Story by Bill B. | As Told by GUNNER
About a month ago, I was driving home from a funeral on a Sunday morning. I was on I-10, going through Beaumont, Texas, and I had just started to slow down for some construction.
I was probably going 30–35 mph when out of nowhere, the guy behind me slammed into the back of my Jeep going an estimated 65 or 70 mph. The hit from behind launched my Jeep into a pickup truck in the lane next to me, and then spun me into the side of an 18-wheeler. The initial hit was super jarring, but the rest felt like it happened in slow motion.
Once the car settled and I could gather my bearings, I immediately checked on Birdie, my Boykin Spaniel pup. He was riding in his G1™ Medium Kennel, and thankfully it was tied down in the trunk. I couldn’t open the back of the Jeep, so I put down the front seat and pulled the kennel up to get him out. Other than being shaken up, he was totally fine. He was only 10 months old and obviously hadn’t experienced anything like this before, but he handled it like a champ.
We loaded my Jeep onto the tow truck and they dropped me and Birdie off at a big gas station in Beaumont, where I figured I’d grab a rental car. Turns out, no rental car agencies in the area are open on Sundays. I finally found an Uber that would drive me from Beaumont to Houston with a dog– it was a pain, but at least we got there. Thankfully I was able to find a rental car in Houston and we made the drive back to Austin.
On the trek home, I just kept thinking about that kennel and how differently the day would have gone without it.
If I hadn’t reached out to the GUNNER CX Team before buying Birdie's kennel, I probably would’ve gotten a bigger size, and he would’ve gotten hurt in the accident because it would’ve been way too big. I’m a softie and want Birdie to be comfortable and have a bunch of room, but that’s the absolute wrong thing to do. Having a tight fit really helped keep him safe, along with having it strapped down. After this, I’ll never drive without it strapped down again.
GUNNERs are expensive, but in the grand scheme of things, they’re worth every penny. Why would you buy a cheap kennel and then put your best buddy in there? The entire back of my Jeep caved in from the impact of the 18-wheeler, and if Birdie had been in a cheap kennel from a big box store, the day would have ended very differently.
I never want to experience something like that again, but I can say with 100% confidence: that kennel did its job. And it’s the reason Birdie walked away.
