Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Dog Harness Blue L 60-85cm

Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Harness – Blue, Large (60–85cm)

This is the 60–85cm chest girth Viva in blue, and it is worth spelling out what the travel half of the name actually buys you. Ancol list the harness in their car and travel section, and their description says the air-mesh is there for comfort during travel as well as exercise. What that amounts to in practice is a garment a dog can wear for a long drive without being rubbed, with somewhere to clip a tether so it stays on the back seat.

What it does not amount to is crash protection. Ancol publish no crash test, no standard and no restraint rating for this harness, and the note on their own ISOfix Seatbelt says outright that the seatbelt does not replace a crash-tested harness. So: a good restraint against a dog wandering into the footwell or over the handbrake, and a genuine benefit to the driver's concentration. Not a device rated for an impact.

Performance & Benefits

• Fits a 60–85cm chest girth, with 25cm of adjustment across the range.
• Soft air-mesh fabric which Ancol describe as adding breathability and comfort during travel as well as exercise.
• Durable poly-weave webbing, fully adjustable for a secure and comfortable fit.
• Ancol say the design distributes pressure evenly for improved control and support.
• Reflective band for increased visibility in low light.
• Listed by Ancol under travel as well as under walking harnesses.

Suitable For

• Dogs measuring 60–85cm around the chest, just behind the front legs.
• Dogs that travel regularly and need something they can wear for hours.
• Keeping a large dog off the front seats, used with a separate vehicle tether.
• Everyday walking, which is the harness's primary job.
• Not for anyone who needs a crash-tested car restraint — Ancol make no such claim here, and a rated travel crate is the alternative to look at instead.

How to Use

• Measure the deepest part of the chest, just behind the front legs, and check the figure sits within 60–85cm.
• Fasten the girth strap behind the elbows with the chest panel over the breastbone, then close the neck opening down.
• Two fingers flat under the webbing at both points is the setting to aim for.
• In the car, attach a separate tether — Ancol's ISOfix Seatbelt, item 741600, is theirs — to the harness, never to the collar. It is not included.
• Set the tether short enough that the dog cannot reach a window or climb through to the front, but long enough to lie down.
• Ancol publish no wash temperature; rinse in cool water and air dry away from direct heat.

Specification

• Size L, chest girth 60–85cm. Colour blue. Ancol item code 182270.
• Poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh fabric.
• One reflective band, as Ancol describe it.
• Also made in S (35–45cm), M (45–65cm) and XL (80–120cm), in black, blue, lime, pink, purple and red.
• Ancol publish no crash-test result, safety standard, breaking strain, webbing composition, harness weight, hardware metal, wash temperature or maximum dog weight, so none is stated here.
• Some retail listings describe a padded chest section and two lead clips. Ancol publish neither, so neither is claimed here.

Care & Caution

• Ancol sell this for exercise and travel and list it under travel, but publish no crash test, no safety standard and no vehicle-restraint rating for it. Do not assume crash protection.
• No seatbelt loop is described by Ancol and no tether is supplied. A vehicle tether is always a separate purchase.
• Ancol's own note on their ISOfix Seatbelt states that it must be attached to a suitable harness, never to a dog's collar, and that it does not replace a crash-tested harness. That is Ancol's wording, not ours.
• A harness used with a seatbelt is a restraint — it stops the dog moving about the car. It is not certified crash protection unless the manufacturer says so, and Ancol do not.
• A correctly fitted harness must not allow the dog to back out of it, in the car or on the pavement. Recheck the girth strap and the neck opening before every journey.
• Do not leave a tethered dog unattended in a vehicle.
• Inspect webbing, stitching and buckles regularly and retire the harness at the first sign of fraying or a cracked buckle.