Looking for a Dog Friendly Vehicle

[Sevens]

Ok this might sound weird, but I have really been thinking about getting a bigger vehicle.

I have a Nissan Sentra GXE. It's a nice little car, fast, and gets great gas mileage. However, when Bailey and Guinness are in the back seat, they can both lay down, but they can't stretch out. Plus, there is the "leg room" issue when some of our taller friends ride in the back seat.

I would like something bigger, but not van size. Perhaps some sort of SUV, but then I have also had suggestions about getting a station wagon instead, which I am not thrilled with. I drove a 1982 Chevy Impala Station Wagon for a couple of years..yeah, you could fit 11 people in it, but it was dang ugly!

My basic want is to have something where the dogs can stretch out and be comfy, but also we could have friends or in the future hopefully, kids in there too as well as the dogs.

So, I would like to get some opinions on what dog owners on this board drive. Are you satisfied, do your dogs like it? Any suggestions as to what I should get?

Thanks for any advice/opinions you can give!:)

[Kfamr]

Chevy Blazer! :D

[Cincy'sMom]

Last Spring, after the addition of our third dog, we decided it was time to upsize our car. We traded in my husband's convertible Mustang for a mini-van!! It gets better gas mileage then most SUV's and we thought it would be better forth future, if and when we have kids...easier to get car seats in and out of and still have another seat for the dogs. The seats are also easily removable if we want to set up kennels in the van or even make extra room to haul things. So far, it has worked out well for us.

[Corinna]

I love my mitisbisti Montero. It fits Lady (newf) and Merlin(springer) plus one or two adults nicely. Had a 1984 wagoneer till spring (the small version that became cherokees) I could take dogs but no people not a problem now and I get about 25 to the gallon. Al though here in Montana except for college kids no one worries about mpg We want protection from the deer ,elk,and Moose who step out in front of you all the time.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

We just got a Toyota Highlander a few months ago. The dogs fit in it, and still have room to stretch out. I recommend it. :)

[lovemyshiba]

I highly recommend the Honda CR-V, and I know there are a few other CR-V owners on the boards also.
I had a civic, and I loved it, but after our second addition, we needed more room!!
The CR-V is fabulous!!! We haven't taken a trip with all 4 yet, but 3 was a breeze last time we tried it. This vehicle has more room in it than it looks like. I found a Cherokee a few months ago that I loved, looked in the back, and said NO WAY!! Not enough room for the dogs. The seats fold down too, so I'm sure there is plenty of room for all 4, but even with the seats up, Abbey, Kito, and Riley were comfortable, and all three could lay down.

It gets great gas mileage also, and is reasonably priced.
Definitely look into one.

[anna_66]

This is what we have & I love it. Rides & drives like a car. When we were shopping for an automobile, we also shopped for one all 3 of the dogs would fit in comfortably!
If I didn't have such big kennels for the girls, we could easily fit the 3 dogs plus 5 people!

[Moose]

I have a Jeep Wrangler and even though it's smaller as far as SUV's go, as long as it's just Moose in the back, it's a perfect fit [don't worry, I keep the roof up when he's in the car ;)]. However, if I had another dog, there is no way they would be able to stretch out in it.

My parents have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Nissan Pathfinder and they both work great whether there are dogs or people in the car. Barret [my parents' dog] and Moose can stretch out in either car [or ride in the back trunk] and still leave room for people. I'm personally a big fan of our Pathfinder, and would choose to drive that over either one of our Jeeps any day. :D

[Pam]

I am one of those happy Honda CRV owners that lovemyshiba was referring to. When I finally convinced my hubby about the virtues of an SUV, I suggested a Toyota RAV-4. I really love the looks of them! Well we went car shopping (actually it was just last November-I have had my car just about one year) and I noticed that the Honda had a lot more room inside than the RAV-4. Now that isn't a big deal because my dogs are relatively small (Bella is 40 lbs. and Ripley is only 15 lbs.) but hubby found a site which owner satisfaction is rated. CRV owners were singing the praises of their vehicles much more loudly than the RAV-4 owners. For the record, the last crate that we used for Bella, which is a pretty good size, fits nicely behind the seats in the CRV. You don't even need to flip the back seats down. Although I don't crate either of my dogs when I take them in the car, I have transported the crate to my daughter's house for Dale (greater swiss mountain dog) to use when he was being potty trained. I really couldn't be happier with my Honda. :)

[CJ7Boomer]

Id recommened a suburban, my brother has 3 big labs and he has an older suburban, it has great room for just dogs or dogs and people. I need to get a good dog vehicle too!, i probably have the worst thing to drive with a dog!...i cant part with it though lol :) heres a pic

[Chris J]

Honda CR-V or Element or Toyota's RAV-4

[Twisterdog]

I agree with Cincy'sMom. I have two mini-vans for work, and I pick up a LOT of dogs in them. I have taken the back seats out and put in crates, and I can haul 20+ dogs in them. Of course, unless you own a grooming shop, this is probably overkill. :p However, I can take all ten of my dogs out for a drive, as well.

When I had only four dogs (a much more reasonable number!) I had a Geo Prism. Great car ... and the back of the back seat folded down, either the whole seat, or one side. This opened up a huge area, the trunk and the flattened back seat. (Is this making sense?) So, if you don't want to go the mini van/SUV route, you can always get mid-sized car with a folding backseat and have tons of room for pooches or people.

[K9karen]

I tried talking Pam into the RAV-4 ;) Cody and Klo both use the back and I open the back windows 1/2 down. The Honda CRV is a looker too! But, hey I owned a Nissan Sentra LX and LOVED it! But the one time that a truck with a ladder slightly tilted, would have taken Cody's head off if I hadn't seen him so close to me, I never put them in the back seat. Too bad there isn't an SUV that has a back window that rolls down..at least I don't think so. Is there one??? Good luck car hunting, what a chore! (I always take the dogs into consideration! hee, hee)

[clara4457]

My sister just bought a Honda Element. She has two German Shepards and the Element allows her to have both large crates in the back side by side. She also likes the fact that the seats and floor are hard plastic instead of fabric. Tara (the 13yr old GSD) gets carsick on occasion and she literally was able hose the inside of the car out. She also likes the fact that the back seats will either fold down or remove completely.

[Moose]

Originally posted by K9Karen
Too bad there isn't an SUV that has a back window that rolls down..at least I don't think so. Is there one???

The Toyota 4Runner's rear window rolls down.....but I'm not a big fan of that car. I don't like the drive, and it seems way overpriced to me. :p

[ParNone]

I've got a Jeep Liberty SUV, which I love, but it really isn't the
best designed for optimal space usage. Oz's crate really
won't fit in it, even with the backseat down. I was just
letting him go unrestrained in the back, with the seat down,
but after a scary incident where I had to slam on the brakes
and catch him one handed as he came hurling into the
front seat, to prevent a nasty collision with the dashboard,
I revised his car riding experience. He now gets strapped in via
a halter in the backseat. He easily takes up 3/4th of the
seat back there by doing this. If I ever get another Collie,
there's no way they'd both fit back there comfortably. So I
may then be forced to get the dreaded family mini van.

Par...

[Aspen and Misty]

We have a van and LOVE it. We can put about 3 or 4 dog crates in there comfetably. I recomend them 100% it's great!!

Ashley

[Logan]

The last two cars I have purchased were Jeep Grand Cherokees, purchased specifically for dog hauling!!!! :) I bought a liner for the back from Cabela's and it is great, but I always put a blanket or comforter on top of it to make it more comfortable for my girls. Since we added Zipper to the fold, I have learned that the comfort doesn't matter since he will jump that back seat in a heartbeat! :eek: I didn't know how good I had it before!!!! LOL!!!! :D

[sabies]

We have a GMC Envoy, extra long with 3 rows of seats. Right now we have no kids so sadie has the whole back to herself. The seats are always down and she can stand, walk around, or lay on her dog bed. There are several vents for heat/ ac in the back so she's quite comfortable!

There is also an Envoy XUV that just came out that has some kind of window opening in the back that sounds neat.

As you can tell, if you want an suv or minivan there are lots of options!

[dukedogsmom]

I like the Chevy Avalanche and the GMC XUV with the sliding roof.

[boscibo]

Another mini-van owner here. We bought it specifically with the dogs in mind.

We opted for a mini-van over a SUV because our dogs are older and the lower entrance (side door) to the van was better for our dogs. SUVs are too high for the oldest to jump in, and we knew it would get worse.

The bonus is we can fit all kinds of other stuff into it too, we took all the seats out and there is a lot of room in there.

[Stenograsaurus]

If you're concerned about safety, check out this website before purchasing a vehicle. It gives you crash test results.

http://www.highwaysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ratings.htm

[pitc9]

I have a Chevy Blazer and the back seat splits 60/40, so I put the bigger section of seat and fold it down. It works great!

I have a rubber mat that fits the back and Buddy always lays on that ... good thing too because he still gets car sick and it makes for a quick clean up!!!