onto the rectangular slots on the mounting brackets, and then release the blue buttons.

Adjustment for Fit:

The barrier offers extensive adjustability to ensure a perfect fit in your vehicle. You can slide each oval tube up or down on the upright supports. To do this, loosen the wingnuts on the mounting brackets, adjust the oval tube to the desired height, and then tighten the wingnuts on the mounting brackets to secure it.

Additionally, you can extend or shorten each oval tube horizontally to fit the width of your vehicle. Loosen the wingnuts on the clamps, extend or shorten the oval tube as needed, and then tighten the wingnuts on the clamps to lock it in place. This allows you to extend each tube to the left, to the right, or to both sides, providing flexibility for various vehicle widths.

Maintenance Features:

Storage:

When the barrier is not in use, it can be easily disassembled and stored. To store your barrier, simply press the blue buttons on each pair of clamps to remove the oval tubes from the upright supports. Twist the large wingnut on each support to release the tension holding the support in place. Then, remove the threaded rod from each hollow tube.

All these pieces can be stored in the included storage pouch, keeping them organized and protected until you are ready to use your barrier again. This compact storage ensures the barrier does not take up excessive space when not needed.

Organization:

To make future setups quicker and easier, the barrier includes stickers that can be used to color-code the pieces. You can match each pair of oval tube clamps with the corresponding pair of mounting brackets using these stickers, streamlining the reassembly process.