My dog Miko loved my old station wagon. It was a Ford Country Squire LTD — a huge island of car with wood paneling, pleather bench seating and lots of windows. Miko would stand on the armrests and stick his head out the open window and “surf” while I drove.
The station wagon I have now (a Hyundai Elantra wagon) is somewhat smaller, but still has plenty of room for Moose and Lally to ride along. Moose often sprawls out on the back seat while Lally hops over the seat into the back of the car and makes a nest among the travel blankets and assorted stuff that resides there.
One big advantage the old wagon had over the new one is the upholstery. It was really easy to brush dog hair off the bench seats — but the hair tends to stick on the softer seats in the new Wonder Wagon. When it comes time for me to go car shopping again, I may stop and think about the upholstery and how easy it will be to clean up pet messes. A certain large brown dog who will remain nameless (but it rhymes with Goose) once stepped in a pile of poop and tracked it into my back seat. That was NOT fun to clean up. And I don’t think I’ll EVER get all the dog hair out of the seats and carpeting.
It seems like the market for cars for pet owners is expanding. Right now, the Honda Element and Volvo wagons and SUVs seem to be pretty popular among dog owners — they have easy access for pets, lots of space for multiple pets or multiple carriers, and more.
A spokesman for Volvo pointed out the importance of restraining your pet in the car. Even at moderate travel speeds, an impact from a medium- or large-sized pet can cause serious injury. That’s one reason why wagons are popular with dog owners — nets and cages can be installed to create a barrier between the cargo area and the back seat.
What’s the right car for you and your pup? Do you like wilderness adventures and off-road travel? Do you want to bring your dog along when running errands? Are you a road tripper? Keep these things in mind when looking for your next dogmobile.
Check out reviews of SUVs, minivans, wagons, and crossovers — written by a dog mom — at www.DogCars.com.