Dogs in Cars

I've just driven 30 miles up the A30 to do a turnaround at our holiday cottage. As usual on a Saturday the trip was busy with holiday makers going home from Cornwall. It always amazes me how their dogs are the last thing 'packed' and just crammed into the boot of a hatchback. I was following one medium sized hatchback with a large labrador in the back who was trying to lie down but didn't have the space. Poor dog will have to sit cramped in 1 position until they have a rest break or get home. I know space is always an issue when on holiday but dogs should have the room to turn around and lie down.

Poor dog. It sounds like some of these people could do with a roof box! For the luggage I mean, not the dog.

Mine have the whole boot (quite large) to themselves when we travel. Passengers have to make do, crammed in with any luggage on the back seat! Lucky I usually only have one passenger in the front so that's fine. I even bought a bigger car with a larger boot for the dogs and back doors for easier access to the luggage that I now have to pack on the back seats

We go away every other weekend Mollie has the entire boot area to her self - probably the best spot in the car, Duncan has his crate on the back seat again plenty of room to slay down stand up turn around, although the loud snores make me think he sleeps most of the way lol

Luggage is on half the back seat and on top of Duncan's crate and around me in the front seat (most cramped area IMO I can't move my legs let alone turn around or lie down ).

But yes we see plenty of other dogs seemingly squashed in amongst the luggage too.

So glad there are other people who agree about this issue. We have a large black labrador who has the back seat to himself and has a seat belt to hold him safely should anything bad happen. At 36 kilos if he came shooting forward he'd break our necks and kill himself going through the front window. His seat belt lets him sit or lay down. Should we have an accident then he is safe and cannot escape and add to the chaos. We always buy cars that are large enough to let the dogs have comfort.

Mollie chose our car, we took her around looking at cars and we bought the one she happily got into, she is a fussy passenger doesn't like sitting on the back seat or even the front seat, hatch backs she isn't keen on either lol

Ended up with a CRV because she happily leaped into the back and settled down straight away.

Did she choose your house and furniture too?

More importantly did she pay for it?

Well we did chose a sofa the same colour as her but until she gets a job I can't see her pocket money going towards paying for it lol

My dogs take up the whole of my ample boot and the back seat, everything else fits in around them and us up front. I bought my car with comfort in mind for the dogs and us and because I like driving it. Before commiting to buying it I had it on loan for an entire weekend to make sure me and the dogs were happy with it.

I drive a landrover freelander van. My dogs take up all the space in the back, my 'boot' is my passenger seat and whatever I can stuff behind the seats. I occasionally place stuff in the back with the dogs but because I have plenty of rings to attach bungees to I can get away with stacking stuff rather than taking up floor space.

I've seen dogs shoved in dangerously packed tailgates or worse draped across the kids seats in the back with no form of attachment! Personally I'd rather not go on holiday than force my dog to travel in an un-comfortable, unsafe environment.

Either that or I could go on a nudist holiday and not bother packing clothes

My son and I recently travelled from Hungary to Cornwall and back, a round trip of 3500 miles, in a small Suzuki Swift.

The two dogs who love travelling in the car, and my cat (who was in a crate) shared the back seat quite happily. Both dogs wore their normal harnesses and leads attached to the central lap belt which allowed my Pei to spread herself comfortably. The rear window ledge was left clear because my Tibbie likes to sleep there or sit and watch the world go by.

As it was a 3 day journey in both directions with overnight stops in hotels we had to take food for them all as well as the cat's litter box and a supply of cat litter plus our own luggage and everything was crammed into the tiny boot or in the foot well of the rear seats.