Cargo Barriers - new dog
Submitted: Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 10:46
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Andrew Main
Hi All,
We have just got a new dog (Golden Retriever puppy now 11 weeks old), and now face an issue with packing the car. At present there are two of us and we use a long body Kia Sportage with the rear seats removed which we manage to get all of our kit in without having to use the roof rack and I can still use the review mirror to some extent.
We now have two choices both of which will require the acquisition of a roof cage:
1. Replace rear seats so that the dog can sit on one side and we put some kit on the other.
2. Build some sort of enclosure in the rear of the car that protects the dog from any kit falling on him.
I prefer option one as this is easy but it may mean putting a cargo barrier in the car and the only quote I've had for one is $500 installed!!! For what is basically a bit of steel mesh to keep the kit in I find this a little steep. (I know it's all life saving equipment installed by a professional with 5 million years of experience but $500 is a very expensive solution.), does anyone have any suggestions regarding suppliers of cargo barriers or alternative solutions?
I'm not sure about option 2 as the obvious solution is to buy a large steel crate or cage to place in the car but these things are very large and I would prefer to give him the back
seat to lie on. Any suggestions on option 2?
Any other general advice for how to pack ;-) a large dog when camping would be appreciated.
Cheers
Andrew
Reply By: al - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 11:56
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 11:56
best advice i can give get rid of dog it will be a pain in the rear for years to come if you intend to do a lot of travelling get rid of dog
bin there dun that wood not do again
regards
al
AnswerID:
284073
Follow Up By: Wizard1 - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 10:21
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 10:21
Well that doesn't mean others shouldn't do it themselves.
Seflish comments like yours are of no help.
We've travelled all over this country with our 2 dogs and would do it all again. You obviously don't deserve to have a dog if that is how disposable you consider them.
Your not a dog lover, but obviously were a dog owner.
FollowupID:
549048
Follow Up By: al - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 15:21
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 15:21
wizard1
you could not be further from the truth we travelled with a blue heeler for 14 years before we had to have it put down october last year. we have not travelled for the last to years because the dog was in poor health and we were not prepared to put dog under stress by boarding him out or putting him some strange. we missed out on a lot of
places in our travels because dogs where not allowed in .we did not want to kennel him so it was our own doing it was not money we just felt it was best for dog.by saying get rid of dog im just talking from experience they have not had the dog long so cant be to attached it will make life so much easier for them if they intend to travel extensively. we will have another dog one day but definitely not while we are still travelling. so you can see im not a selfish ####
just passing on my own experiences .
regards
al
FollowupID:
549074
Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 16:50
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 16:50
Al - one could say the same about children or almost anything which impinges upon our immediate wants but both children and pets bring great rewards, they bring love, joy, affection, a chance to feel our deepest emotions etc.
Take a look at this post from yesterday:
The joy of a dog
to see the emotion and love dogs can arouse within us.
Not being able to visit a few
places seems a small price to me to pay for that.
I note you talk about "having it put down" - my dog was _never_ an "it" she was a "she" or she was "Digi Dog" and sometimes (affectionately) "The Mutt" but never, ever an "it". It seems to me Al you are the one who has missed out, not us.
Mike Harding
FollowupID:
549094
Follow Up By: al - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 17:19
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 17:19
mike
you really need to get a life if all you can pick on is words, what should i have said put to sleep, euthanaise, one way ticket get real it means the same thing and it was an it! it was desexed my cuddlee pet dog probably had a better life than most other dogs as it oops ! i mean my pal spent 6 months of the year travelling instead of some back yard no doubt like yours and the rest of the time on building sites yes i should say he had a hard hat and steel cap boots sounds ridiculous just like the crap your spouting so please give it a rest over to u mike can't wait for the reply !!!!!
have a nice day
al
FollowupID:
549097
Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 17:22
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 17:22
No reply Al.
FollowupID:
549098
Follow Up By: al - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 17:33
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 17:33
mike
i loved my dog like every body else does i was just expressing an opinion if my dog were still here we would still be travelling together
that will be last word on subject.
regards
al
FollowupID:
549099
Follow Up By: Andrew Main - Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008 at 09:32
Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008 at 09:32
Thanks Al, I realise now that getting a dog is totally at odds with our lifestyle and you have convinced me to get rid of him. The only problem is that I couldn't bare for anyone else to have him nor for a vet to put him down. Please advise where-abouts I should shoot an 11 week old puppy? I have access to a .22 rifle with a 10 round magazine, I would prefer to do it in one shot but can always use all 10 rounds if required?
My great uncle advised that if you need to shoot a mule you should draw a line between the ears and eyes on the opposite side of the head and where these two lines intersect you should shoot. Can the same be applied to a golden retreiver puppy?
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: al - Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008 at 10:16
Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008 at 10:16
andrew
watt u discribe will definitely achieve the result that is required but use hollow point more effective
have a nice day
al
FollowupID:
549251
Reply By: herkman - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 12:48
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 12:48
I do not agree with the previous post, this particluliar dog will travel all and every day with no problem, except do not allow him to ride on mum's lap as he will grow very big.
I sugest that you look at the milford soft barrier, it is different and in my apinion suits a dog better. They only take about 45 minutes to install and can be quickly removed and taken out and rolled, which is the problem with the metal ones.
It is much cheaper, my daughter has a labrador in an X trail, and he just jumps in the back on his bed, and she has a tall plastic tub that sits in with him, that she puts all her junk in.
Our dogs prefer the cargo bay with their car blankets on the floor and we taken them across the Nulabor seven times with no problem.
The reason that you should not allow him to sit on mums lap, other than his eventual size, is that he will always want to sit there, they are a very determined breed as you will find out.
However they train
well and are very anxious to please.
Regards
COL
Oh buy the bay the Milford soft barrier is normal installed behind the rear
seat, but could be installed behind the front seats.
AnswerID:
284079
Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 19:41
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 19:41
Hi Col
Is the "Milford soft barrier" you mention the netting one - it's hard to tell from the Milford site.
Mike Harding
FollowupID:
548922
Reply By: Ray - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 13:11
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 13:11
Hi have traveled around this big island twice with TWO dogs. I have an 80ser L/C. I took the two rear folding seats out, the dickie seats I called them, and installed a cargo barrier. I also installed a faulse floor about 12" high. This enabled the dogs to see out of the windows, gave them a bit of aircon and gave me quite a bit of storage space under the faulse floor.
On occations, when on a long trip I also removed the rear seats as
well. If I remember these are only held in buy two maybe four bolts.
I made the faulse floor out of MDF.
AnswerID:
284082
Follow Up By: Member - Gavin B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 at 12:10
Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 at 12:10
Ditto - have done exactly this with our Jackaroo (minus the barrier, dog lays down most of the time and the middle seats are still quite high, prob should look into one though) for our large labrador and works a treat.
FollowupID:
549460
Reply By: Member - Tim - Stratford (VIC) - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 17:33
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 17:33
Andrew,
My wife has this product in the back of her Rav4 - works
well for our German Shepherd.
http://www.lovemypet.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=1451&bc=no
The picture shows the barrier folded down. In case the link doesn't work, Google "WalkyBarrier Car Dog Barrier"
Only drawback is that you need rear seats (or any seats) with headrests to attach the barrier to.
Tim
AnswerID:
284131
Reply By: Wayne (NSW) - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 20:10
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 20:10
Andrew,
I bet the puppy cost more than $500.
This bit of mesh could save the life of the puppy, but that is your choice not the puppy.
Wayne
AnswerID:
284187
Follow Up By: Andrew Main - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 20:24
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 20:24
Sigh....
Yes I should buy a rolls royce with extra panda bear fur covered airbags because they provide an extra 1% safety and you can't put a price on safety can you???
FollowupID:
548937
Reply By: herkman - Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 20:22
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 at 20:22
Yes the millford roll away barrier is made out of netting. Is supported at each end with a cam device that locks into receptable that you put into the frame.
You can remove it in seconds at the top, and two strap clip onto the floor hooks that you too install.
When you do not beed it you can remove in less than a minute and it just roll up into a small roll.
Regards
Col
AnswerID:
284192
Reply By: Wizard1 - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 10:34
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 10:34
We have a Prado wagon which has more room than a Sportage. The dogs never, ever, ever travel in the same space as general luggage and gear. It s not only dangerous but inhumane to put a dog the size of a Retreaver in a confined area.
We have a Retreaver and Border Collie. Both ride in the car on the back
seat on a pet
seat cover called a Back
Seat Buddy which turns the whole back
seat area into a dog bed. They have room to sleep and move around if the need to.
Here is the link to the website
Back Seat Buddy
Put yourself behind the cargo barrier with luggage all around you or in a cage for a while and see if you like it especially with the aircon not getting that far back on a stinking hot day!
As mentioned we've had our dogs for over 7 years and travelled all over the country with them. The love going on each trip, but I'm sure things would be different if we packed them in a cage.
If we ever do another big trip the second row of seats come out and would be replaced wth a fitted storage box that the dogs would then sit on top of.
AnswerID:
284288
Reply By: Member - Troll 81 (QLD) - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 10:43
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 10:43
If you don't have a cargo barrier at the moment then I strongly suggest you fork out the money not just for the safety of your dog but for the safety of your family. Keep an eye on eBay I got one for my Patrol for $150 and then paid another $100 to install.
We have a big Lab and he sites in the back on one side and the other side is packed with gear strapped down...there is enough room for him to sleep as
well....as he does most of the time
AnswerID:
284289
Reply By: fozzy - Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 20:10
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 at 20:10
Andrew
seeing you say you already have rear seats out for travelling then rather than a cage of some sort why not put the dog in a harness and clip it to a seatbelt strap which clips in to existing seatbelt connection. these work better than just clipping a lead to a collar which may cause problems with its neck in any accident.
by using this technique you may be able to make a position in the back area on top of your cargo which will keep the dog secured in an accident and still have acess to aircon or ventilation from a window.
really with limited space(without roofrack etc) you really need to access what you take and what you can do without as you will need to cater for the dog which will take up some room-eg extra dog food,blankets or rug etc for extreme cold conditions,towel/shampoo for when dog rolls in something.
you will work it out in the end-depending on the dog it is worthwhile to take with you when you can and often very difficult to leave behind when they are not allowed.
cheers
fozzy
AnswerID:
284366