# Dogs travelling in cars - in the boot?



## Little P (Jun 10, 2014)

I've always wondered about safe car travel with dogs.

I have a fair sized car and a small sized dog, so I have plenty of options. I've always crated my dog in the car - if ever there's an accident, the last thing anyone needs is my people-un-friendly dog A. running around the road or B. preventing emergency services getting into the car.

Currently he travels in his crate in the boot (used to be the back seat but then that crate required another use, and the replacement crate was slightly bigger and got put in the boot).

Yesterday I came across this Facebook page about dogs travelling in the boot of cars https://www.facebook.com/groups/137402649618284/?ref=ts&fref=ts Theres a photo of a car having been hit from behind and the boot has been obliterated. It's something I'd been aware of, hence my decision to have his crate on the back seat, but it's something I have since forgotten. I travel up and down the M5 with my dog in the car so chances are, if there is an impact, it will be a high speed rear impact. I'll be rearranging the car (aka mobile dog kennel!) today while I'm off work and trying to fit his larger crate on the back seat again I think!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Mine usually go in the boot, for short distances if all four, or spread out between boot and seats if a longer distance. I'd only worry if something bigger than me was involved in a collision, a car is most likely gonna crumple on my tow bar. I'd more worry about breaking down, after the reports of one breakdown company who refused to attend someone transporting their dogs to/from a show. No idea why they wouldn't attend, but it meant the poor woman and her dogs were stranded, and I can't remember if there was even an accident resulting from them being left stranded on the hard shoulder.


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

I've got dog car seats with harnesses. If there was an accident one converts to a carry box with lid. It means I'd only have to focus on one dog by the side of the road. My other dog is small, but the box is only big enough for my 4kg Yorkie to fit in.


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## lilythepink (Jul 24, 2013)

I always travel my dogs in the boot. None are unfriendly but you don't know how they would react if they were scared or hurt after a crash.

I was involved in a crash 5 years ago. My husband was driving a discovery along the main road when someone came from a junction at speed and crashed into the nearside of our car. Their car was a VW Passat. It pushed our car onto the other side of the road into oncoming traffic but thankfully drivers coming towards us could stop in time. We had to be cut out of our car and all 4 wheels were smashed in half from the impact.

That day there was no dog in the boot but ever since then I have always put a dog in a custom made crate in the boot just in case.

If I have a car where this isn't possible....dog doesn't travel in that car.


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## MollySmith (May 7, 2012)

Molly is on the back seat with her harness and a seat belt lead attached to it. We do have a transk9 crate but she is still too scared to go into the boot inside it. My grandparents had a car run into the back of theirs and one of their 4 dogs went missing and was killed a few days later because they were not secure.


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## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> I'd more worry about breaking down, after the reports of one breakdown company who refused to attend someone transporting their dogs to/from a show. No idea why they wouldn't attend, but it meant the poor woman and her dogs were stranded, and I can't remember if there was even an accident resulting from them being left stranded on the hard shoulder.


Sometime ago we broke down about 700 kilometers from home. We had road side assistance cover with immediate vehicle replacement if the car couldn't be repaired at the road side. Well on this occasion it couldn't. Hitting unmarked roadworks at speed in the dead of night, the removal of the road surface and a drop of bout 20 cms snapped one of the struts on the Forester and the car went lame. The rear end sat tight on top of the road wheel.

(Road crews here often have a nasty habit of tearing up sections of roads without erecting any warning signs at all.):angry:

Anyways, we got into an argument with the company we were covered by because they were to provide us with a compact/sub-compact vehicle so that we could continue on our way. 
However when we informed them we were carrying two very large dogs and required something much bigger the voice at the other end of the phone told us _'Dogs are not allowed to travel in any of our hire cars. It is strictly forbidden' _
Of course the old argument of 'Well how do we bloody well get home?' went on and on and on and on until they conceded and sent a recovery truck complete with a large 4x4 some many hours later.

Before the vehicles were sent out we had to give our full assurance the dogs would not harm their driver.

Apparently some companies will refuse to attend broken down vehicles if dogs are on site. Something to do with staff being at risk of potentially dangerous animals.:sad:


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## lozzibear (Feb 5, 2010)

Mine are always in the boot. 

I have an estate so it has a large boot for them. They are happy and comfortable in the there so I weigh up the risks and are happy for them to be in there. Of course there will always be risk of a crash but, unfortunately, I can't plan for every eventuality. So I weigh up risks. 

My sister has a car with seven seats, two which are in the boot. My mum also had a similar car when I was younger. My sister will have my niece and nephew in the back seats so I see no difference between that and the dogs in the boot in regards to someone hitting the boot.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Zaros said:


> Sometime ago we broke down about 700 kilometers from home. We had road side assistance cover with immediate vehicle replacement if the car couldn't be repaired at the road side. Well on this occasion it couldn't. Hitting unmarked roadworks at speed in the dead of night, the removal of the road surface and a drop of bout 20 cms snapped one of the struts on the Forester and the car went lame. The rear end sat tight on top of the road wheel.
> 
> (Road crews here often have a nasty habit of tearing up sections of roads without erecting any warning signs at all.):angry:
> 
> ...


That would be my fear; anyone who ventures into my car generally gets licked to death, in fact you don't need to be in it, Tau has managed to face wash people when I've stopped to ask directions entering events before! She's pretty gentle with her face washes though, and they're usually appreciated


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## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> That would be my fear; anyone who ventures into my car generally gets licked to death, in fact you don't need to be in it, Tau has managed to face wash people when I've stopped to ask directions entering events before! She's pretty gentle with her face washes though, and they're usually appreciated


I wish I could say the same. But to be truthful anyone approaching the car unexpectedly will get a stern warning to clear off!
And it doesn't matter if you're a police officer conducting road side breath tests either. 

However and strangely enough, a couple of years back when we were involved in a head on, some moron in a large van overtaking a drawbar unit in blizzard like conditions, both Zara and Oscar behaved in an exemplary manner allowing the the attending fire crews to prise open the tailgate to get them out. 
It seemed as though they understood perfectly why they were there.

A little later on when the chaos of the moment had died away Oscar, a little on the timid side, point blank refused to shelter from the blizzard in the back of a Police van which amused the officers concerned and so I had to wander back and forth along a bleak and very cold country road until a replacement car was finally delivered.:001_rolleyes:


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## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

My dogs always travel in the boot. I have 2 up, 2 down cages which cost me alot of money to buy and fit into a car bought specifically with a boot big enough so there is no way the dogs arent being put in them.

A crash could damage any part of the car, nowhere is 100% safe.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> Mine usually go in the boot, for short distances if all four, or spread out between boot and seats if a longer distance. I'd only worry if something bigger than me was involved in a collision, a car is most likely gonna crumple on my tow bar. I'd more worry about breaking down, after the reports of one breakdown company who refused to attend someone transporting their dogs to/from a show. No idea why they wouldn't attend, but it meant the poor woman and her dogs were stranded, and I can't remember if there was even an accident resulting from them being left stranded on the hard shoulder.


There was; Nottinghamshire I think, and her vehicle was wrecked and I think 1 dog killed.


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## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

Is this maybe the hard shoulder accident?

Three dogs were killed and a woman was left with a broken leg after a crash on the M40 | Daily Mail Online


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

When I had my I10 (tiny car!), I had the back seats down so it was like a mini-estate & Maisie travelled in there.

However, she wasn't really happy as she'd always been in a boot before - and it was a PITA sometimes as I really didn't have anywhere to keep the 'essential items' (or junk!) that you tend to have in your car.


I've recently changed to an I20 (about the size of a new Corsa) and the boot was a big influence on my decision.

She goes in there quite happily - and actually travels much better as she's snug and secure and doesn't move about as much as when she had the whole back of the I10.

Yes there's the risk of getting rear ended - but there's risk however you transport them tbh so you do what you can to minimise the risks and keep them safe - and enjoy going out & about with them


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## Helbo (Sep 15, 2010)

My hatchback boot is just big enough to fit a dog bed and Charlie just lies down and I often hear him snoring. We wouldn't fit a cage in there but even if we could, I'm not sure I would. If a car can crumple my boot, it has a good chance of crumpling a dog cage too - even those special ones you can get. 

There's no 100% safe way to travel in a car with a dog.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Leanne77 said:


> Is this maybe the hard shoulder accident?
> 
> Three dogs were killed and a woman was left with a broken leg after a crash on the M40 | Daily Mail Online


The breakdown company did NOT refuse to attend this incident, as it was a large motorhome it required a specialist vehicle to remove it from the hard shoulder and thus the one that was originally despatched was not suitable.

Breakdown companies such as the AA and RAC etc sub contract a lot of their work out and oher factors such as the traffic also contributed to the delay

The reason for the dogs being killed was that they remained in the vehicle as did the driver and passengers, something that one should NEVER do.

The lorry driver involved in this incident has recently been sentenced.

As usual people never let an opinion get in the way of facts. 

The hard shoulder is the most dangerous place to be on a motorway which is why motorists are advised never to remain in their car and why anyone who has any sense will always keep waterproofs and a hi viz in the car in the event of you having to linger on the motorway too long.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Little P said:


> I've always wondered about safe car travel with dogs.
> 
> I have a fair sized car and a small sized dog, so I have plenty of options. I've always crated my dog in the car - if ever there's an accident, the last thing anyone needs is my people-un-friendly dog A. running around the road or B. preventing emergency services getting into the car.
> 
> ...


I travel all over the UK with my dogs in the car and cover about 30 - 40 k miles per year on average.

Nothing in life is risk free, even putting the crate on the back seat will not necessarily protect either the dog or the driver/passenger unless it is secured properly as in child car seats etc.

I currently have a Galaxy and the dog cage occupies the area of the third row of seats and when I had an estate and a saloon they occupied the boot/luggage area.

A crate protects the dog from being hurled through the air and injuring or killing passengers, drivers.

It prevents escape through the windows and running off, being run over by another car, or causing another RTA.

Obviously in very severe incidents this may not always be the case, but I know what I will opt for every time.

Not the rear seats and not a seat belt or no mechanism for safe restraint.


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## stuaz (Sep 22, 2012)

Mine go in the boot. it's safer for them that way.

I have also broken down a number of times (don't ask!) and as its a company car I have breakdown cover and on the times I have broken down with the dogs the driver has never minded. When they could fix it then the dogs went in the cabin if the car was being towed, one time it was a flat. We truck so they stayed in the car.

I second the hard shoulder comments by smokeybear. It's a very dangerous place and when I have broken down on the motorway with the dogs we all get out and go stand on the verge.


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

The following was posted some time ago in a similar thread.

Center for Pet Safety, The Science of Pet Safety, Pet Product Testing, Crash Testing, Scientific TestingCenter for Pet Safety | Science of Pet Safety

It's American but the same "lack of industry oversight" exists as far as I know across the EU.

Unfortunately in German but

[youtube_browser]fZaQJfHwEN8[/youtube_browser]​


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## Little P (Jun 10, 2014)

lozzibear said:


> Mine are always in the boot.
> 
> I have an estate so it has a large boot for them. They are happy and comfortable in the there so I weigh up the risks and are happy for them to be in there. Of course there will always be risk of a crash but, unfortunately, I can't plan for every eventuality. So I weigh up risks.
> 
> My sister has a car with seven seats, two which are in the boot. My mum also had a similar car when I was younger. My sister will have my niece and nephew in the back seats so I see no difference between that and the dogs in the boot in regards to someone hitting the boot.


From my limited understanding, it's about crumple zones. You usually don't have seats for passengers in the crumple zones. Estates I think would probably be ok structurally with their longer wheelbase.

Interestingly, this the Euro NCAP crash test for my car. I can't find panty rear impact tests other than focussing on the driver for whiplash, but I'd be happy with my dog in a crate on the back seat (it used to sit in the middle seat with a fixed seatbelt attachment clipped into each side seatbelt clip. My dog at 7kg isn't heavy enough to activate a seatbelt locking mechanism) Euro NCAP Media | Ford Focus


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## Moobli (Feb 20, 2012)

I have a Toyota Hilux Pick-up truck and my dogs either travel loose in the back (under a canopy) or if I am just taking one they sit on the back seat. I really must look into some sort of seatbelt/harness affair to make travel safer.


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## kare (Sep 8, 2014)

My car is a land rover so most cars would hit barely higher than the tow bar. Brought this car when buying the newest one. Had been having dogs on the back seat of the SAAB convertable until then



Little P said:


> Interestingly, this the Euro NCAP crash test for my car. I can't find panty rear impact tests other than focussing on the driver for whiplash


I would be fascinated to see a panty rear impact test!


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## Immynjoesmum (Dec 28, 2014)

Interesting reading....I thought boot but this has changed my mind....wondering if she'll go between the children on the back seat with a harness when she's older


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## 2Hounds (Jun 24, 2009)

Our car cage covers the boot & rear seat area, its a sturdy cage designed for that purpose. The car does come with extra seats in boot as optional so would imagine the back isn't designed as a crumple zone. We did rule out one car that had row airbags for the 6/7seat passengers as couldn't turn them off & know your supposed to do that if dog travels in front seat. 
For us the dogs accidentally escaping when door is opened has always been a high risk (lots of tempting cats round here) so before cage used car harness even though I doubted they'd save the dogs (or us) in a crash as they weren't crash tested in any way.

Do your seats fold flat enough to strap cage down in the rear seat area?


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## Fluffster (Aug 26, 2013)

crash tested car crates

This is the safety page for our crate, it has some interesting stuff about rear-end collisions on it that might be of general interest.


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## Little P (Jun 10, 2014)

Fluffster said:


> crash tested car crates
> 
> This is the safety page for our crate, it has some interesting stuff about rear-end collisions on it that might be of general interest.


I'd best start saving!


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## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

Dillon travels on the back seat with his seat belt on.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Personally, I would like to have one of those tailgate grills fitted to our big car, but OH doesn't like the idea as they would restrict loading etc. I can see his point as we use that car to take garden rubbish to the tip, tend to do one big journey rather then several little ones. I doubt we could get the big sacks in the car. I don't know how easy they are to remove and fit back in.
I could get a custom made crate, again don't know how easy they are to remove. Does anyone know?


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Siskin said:


> Personally, I would like to have one of those tailgate grills fitted to our big car, but OH doesn't like the idea as they would restrict loading etc. I can see his point as we use that car to take garden rubbish to the tip, tend to do one big journey rather then several little ones. I doubt we could get the big sacks in the car. I don't know how easy they are to remove and fit back in.
> I could get a custom made crate, again don't know how easy they are to remove. Does anyone know?


I have a bespoke crate for my car and it is simple to slide out, I currently have a Lintran but have had Barjo and Barnesbrook.

I have also had tail gate guards and dog gate guards, both are simple to remove but slightly more time consuming as you have to unscrew the bolts/wingnuts.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Never ever in the boot. Boot is a crumple zone. I once saw my exact car with the boot obliterated on the side of the M25. Never again will my dogs go in the boot.

Both are harnessed in on the back seats. If, for example, at any point I have kids and dogs, they won't all go out at the same time if it means dogs in the boot (the only exception would be if I had crash tested crates, but I've yet to have a car big enough to fit proper ones).


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

lozzibear said:


> Mine are always in the boot.
> 
> I have an estate so it has a large boot for them. They are happy and comfortable in the there so I weigh up the risks and are happy for them to be in there. Of course there will always be risk of a crash but, unfortunately, I can't plan for every eventuality. So I weigh up risks.
> 
> My sister has a car with seven seats, two which are in the boot. My mum also had a similar car when I was younger. *My sister will have my niece and nephew in the back seats so I see no difference between that and the dogs in the boot in regards to someone hitting the boot.*


I wouldn't put anyone in those kinds of seats






https://motoren.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/putting-your-kids-in-the-back-row-seats-of-an-mpv/


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

smokeybear said:


> I have a bespoke crate for my car and it is simple to slide out, I currently have a Lintran but have had Barjo and Barnesbrook.
> 
> I have also had tail gate guards and dog gate guards, both are simple to remove but slightly more time consuming as you have to unscrew the bolts/wingnuts.


I've just bought a second hand tailgate guard, and once the fittings are in place, it removes very easily.


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