The development of the Roadie® by Ruff Rider® was first conceived by Carl Goldberg while he was traveling down a winding mountain road and encountered a car driving up the mountain was traveling on the wrong side of the road. When Carl slammed on his brakes to avoid a collision, his 100 pound chocolate lab was ejected from the seat and thrown into the windshield. The windshield shattered, but fortunately the dog was not injured. After this frightening incident, a trip to the veterinarian, and a new windshield, Goldberg realized the threat that an unrestrained dog presents in a moving vehicle, and he decided to do something about it. Not only was his dog's life in danger, but the thought that his daughter could have been severely injured by the dog was too much to bear.He went to his local pet store to see what was available, but found only inferior products that were too flimsy and did not fit properly. With an inspiration to make vehicles a safer place for dogs and the people riding with them, Goldberg consulted a veterinary orthopedic surgeon and design engineer, and produced a canine vehicle restraint harness that does also not choke. Later, the design received two U.S. Patents with multiple claims noted.
Ruff Rider first opened its doors as Pet Safe Products Inc in 1996. In January 1999 Goldberg renamed the company Ruff Rider Products L.L.C. because the catchy name "Ruff Rider" was much more cohesive in the minds of consumers. Later that year, Ruff Rider's Roadie was awarded "Top Choice" and "Product of the Year" by Your Dog Magazine of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.
Independently tested at Commercial Test Labs in Denver the wide webbing used for the MED, LG and XLG models has a breaking strength in excess of 6,000 pounds (S.A.E. standards for human seat belt webbing is 5,000 pounds). And the new design was crash tested at AZT Automotive, GmbH in Munich, Germany using their unique crash test dog. Roadie restraints accommodate dogs from 6 to 150 pounds.
In 2010 Roadie® became part of Covercraft Industries, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of custom patterned vehicle covers and a variety of other automotive soft goods.
Today, the Roadie® is more popular than ever and is exhibited at canine and pet shows around the country. Ease of installation is a great attribute, along with its strength and durability. Roadie® has an active presence on social networks and consistently receives positive reviews from pet industry leaders, as well as remarks on the product's Facebook page and Twitter account.
