Travelling with your Dog safely in a Pickup Truck

From short trips to long excursions, there are many reasons for you to want to take your pets with you in your vehicle. Whether you’re visiting the vets, taking them out for a walk or going off on your holidays, it’s a simple fact of life that as responsible owners sometimes just leaving the dog at home is not a feasible option. Though taking your pets out in the car can be perfectly safe, it is important to prepare your vehicle and plan your journey accordingly to keep you and your pet secure while out on the road. Our dog crates for cars are designed specifically for this purpose and are a great way to safely and comfortably allow your pets to travel with you.

The first major point to consider is whether your dog is comfortable in the car in the first place, as nervous animals can cause quite a distraction, making even mundane drives potentially hazardous. Its important to think about properly restraining them in case they start to fuss or panic, as the distraction this causes would have the potential to impact your driving. All dogs should be restrained if the car is in motion just as humans should for the safety of all.

This is an especially important point to consider from a legal point of view, as Rule 57 of the Highway Code states clearly that dogs and other animals need to be securely restrained during travel. If the safety of your driving is impacted by your pet being uncomfortable or unrestrained in the car, you could be considered to be driving without due care and attention so it’s vital you take steps to stay on the right side of the law. After all, if you’re already concerned about taking your pet out on a car journey, the last thing you want is to be pulled over and cited for not driving safely.

Secondly, what kind of car or truck are you using and where is your pet going to sit? While it can be tempting to have them ride up front, this can cause the kind of distractions we discussed earlier and you’ll have less room to comfortably house them. If this is your only option it is recommended you secure them gently with a seat belt and move the passenger seat back as far as possible to allow enough personal space. It’s also important to disable the airbag for the seat they are in as if it deploys it could cause a huge amount of panic and alarm for your pet.

While it can also be very tempting to open a window and let them poke their head out, this has the potential to cause serious accidents and should be avoided at all costs. To make up for the closed windows consider putting on the air conditioning and keeping some water in the car to help keep them comfortable and cool, or alternatively simply open the windows enough to let the air in without them being able to get their head through. 

If you’re driving a truck, do not for any reason drive with your pet in the truck bed. Doing so could cause any number of problems not just limited to them jumping out - consider the effect on other drivers, or what might happen if you need to make an emergency stop. Even more than this, some drivers have taken to leashing their dogs in the bed of a truck and this could have even more disastrous effects if the animal is thrown from the truck bed. Don’t forget that a truck bed open to the elements might be even more dangerous when wet. If you are a truck owner and you would like to transport your dogs safely, we urge you to take a look at our range of robust, safe and comfortable dog boxes.

So what makes our dog boxes so great? We have designed them for ease of use, maximum pet comfort and unbeatable safety. The last thing we want is for any dog to be in a cold, miserable metal wire cage for any length of journey, so we have tried to pack our boxes with enough features to ensure a comfortable ride no matter the circumstances. 

Packed with Great features to keep your dog comfortable and Safe.

• Made from tough durable 6 mm polypropylene plastic, a prefect materiel due to its anti shatter properties.  
• The lockable stainless steel doors offer security and durability, and are rigid enough to ensure that they will only open when you want them to, so you never need to worry about any escape attempts.
• Removable door covers will shield your pets from the wind and rain as well as any other traffic, helping keep comfort at a maximum and panic at a minimum. Rain covers will protect further preventing any unwanted moisture and damp creeping in.
• Securing your box in place is simple and flexible thanks to the heavy duty coated steel tie points, so all you’ll need is to secure it - perfect for any truck bed.
• Cleaning is as simple as emptying your box and hosing it down thanks to the two handy draining plugs, and the sealed bottom ensures that there are no leaks unless you choose to drain it.
• What's more, each box comes with it’s own storage tray so you’ll always have the essentials close to hand. 

More than the sum of its parts though, the bottom line is our boxes work. For all of the reasons discussed above, travelling with your pet brings a number of important challenges that you need to meet to maintain the safety not just of your dog, but of the highway as a whole. While you can work around housing a dog inside the car, it requires constant oversight and vigilance and even then has the potential to cause you major problems if they begin to fuss and panic. Keeping your pet safe and secure in a robust, comfortable Dog Transport Box is the ideal way of making sure that not only they are comfortable and insulated, but that you can make the trip without concern or worry. 

Check out this video Reviewing all of its great features.