Story by Ethan M.
What started as a normal morning headed to a duck hole with some buddies turned into something else real quick. I hit some loose gravel, lost control, and rolled my truck into a ditch, smashing rocks on the way down. My F-150 is totaled. But by the grace of God, Marlie—my Labrador Retriever—and I both walked away without a scratch. Huge thank you to GUNNER for keeping my girl safe and ready to hunt another day.
Video of the wreckage following the accident. You can see Marlie's G1™ Kennel on the road to the right of the truck.
It was around 5:45 in the morning and I was trying to get down to a hunt spot that my friends and I decided to meet up at. I guess I was driving a bit too fast on a gravel road that I wasn’t too familiar with, and the next thing I know, I’m face-to-face with a huge rock in a ditch. I hit the rock pretty head-on on the front left side of my truck. Because of my speed and the way I hit it, my truck ended up rolling over. I somehow ended right-side up on my wheels, but it was a pretty tough crash.
Marlie’s Large G1™ Kennel was strapped down in the bed of my truck with some spare ratchet straps, but the crash generated so much force that the tie-down pins attached to my truck bed fully ripped out when I hit the first rock. I didn’t realize it until I got out of the truck, but during the rollover Marlie’s kennel came out of the truck bed.
When I saw the empty truck bed, I started to freak out a bit. Finding Marlie was the only thing I could think about– I was playing out a bunch of scenarios in my head, just hoping she would be okay. I immediately turned my headlamp on and started searching. I saw the kennel in the middle of the road, and Marlie was right there. She was scared for sure, but she was totally fine otherwise. She wasn’t injured in any way.
The insane part about the whole accident is that I bought Marlie’s kennel only 3 weeks before. People told me that it was crazy to spend that much money on her kennel, but I knew letting Marlie ride in the cab of my truck wasn’t safe, and I decided to just bite the bullet and buy it. Clearly it paid off right away.
There’s no question about it: If Marlie had been riding in the cab with me, she would have gone through the windshield. The accident would not have ended with her safe and uninjured if she was riding in the backseat like she used to. The G1™ Kennel 100% saved her life.
Rethink The Way Your Dog Travels
100,000 Dogs Protected
Our mission is to build the world's best products for Man's Best Friend. We take safety seriously and are proud that 75,000 dogs and counting are protected by GUNNER.
18,000+ Wrecks per Day
There are 6 million wrecks a year in the US. Accidents + an increase in the risk-taking driving behaviors have increased among drivers in 2021. (Source: NHTSA 2020 Report; NPR 2021 Report)
2,700 Pounds of Projectile
In a vehicle accident at 35 mph, an unrestrained 60 lb. dog can become 2,700 lb. of projectile. Our crate ensures your dog is contained (and safe) before, during & after impact. (Source: Bark Buckle UP)
85% Failure Rate
Nearly 9 out of 10 products FAILED the safety certification when originally crash tested (2015 study) by CPS. Our Intermediate was the only product in the crate category that passed in that '15 study. (Source: Center For Pet Safety)
Don't compromise your dog's safety.
The truck may have been totaled in this rollover accident, but the dog stayed safe secured inside a G1™ Kennel. Stories like this are why crash testing matters — not in theory, but on real roads, with real dogs, when things go wrong.
MY DOG IS NOT AN EGG.
Your dog is not an egg. But this egg test represents how they are protected in a GUNNER Kennel, versus traveling unrestrained in a vehicle.
The safest way for your pet to travel is in a GUNNER, and proper fit is a key part of safety in the event of an accident. Don’t let your dog become the scrambled egg.
