Portable Dog Crates

Travel safely and conveniently with a dog crate in the car

Why do you need a crate for your dog when riding in a car? The dog would be more comfortable in the back seat, right? Or perhaps loose in the trunk with plenty of space? Maybe the dog can sit on the knee on one of the passengers? To have the dog loose in the car is, for several reasons, not a good solution. The best solution is without doubt a dog crate. The alternative to a crate is a fence and gates. The main reason is, of course, security. This is the case when the safety of both the dog and for the people travelling in the car in case of an accident.

In the worst case scenario, a frontal collision, the dog is thrown forward with great force. According to studies made by the authorities, you can count on the “importance” will increase 25-30 times. In other words, a dog that weighs 20 lbs, can in a collision, where the car is driving 60 mp/h, all of a sudden, “weigh” up to 600 lbs! With the same mathematics, a 60 lbs dog will reach a “crashweight” on the uphill 1800 lbs. The damages that will occur to people in the car are difficult to predict, but we can assume that they are likely to be much more serious, albeit without a loose dog in the car, is quite safe. What might happen to the dog in such a situation, perhaps we don’t need not go into detail, you can probably imagine.

What happens in stage two after an accident is difficult to predict. A possible sequence of events is that the dog, after all, survived and is in shock, possibly, it also hurt. A hurt dog in shock is not rational, and especially not in their normal routines. It is not unusual for a hurt and / or shocked dog to become very aggressive even though it normally is friendly and easy to handle. It’s owner may be unconscious and need to be quickly taken care of by a rescuer. Then it is not a good thing if the work is hampered and delayed by an aggressive dog.

A hurt, shocked dog may be thrown out of the car in connection with the accident. This of course raises the risk of being hit by another car. The risk also high that the dog will leave the place and not get the veterinary care it is likely to need. Well, to avoid this you put in a fence in your combi car and then all is well right? Is it really as simple as that, unfortunately not. Some time ago, you could read in the media about a dog that had fallen out of the car when the tailgate opened during travel on the highway. This dog was found, almost unhurt, after a couple of days but the happy outcome could surely count as a miracle. Locks in trunks sometimes loses its function and it could simply be a minor bump in the road that will lead to the door opening. This is not a pleasant scenario. There is at least one additional risk of having a loose dog in the car. The dog may interfere with the driver and thereby indirectly cause an accident.

More benefits
If we leave the catastrophe theme there are also several practical reasons to have the dog in a crate when you are driving a car. Travel sick dogs often feel better when they have a more limited living space. The crate provides a good support and the dog has it easier to keep the balance when running on curvy roads and when braking and accelerating. The risk that the dog begin to chew on the interior of the car is minimal. The normal wear and tear on the car is also less when you have a crate as opposed to a fence and gates. During the summer, you can open the tailgate of the car if we have to leave the dog in the car a short while. In this way, you secure a good air circulation and thus a lower temperature in the car. This will of course be done only in places where you have the car attended. There are also dog crates which can be locked with padlocks in case of such temporary arrangements.

Choosing a dog crate
What should we consider when buying a dog crate? The most important thing is that the crate is of a stable structure that can cope with the strain at an accident. There are a number of major manufacturers of transport dog crates and a search for “dog crates” on the web provides many hits. Some of the manufacturers, claims even claims to crash test their crates and provide information on the strain the crate can handle. Some brands have evacuation gate in front. This may be a great advantage if the car would be hit from the rear and the tailgate can not open. Then it is possible to trap down the back and remove the dog on the way. A evacuation gate in the front is an advantage if the car is hit from the rear tailgate, so that you can not open it.

Dog crates are available for most combi cars and if you have a very odd brand, you can usually get a crate custom made by the larger manufacturers or by a local sheet-metal workers. There are single cages and double cages. A single cage takes up about half the luggage compartment and a double cage the entire space. In recent years, it has also come more stable, adjustable metal dog crates on the market. These can be adjusted in both length and width and can usually be used despite the change of car model. If you invested in a non-adjustable dog crate, it is rarely a problem to sell it on ebay. Of course, there are guidelines in respect of which the minimum dimensions the crate must have, depending on the dog’s size.

Grilles and gates
Several of the major car manufacturers can deliver tailor-made gates to their car models. The companies that sell dog crates usually also have gates to it’s lineup. The disadvantage of gates, compared with crates, is that they must be screwed or fastened in the car. A crate can be positioned easily into the luggage compartment without doing damage to the car.

What should be avoided
The foldable so-called “dog show crates” are intended for exhibitions. They are not designed to cope with the strain in the event of a traffic accident. In the worst cases, they may even act as a mousetrap and exacerbate the damage to the dog. For the dog owners who have a car of the sedan model, it has in recent years, come a new product on the market that increases the safety of the dogs that still must be transported in the back seat. It is belt harnesses, because, a harness which is put on the dog. The difference is that this harness has a foothold for the safety belt which will lead to the dog is not thrown away in the event of a crash. The harness also has a leach fastener and can therefore be used also as a walking harness if you so wish. The belt harnesses can be found in pet stores. They are adjustable and are available in various sizes.