ISO Dog Crate for Vehicle.. Help! Ideas? - Page 1

Hi! In search of a dog crate for my 2014 Ford Focus Hatchback.. I already have a crate on the seats but need one for the trunk so I can safely transport 2 dogs.

Looking for a relatively inexpensive (under $500) crate.. Open to options! Door must open up, slide, or be several inches above the bottom of the crate because of the lip on the back of the car. Must not be longer than 36" L to R.

Help and suggestions are VERY much appreciated! Thanks :)

 

A picture of the trunk space.

Something like this would be perfect but this crate is in the UK and all the places I checked that had it do not ship to the US.

You're going to have to build a "platform" that will sit under the crates, out of a sheet of plywood. Then you can get either a large side door crate or two smaller side by side crates (2 dogs, right?)

Anything else will be too expensive, or more than your price range..

A handy guy with cool tools, and a small investment from home depot, and the platform is cheap.
I used to store stuff under the platform.. its not too hard to make.

 

 

How tall do the crates have to be? Can you build a platform so that the doors to the crate can be flush with the lip of the trunk so they open?
Look up RTK crates.

Just as an aside ... why the f... don't the makers/agents for those
slant sided crates (of which I'm pretty sure there's more than one
brand) want to send them Stateside ? This IS 2016, isn't it ?Would
it be so difficult ?

This place may ship to the US
http://www.swellpets.co.uk/delivery-information.html

Probably because the wire type crates all fail crash test 100%. They are as worthless as using a fabric crate for travel.
How big are your dogs?
Most good, safe and crash tested kennels are not going to easily fit a tiny car like a ford focus.
When i was searching for a car to transport my dog in i chose the crates first and found a car to fit them. But not everyone has the opportunity to do that.
I chose Ruff Tough Kennels, because they are better then airline crates, bolt together and can be bolted into the SUV i purchased.
Look for the sturdiest heavy plastic kennels you can find.
My two kennels and the hardwear for them were $500 and change. And i purchased the larger size.

You might try shopping around on Craigs list, or E-bay
Good luck
Fry

Thanks so much, all! These suggestions are super helpful!!

Fry, there is more than one reason to use a car crate, whether
a wire one or a soft crate. Plastic crates do not really differ.
They may not resist the impact of a full scale crushing, eg rolling
the car or driving under the belly of an articulated truck, but they do prevent however many pounds of dog flying into the driver in the
event of sharp braking! A much more frequent type of traffic incident.
As do 'doggie seat belts', another method that could be considered
- except that I have never yet come across one that could really
hold a GSD onto the seat, LOL.

Plus results of testing I've seen over here vary, so your blanket
100% Fail is just plain wrong - some wire crates are stronger than
others. But it is true that the better ones are custom-built into your
vehicle, and thus not cheap !

Hundmutter, when i say "Wire Crates" i do mean the light weight square kennels. Which all fail the basic 30 mph impact from the rear crash test just done in 2015. That's very different from the reinforce steel welded crush resistant type. Although some of those failed badly in crash test also.
As for plastic, i chose RTK because they may deform slightly, but the do not shatter like the thin walled kennels that seem to be sold for shipping dogs these days. (AKA Vari-kennels type) (my chosen kennel did have the door break after impact, but the kennel itself stayed strong.)
Soft sided offer 0% protection. Might as well use nothing, because the fabric crate don't have anything solid to tie them down to.

i've used a seat belt in my pickup truck in the past. But i had a fat headed Am. Bulldog. And it hold her exactly as it was suppose to when we were rear-ended by a distracted driver.

I'm not claiming to be 100% versed in Europen type pet restraints, but i think they person might just be state side.
If you have Ford Focus in the UK i'm truely sorry. :p
Fry

If your willing to budge a bit on your budget TransitK9 makes an excellent product that might suite your needs. Its not uncomon to find used boxes for sale at reduced prices if your willing to wait and search the interweb...

Here is an example of one that might fit your car, carry two dogs and is safe