Thursday, May 16, 2013

Pooches: Creating the Pitbull-Mobile

The Pitbull-Mobile Rides Again
I never even had a car when I first adopted Miss M. We were lucky enough to be able to walk where we needed to go and find large dog food delivery. Though once we adopted Mr. B, we ended up buying a car with the pups in mind (a 4-door car makes a huge difference!). 
Though just like many of our home details, we've learned some things to help keep our pups, and our fosters, safe and happy in the car.

Dog Seat Belts:
Ever since we've heard stories like this, we've made sure that even our dogs are buckled up when we're in the car. This has also been helpful when driving our fosters making sure they stay in the back seat and don't wander into our laps while we're driving. We wrote more about the seatbelt system we use, here.

Cars and Seat Covers:
We have learned how easy it is to take preventative measures than to try to clean up later. We found this Duragear Semi-Custom Rear Seat Cover at Petsmart, and we like that it looks nice enough that it actually blends in with our car. Plus, it's really easy to just lift up the bottom and tuck it around the back if we have human guests riding in our car.

Doggles:
We never really thought about it before, but since Miss M is prone to this (do you see the eyelid flapping along with the jowls?) we realized it is actually safer for the pups to wear protective eye gear when they hang their heads out the window. Plus, you wouldn't believe how seeing a pup driving by in pink goggles makes the roads a much happier place.

Though despite having all of our precautions in place, Miss M will spend the moment she gets in the car she spends the entire car-ride singing this (yes...it is a Homer Simpson/Usher Mash-up).
Does anyone else have a singing dog? Could it be doggie nausea? 
And what are some other things you've done to make your car pooch-friendly?

Also:
Our favorite in-car dog activity...complete with 'Crazy Eyes'
In case you missed it the first time.

17 comments:

Hannah@Eriesistibull said...

No singing dogs here...although Tess did bark at a cat this morning -- she never barks!

We always dreamed that we would be able to put the pooches in the back of the Subaru behind a divider. The pooches quickly foiled that idea by knocking the divider down within a minute on the road.

So we use seatbelts. We have two different varieties, both from Petsmart. One is a full harness with a slot for the seat belt which we like because it stays in place better, and the other is a strappy harness which we like because the seatbelt slot is a handle, which is great for safely getting in and out of the car and onto the leash.

Although we have leather seats, we have been looking into a seat cover for the back. I like the hammock version - I think it would help the pooches "stay put" better?

Alley903 said...

We have a speed freak, the minute car slows down, Abbey yodels. She sounds like a depressed horse and Jake joins in with his mooing. We thinks it's excitement, they know when we get off the freeway that we're closer to our destination.

Unknown said...

We have a hammock style and love it - keeps the seats clean and keeps the girls in the back! And they never ride in the car without their seat belts on!

Debra@Peaceabull said...

This girly girl drives a four door pick-up and has had a heck of a time finding a seat cover for the back seat. Off the top of my head, I can't think of the brand but it works so well. Back when Ray was just a baby, he rode in his carrier in the back seat and I think because of that he is a calm rider and never sticks his head out the window.
I need to find a seat belt system for him though. I looked into it but then didn't follow through.

Heatherkay said...

I'd love to get my dog a seatbelt harness, but he is a bit of a chewer. Has anyone who uses a seatbelt harness had this issue?

Pocket Pittie in the City said...

We use Kurgo harness seatbelts and they seem to work well (although in our new Prius V, they keep unbuckling themselves!). We also have a Kurgo seat cover but it's a little slippery for Maggie. We actually don't let them sniff out the window because with Maggie's leash reactivity, I'm pretty sure she'd make a dive for a dog and then we'd be in trouble...

Anonymous said...

It freaks me out when I see dogs with front legs out the front passenger side window. We use seat belts and toss a blanket down for the dogs and the back seats of my coupe stay folded down to give the dogs more space for months at a time, until I have more than one passenger. Eddie is a very excitedly noisy boy in the car at low speeds if he hasn't had many recent rides.

Annie & Pauls Mom said...

When we first got annie she would slobber and drool for half an hour before she'd puke.

Wyatt said...

We love our car rides!! Thanks for the tips and love the Doggles!

Wyatt and Stanzie

jet said...

Barbie does stress a little bit on longer car rides, but she doesn't sing. I can tell because her skin gets flaky when she is stressing. She seems to enjoy watching things through the window and just sticking the tip of her nose out to sniff things though.

Two French Bulldogs said...

We have heard so many horror stories of loose doggies in the car. You guys are stylin
Benny & Lily

Unknown said...

Hi, nice post. This is an interesting and very informative topic. Thanks for sharing your ideas, its not just entertaining but also gives your reader knowledge. Good blogs style too, Cheers!
A dog or pet seat belts is basically like a leash attached to your car's seat belt system. There are pet seat belts that attach to your car's actual seat belt, but the superior products clip directly into your car's seat-belt buckle. This means you can leave the seat belt at rest and your dog will have a very low chance of getting tangled up in it.

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Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I can't even deal with how cute they are. My husband and I recently decided to get a dog and we decided to get a pitbull of course! ao I have been on searching high and low pit bull puppies for sale. I love seeing pitbulls in such a positive light, love your blog!

My Two Pitties said...

I feel so lucky that Kaya & Norman are so easy and calm in the car, I sometimes forget they're with me. They always stay in the back and never move around. I don't realize how nice it is until their crazy cousin Motlie gets in the car and she's total choas, tearing into treat bags and climbing all over the place! I'd like to look into a seat cover though because I have black leather seats and I think it must be hot for them in the summer. I put a towel down but it never stays put:/

Exocticaleathers said...

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