Allow me to introduce you to my test dogs. Truman is a 65-lb 13-year-old Standard Poodle, and the veteran of many a road trip. He prefers luxury vehicles but is just as happy to curl up on a blanket in the bed of my pickup truck. At his advanced age, Truman is a little mobility challenged, and must submit to being lifted in and out of a test vehicle. Chet is a 100-lb 6-year-old Labradoodle (his dad was a Standard Poodle and his mom was a Yellow Lab). He’ll squeeze in to a tight space or spread out in the cargo hold behind an SUV’s second row – just as long as he gets to go for a ride. Chet can jump in and out of any vehicle. His one weakness as a test dog is that he has been known to get car sick on curvy roads. So, we keep an eye on that.
As the companions of an automotive journalist, they’ve been in a wide variety of vehicles, and they know how to behave during a ride. They obediently settle in, laying down. They don’t bark at other vehicles or animals that they may see during the ride. Going for a ride is a sacred privilege, and they take it seriously, delivering their best behavior at all times. Whether it’s a quick trip to the vet or a cross-country move with the cats (don’t ask), Chet and Truman are eager to get out on the road.
I worry about my test dogs’ safety and comfort when we’re on a trip together. My friend Wendy at Nissan called me up recently and asked whether Chet, Truman and I would like to check out the Nissan Rogue Dogue, a customized version of the compact crossover vehicle. I answered for them, and soon Wendy showed up with the project vehicle. I had seen it at last year’s New York International Auto Show, and it was just as I remembered. The second row and cargo areas of the crossover have been augmented with dog-friendly materials and accessories. The load floor and cargo compartment are padded and lined with easy-to-clean fabric. Spill-proof water and food dishes live in storage cubbies. Pet waste bags are dispensed from a side mount in the cargo hold, and a storage drawer for leashes and treats. There’s a canine first-aid kit and a slide-away loading ramp, and a removable pet partition to keep the pups from leaping into the back seat. If you have smaller dogs, you can use a hammock that drapes from the front to rear headrests. A 10-gallon water tank with a shower hose, supplemented by a hot air blower makes vehicle-side pet clean-up possible, keeping the dirt and grime outside of the Rogue Dogue. All-in-all, it’s a clever dog-friendly conversion.
Subaru gets a lot of press for its dog-friendly attitude – and had the best series of canine commercials ever. Honda produced a dog-friendly edition of the Element for a few years, with special fabric, rubber floor mats and other accessories aimed at pet owners. Dogs are part of our lives, and auto manufacturers have taken notice.
As cool as the Rogue Dogue is, it’s not big enough for a road trip with my two big test dogs, so we borrowed a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder for the journey. To prepare for the trip, I got together a few accessories to assure that my dogs would be safe and comfortable.
The most important safeguard when traveling with dogs, beyond making sure that they’re healthy and properly vaccinated, is to make sure that they’re wearing secure collars with identification tags. If one of your pets should happen to escape or wander away while you’re at a rest stop, for instance, you can greatly increase the odds of recovery if they are wearing collars and tags. People are much more likely to see a dog with a collar and tag as a lost pet, rather than as a dangerous stray, and will be kinder to your lost animal. Be sure to include your pet’s name, your name, cell phone number and email address on a tag. I always remove my test dogs’ leashes when they load up in a vehicle, but I never take off their collars. The leashes could get tangled (or might get chewed on); but the collars and tags are essential safety equipment.
In an ideal world, all dogs would be restrained during car trips. This is important not only for the dogs, but for the driver and other human passengers. Not all dogs are as well-behaved as my test crew, and a barking dog can easily become a distraction for the driver. A big dog like Chet can block a driver’s view if it stands during the trip, and a small dog can get in the way of the foot controls or even affect steering. A variety of harnesses and seat belt attachments are available, taking advantage of the safety equipment that’s already in the vehicle. Pets can be confined crates or travel bags. I use a pet barrier that blocks the space between the second row and the roof of the vehicle. It is secured with a pressure fit between the cargo floor and the roof and is strapped to the second row with web mesh belts. I use this as a failsafe – my test dogs have learned not to jump into the seats (they’re good boys). The barrier is designed to keep the dogs from being thrown forward in the event of an accident. We don’t like to think about it, but an unsecured big dog could cause a lot of damage to the driver or passengers in a collision. Additionally, if we’re in an accident and I am incapacitated, first responders might need to enter the vehicle to provide assistance, and the dogs might try to prevent that. A restrained dog is a safe dog.
I always take a close look at the cargo area before I let my dogs in for ride. They’re going to be back there for a while, and even the best-behaved dogs can get bored and look for something to chew on (or eat). I make sure to remove any spare car care items, like snow brushes and ice scrapers, and store them along with extra fluids or chemicals, in the back seat away from curious, bored mouths and paws. I then take a look at the cargo load floor and the gap between the floor and back seat to see if there are any crevices that could capture a paw. The Pathfinder’s load floor was nice and flat, so I just protected it with a packing blanket, and added a pair of familiar memory-foam dog beds for additional comfort.
I bring bottled water and a drinking bowl for my dogs, and I bring treats and enough of their regular dog food to last for the duration of our trip. I keep this in a food safe – I use the Gamma2 Vittles Vault – in the back seat, away from the dogs. I also store any necessary canine medication, along with a small canine first aid kit, in the food safe.
My dogs aren’t big on toys. I have tried and tried to get Chet and Truman to learn to love playing fetch – to absolutely no results. It’s one of my big regrets, because I love playing fetch with a dog. Mostly, I end up throwing a ball and then going to fetch it myself, much to Chet and Truman’s (and my wife’s) amusement. If your dogs love toys, don’t forget to bring along a few to keep them happy.
Finally, we prepare for the worst – and we bring paper towels, Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Eliminator, garbage bags, pet waste bags and hand sanitizer. Even the best trained, best behaved test dogs have their off days.
Now that the Pathfinder is canine-ready, we’re ready to roll.
Everything about traveling with dogs is different than traveling canine-free.
When my wife and I take a road trip, we keep our plans very loose. We look at the general route and when we need to arrive at our destination, and we feel free to take detours or to push hard to get where we’re going with minimal stops. Dogs don’t like to travel that way. When the test dogs are along, we spend more time route planning before we depart. We try to break up the trip into shorter legs, planning our stops around the dogs’ natural rhythms and routines. We use the Internet to search for dog parks along the way; we’ve tried a few iPhone apps like the free Paw Parks and BringFido and the $1.99 Dog Park Finder Plus and plot a route that gives us the opportunity to let the dogs get some exercise during our journey. On the morning of our departure, we take the dogs for a long walk before loading up, making sure that we’ve burned off some energy (and achieved proper elimination).
And, we’re off. The dogs settle in quickly, curling up on their familiar dog beds and falling asleep as soon as we hit the Interstate. I keep my eyes on the road but can’t help sneaking a peek in the rear-view mirror when I sense that a head has popped up. The dogs are sensitive to sounds and smells, and when they detect something new and interesting, they look around to try to figure out where it came from. Threat, or not a threat? Usually not a threat, so the heads disappear from my mirror again.
Every 100 miles or so, we stop to stretch our legs, or to explore one of our pre-determined stops. I’m careful to get the dogs’ leashes attached before I let them exit the tailgate. I’ve brought a collapsible ramp along for Truman, but after a few tries, we both realize that it’s just easier to lift him in and out of the Pathfinder. His dignity is bruised, but he’s safe and sound. Chet has no problem jumping up into the SUV, and delights in doing so. We make regular stops and provide water and exercise at each one. Our drive to Virginia and back (500 miles from our home in Michigan) is uneventful and fun.
The dogs have been great company, and they were thrilled to be with us. The 2018 Nissan Pathfinder turns out to have been a great choice for the trip, with a safe, comfortable cargo area that was perfectly sized for my test dogs. Thanks to Nissan for the vehicle loan, and thanks to Chet and Truman for the test ride.
