Dogs in 944s

[poprock]

This is probably a question for Paul McNulty more than anyone else "¦

I've got a gorgeous lurcher/collie cross puppy whom I want to make sure is happy travelling in the 944, because she'll be coming along with us to car shows, meets, and so on. She's going to grow quite big (probably bigger than a viszla actually, although leaner), so whilst she's okay in a harness on the back seats for now, I'm starting to think about what I can do to help her be comfortable when she's grown up.

Little Riley matches the car beautifully, and is pretty happy riding in it so far. Here she is at the end of her first drive out.

What do the rest of you dog owners here do with your dogs in the Porsche?

The harness we have for her just now is okay"”there's an attachment from the base of the rear seatbelt to the top of her harness"”but when she grows bigger this won't work very well.

I'm prepared to do whatever I can, I've even been considering removing the back seats and fitting carpet. Deutsche Nine do a nice delete kit (link here), and that would give a lot more room in the back. It'd also reduce weight which I know is never a bad thing in a Turbo "¦

I'm more concerned about how to strap her in. Or should I think about just getting a barrier to fill the gap between top of back seats and roof, then keeping her in the boot space? Or maybe I could find a harness that attaches in two points to the luggage net hooks in the back?

So many options. Any advice from those of you who have done it before?

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I'm probably the worst person to ask - we have the girls loose in the Legacy, albeit with a proper dog-guard. When they've been in the 944 they are just shoved in the back with the rear seats down, and aren't all that happy as they like to stand up and watch the world go by. Not easy in a 944.....

I think John straps Mostyn into one side of the split rears, Peter taking the other side? I'm torn personally between the idea of a loose dog flying around in an accident - not a problem in a car with a guard, at least for the humans - or them being thrown around in a harness and potentially hurt, trapped or at least frightened.

On balance I tend towards thinking that they are more flexible and happy when not harnessed, or on the lead, and so I'm happy to leave them free. I'd guess that in the event of an accident there's not a lot of room to get thrown around in a 944, and the seat backs protect the front-seat humans pretty well.

The best solution IMO is a breed-sized cage built into the car, allowing freedom to move but restricted movement in a accident. I'd guess this could be done in a 944, I know they can be built to any specified size, but it would be an odd shape!

 

[944 LIL]

Paul / Anyone

Am thinking of buying covers for the front seats for Flossie. There are a number on ebay - can you recommend any particular ones?

 

[macandsue]

Believe it or not we carried our two dogs in a large dog basket in the boot space with the two rear seats down. The basket never moved and the dogs could lie down or sit up and take notice as they pleased. It worked for us but I'm not sure of the legality anymore.

Sue

 

[jenpot]

Unfortunately, leaving Riley loose is not an option at the moment. She's 14 weeks and very inquisitive. Also has a tendency to try and cuddle the driver (very clingy dog) or to sleep with her neck stretched out over the handbrake.

A dog guard in the boot is the closest option to loose, but I'm not convinced about the wisdom of booting her, is she safer in the passenger compartment in case of a crash? Also, I drive a MINI Cooper, so boot space in non existant and also crumple-able.

 

[Wigeon Incognito]

My dog sits in the front footwell so I'm not best placed to advise on rear restraints however I would have thought sticking with the harness as you do now would be the best option.

She'll be safest strapped in place as will you should you have an accident with her in the car. If you continue to harness her she won't be distressed by the experience and the great thing about dogs and rear seats is they have no legs dangling down suffering from space issues like people do. She'll just learn to get comfortable in the rear seat.

 

[j4mou]

I have a 3 year old male rottweiler, he would lay down in the back with one section of the seat lay down, he was comfy enough but when it was really hot it wasnt suitable as it was like he was sat in a greenhouse, otherwise it was ok.