SafEST way to transport my dog when bean arrives?

keri1292

Well-known member
We have an 06 Town & Country with Stow & Go seats. Set up will be Ds1 in a Frontier & baby in a bucket in the middle row and DD in a Jane Indy plus and ds2 in a Radian 65 in the third row. Absolutely no seat room for a 65lb Boxer to sit anywhere. I've already started teaching him to lay at the feet of ds1's Frontier, but I still would like him tethered somewhere, but where? :confused: The only unused seat belt stalk will be the baby's seat (using LATCH), but that would give the dog a pretty long leash and he'd still be able to wander the vehicle a bit. Hmmm. Dog is transported 4 hours away to my Mom's about once a month, so not taking him isn't an option (though 70% of the time DH doesn't go along, so he'd be riding shotgun in his Petbuckle. :thumbsup:

Any suggestions?
 
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melniemi

New member
My dog rides in the cargo area of our van. There is no other option for us, the van is full and he's a Newfoundland.....
 

robbertbobbert

New member
My dog rides in one of these http://www.ruffrider.com/ laying in the back seat. I can't find the research right now, but I'm sure someone on my service dog message board could if you want it, but Roadies are the only dog restraint that has been crash tested acceptably.

You've got a great start keeping the dog in a down all the time in the car. That's the safest position. I know some people have tethered their dogs to cargo anchor points on the floor of their car. Not sure if I'd do it, but if it's your only option then maybe.

Do you have room in the cargo area? Crates are NOT the best way to transport dogs, there have been tests showing that wire crates can explode on impact when a dog hits it in a crash. That may be your best option, though. Having the dog in a crate that is it's correct size (only large enough to stand up, turn around and lie back down) that is properly tethered to the cargo anchor points.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Does the petbuckle have LATCH? I can't remember. Could you do him up between the two seats in the back, or is it not big enough?

I agree about the cargo area. I'd probably tether him to an anchor and maybe a cargo hook in the back. Or shotgun. In any position I'd definitely use the harness.

Wendy
 

gsdguenter

Well-known member
do you have the link about crates being bad for transport? I always use them (plastic, not wire) because I have to for training and don't want my working dogs hanging out. Thanks!
 

keri1292

Well-known member
My dog rides in the cargo area of our van. There is no other option for us, the van is full and he's a Newfoundland.....

With the stow & go seating, I could probably pack in the cubbies and leave the cargo area for the pooch. I just have this big hang up about putting living things back there. :eek: I picture a minor fender bender turning my baby into doggie meatloaf or worse. Obviously my kids are the #1 priority, so he'll likely end up in the cargo area anyway. It's safe, right? He's not going to get poisoned from being so close to my exhaust or anything, right? :eek:

My dog rides in one of these http://www.ruffrider.com/ laying in the back seat. I can't find the research right now, but I'm sure someone on my service dog message board could if you want it, but Roadies are the only dog restraint that has been crash tested acceptably.

You've got a great start keeping the dog in a down all the time in the car. That's the safest position. I know some people have tethered their dogs to cargo anchor points on the floor of their car. Not sure if I'd do it, but if it's your only option then maybe.

Do you have room in the cargo area? Crates are NOT the best way to transport dogs, there have been tests showing that wire crates can explode on impact when a dog hits it in a crash. That may be your best option, though. Having the dog in a crate that is it's correct size (only large enough to stand up, turn around and lie back down) that is properly tethered to the cargo anchor points.

He's only 65lbs, but he's very large. He's all leg and has the proper sized crate, but it would never fit in the car. Pet Buckl is made by IMMI and has been crash tested and what not. I trust IMMI with my kids harnesses, so I have faith in their dog products too. http://www.immioutdoors.com/petbuckle/why_petbuckle.htm :)

Does the petbuckle have LATCH? I can't remember. Could you do him up between the two seats in the back, or is it not big enough?

I agree about the cargo area. I'd probably tether him to an anchor and maybe a cargo hook in the back. Or shotgun. In any position I'd definitely use the harness.

Wendy

Yes, shotgun is my preference when DH stays home. He's also light enough that he turns the airbag off, so should be safe there.

Pet Buckle does have an optional LATCH attachment. :thumbsup: The only tether in the back will be occupied by DS2. I think I could reach the unused buckle stalk for the outboard position. That's probably the best bet.

do you have the link about crates being bad for transport? I always use them (plastic, not wire) because I have to for training and don't want my working dogs hanging out. Thanks!

I've heard the same, but can't seem to find a link. It still may be the best option in your case. Sometimes safER is the best we can do in a given situation.
 

my2kidsSafe

New member
for those long trips, since its only about once a month, can you fit the infant bucket in the third row. You won't need to tether that seat. And then use a captains chair for the dog.
 

keri1292

Well-known member
for those long trips, since its only about once a month, can you fit the infant bucket in the third row. You won't need to tether that seat. And then use a captains chair for the dog.

He wouldn't fit on a captains chair. The only place he fits is in the 3rd row where he takes up two seating positions. He'd technically fit there, but wouldn't be able to lie down for 5 hours during the drive. And he'd puke all over because he gets car sick when he looks out the windows. :thumbsdown:
Here he is with my dd at 8yo when he wasn't quite full grown...
 

robbertbobbert

New member
I KNOW I read the crate info somewhere, but this is what I'm finding right now: http://www.ruffrider.com/terri-cook-testimonial.html and this: http://www.ruffrider.com/frequently-asked-questions.html . The crate part is in the Q&A, one of the longer answers. It's obviously not the most objective because it's on the Ruffrider website, and I can't find the link to that German study but I'm sure it's out there.

I guess I hadn't heard of the Petbuckle one, I know all the "seatbelt leashes" that are supposed to attach a regular harness to the vehicle seatbelt are unsafe. It might have been when I got my Roadie it was the best option out there. I like it a lot because it is one piece. It can be a pain to learn to install, but you get the hang of it. Also, this isn't applicable for most people but I use a service dog and the Roadie doesn't have any metal on it so I can leave it on under his pack when we go through airport security.

I'm not sure how the setup of vans work at all, since I've never driven one, but would it be possible to stow the captains chair (i know some vans do this) and then attach him to a tether anchor on the floor? If you do something like this you want a thick foam mat (my vet recommended 4") underneath him to protect his body from the vibrations of the car.

I totally agree with you about preferring not to put a living being in the cargo area of a vehicle, but if there's no other option it may have to be done.
 

keri1292

Well-known member
I'm not sure how the setup of vans work at all, since I've never driven one, but would it be possible to stow the captains chair (i know some vans do this) and then attach him to a tether anchor on the floor? If you do something like this you want a thick foam mat (my vet recommended 4") underneath him to protect his body from the vibrations of the car.

I totally agree with you about preferring not to put a living being in the cargo area of a vehicle, but if there's no other option it may have to be done.

The tether anchor is attached to the back of the seat, but there are the big thick metal seat anchors that the captains chair clicks into exposed when the seat is stowed. Hmm.... If I could do booster/FFing Radian/booster or infant bucket in the third row, that may be a solution. Not a great every day set up and not terribly fun to rearrange seats in the dead of winter, but sounds like the safest option if I can hook him to that seat anchor or the buckle stalk. Thanks for the suggestion! :love:
 

bubbaray

New member
Could you do 3 across in your third row -- maybe 2 PWs and a RN? THen stow one of the 2nd row captains chairs and put the dog in a crate? Or tether him down with a pet buckle??
 

Louisa

CPST Instructor
i admitedly know nothing about dog transportation so there may be some reason why this won't work, but my first thought is if he is laying in front of the FR what about a d-ring around the seat track like with a RF tether?
 

emandbri

Well-known member
Could you use a d-ring and attach it somewhere under seat? I did something similar last week, I attached the harness we have to the rear-facing tether of Elizabeth's radian. Normally our dog gets a seat but I had the back row folded so I could fit bikes in the back of the van and there weren't any seats left. Jacob was in the front seat so that wasn't an option either.

I was hoping to get a petbuckle since I had read here they had been crash tested but I needed one that day and our petsmart didn't have them.

I bought this one.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3932889
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I don't know that I'd be comfortable trusting a d-ring to hold a 65 lb. dog's full weight? :twocents:
 

robbertbobbert

New member
I would feel fine tethering him to the seat anchors that you described, I'm not sure how others feel though. I really don't know much about weight limits and such but I imagine if they're meant to hold the seat with a person in it they could hold the dog.

And no, it's not a perfect situation at all but it would probably work for the long trips you described.

We drove 2,300 miles to Disneyland and back last year and hit a deer 20 miles from home. Did $5,000 of damage on the brand new car. The fact that my dog, all passengers and projectiles were properly restrained probably saved all of our lives. Most people don't even consider restraining their dogs. It's a shame.
 

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