Pet harness seatbelt ?...

[jen_nah]

Ladies I have a question for those that have large size dogs. We love to go camping during the spring/summer time. We usually took my Tahoe so we could take our German Shepherd with us. We have a dog harness for him that allowed us to anchor to the cargo hooks. Since we now no longer have my Tahoe and only a 4 dr sedan & dh truck. We are trying to figure out how to transport him with us.

The issue is space in the vehicle(s). We have 2 Regents in dh truck so he would have to sit between the girls in the center postion. Has anyone had success with their dog sitting on the seat between 2 car seats for several hours at a time? Dh is saying we should just put his crate in the back of the truck straped down or in our 5th wheel camper in his crate. That isn't safe at all in my book. Just not sure how a 75lb German Shepherd will fit.

As for my vehicle he will only be in it to go to the vet which is less then 2miles from the house but on 2 busy streets.

[tanyaandallie]

I just don't know how would comfortably fit 2 Regents and a big dog in the backseat. I personally would put him in a crate in the back of the truck.

[canmom]

Honestly, I wouldn't have a dog between two kids for hours on end with no place for anyone to go. This is my opinion as a former dog trainer with a lot of canine behaviour realated experience. I know nobody likes to think that their dog would bite, but beleive me when I say any dog can and will at some point get mad (no matter how well you have obedience trained him... this is canine behaviour and you cannot predict this)... "when" is what is unpredictable. I think everyone crammed into the back seat could potentially be a recipe for disaster. It's like car seats.... we always have them installed correctly so we can prepare for the worst. Will it happen, probably not, but that doesn't mean we don't bother harnessing the kids in everytime. If the crate is secure and the weather is good I think that is fine... to be honest I think everyone would be more comfy that way.

[UlrikeDG]

The Ruff Rider had information about attaching it to cargo anchors when I got mine several years ago. It told what the weight limit should be on the anchor itself and recommended a heavy-duty carabiner to do the attachment (I think it listed strength requirements for the carabiner, too).

One of my dogs would be fine sitting between the kids, as long as there was enough room for him to lie down. I don't know that there would be enough room for a 75 lb GSD to lie down between two Regents in any vehicle.

[rodentranger]

I would agree that the crate in the back of the truck might be the best of three less than ideal choices. I know my 80 lb dog wasn't thrilled about sitting between the Marathon and the car door in my Pilot and was quite cramped. He ended up leaning as far onto the floor as his PetBuckle would let him. I would not want my dog in an unoccupied separate vehicle (the 5th wheel) though either.
If this were to be a frequent situation, I would try really hard to find and finance a metal dog shipping crate (http://www.gundogsonline.com/dog-crates/metal-dog-crates/). They are not cheap though. (About a Frontier and a half.) The plastic ones can shatter in an accident with as little as a 30 lb dog hitting them. The metal ones would at least prevent him from becoming a projectile. I would probably try to find a way to bolt the crate to the truck also instead of relying on a tie-down strap.
:twocents:

[sparkyd]

We've got a 90 lb mutt and I'd be putting him in a crate in the back. I can't even imagine our dog sitting between two car seats. He'd be really uncomfortable and I have no problem imagining accidental harmful "pawing" of the kids. Even strapped in somehow I could see him being dangerous to the kids in an accident as well. Wouldn't even consider it for a second.

[jen_nah]

This is why I really miss my Tahoe because I could put him in the 3rd row or cargo area safely. In my car I will just probably pull the PW out and have him sit in the outboard seat but that would be just to the vet.

I need to see if his crate will fit in the bed of the truck with the 5th wheel attached. My concern is when dh turns the 5th wheel tongue turns in the bed area and could potential hit the crate.

Does anyone know if a dog harness that can be used attached to a top tether hook that is on the floor board? So if we can't use the crate in the bed he can at least lay in the floor board? Our front passenger seat has a top tether hook on the seat leg.

Our only other option is to not bring him with us camping but we have done so every year we have had him.

I am not concerned about him being aggressive to my girls but am concerned about him being comfortable too.

[rodentranger]

The PetBuckle is LATCHable for dogs under 40 lbs or your vehicle's LATCH limit. It has the alligator clips on the tether part of the set-up. I have attached it to the TAs in my Pilot's cargo area for my 60 lb dog when DS wasn't in the car. (Not excited about him being crash tested to see if the TA could hold her, but willing to risk myself.) IMMI makes a truck bed tether system for use with their PetBuckle harness also.
I would also be worried about the 5th wheel making contact with the crate. :(
Could you sit in the back with the kids and the dog sit in the front seat with the harness on and the airbag off? It might be another less than ideal option?
I just looked at the PB site again, and the Kwik Connect Tether can be used with the seatbelt and a D-ring strap, so if your TA can hold your dog's weight, I don't see why you couldn't do that. You can buy just the tether (http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/product_10001_10001_58723_-1_Kwik-Connect+Tether_13319_14012_).

[tanyaandallie]

If the back of the truck is not an option, I'd put him in a crate in the camper, making sure it's tied down. Unless the weather is super duper hot, he would be fine there. IMO he would be far more comfy in a crate in the camper than on the floor board of a car. I just don't think having him in car with 2 kids in carseat is really a good option.

[jen_nah]

Me in the back isn't an option as the center seat is a lapbelt only with no headrest in that position. Plus the Regent won't fit in the center position with another Regent next to it. Also our airbags can't be deactived because our truck is a crewcab with a full back seat.

I am thinking that him in his crate in the camper is going to be the only option. I can't wait to get another SUV in a couple years.

[Kashi]

With putting the crate in the camper, you can get a little fan that attached to (or near) the crate to keep the dog cooled off.

[tanyaandallie]

I'm by no means saying that a pet is not important or that you don't want to protect your pet but in certain situations you just have to do what you have to do with your pet. And putting him in a crate in the camper is a safe option. Would he survive a crash? Who knows. But you do know that he would be safe while you are traveling and that then all the passengers in the car would be safe in the car as well.