I had been using the really good dog harnesses for dog safety in the element. But I make one to two trips per day with my dogs as I do dog training and competition obedience. Moving them, crates and dealing with taking harnesses on and off and buckled was a lot.

But I am fanatical about safety for the dogs. So I had a custom dog box built. Small enough so that they would be safe in accident, big enough for comfort. Removable. Needed to be very strong--typical wire crates can fall apart in bad accidents. And needed to go a bit away from side of element and out of the crumple zone in back.

Turned out great. It is a 32 x 36 and about 15 inches high aluminum dog box. It straps in with ratchet straps hooked to the car seat holds and goes immediately behind the front seats where the back seats would be if they were not out of the element. Sliding doors allow access with the very short jump up through the suicide side doors. I also had installed a door that opens toward the back so that I could load through back if I wanted, if trapped in a parking space, or in case of accident on side of element.

They love it--go right in and settle right down. I love he convience. I am now going to try to attach pictures. If others are interested I can give more info etc.

Very clever!

those pictures are tiny can you reload them ?

Ok--I think I understand now how to upload bigger pictures--try these pictures. I am sure this company can duplicate their design--let me know if anyone is interested.

I have had a request in a private email for the info on who made the custom dog box/crate for the element that I posted pictures of earlier. I decided to post that info here on the full thread in case anyone else is interested. Any company that makes dog boxes (usually a hunting thing for pickups--I have found out being a non-hunter myself). But if you have them make it with open air all around . . . However, this company has one already designed for the element. See company information below.

Key features of the dog box they made me:

--36x32x25 high--perfect size for two labs---enough to lie comfortably, not enough for rambunctiousness, and pretty close in if thrown in an accident
--fits right behind front seats, six inches out from each side of element and out of the crumple zone in back.
--strong aluminum--assuming it is much less likely to break, bend, poke than standard metal crates
--sliding doors--door on side would not work if it had to open out.
--open air all the way around with a rubber mat inside for dogs and on top so that if you want to set things up there with no slide--there is a bit of a lip around the top too so that things don't slide off, or the mat can be remove leaving the top open aluminum grid too.
--access via suicide door on drivers side so that the jump up for dogs is minimal
--addtional access through a door in back so that you can get out if can't open suicide door
--fasteners down very securely with ratchet straps using the seat hooks underneath and on the sides
--both back seats do have to be out
--doors lock

The company could also make one smaller if you have small dogs or only one dog. Could make it larger but then you start getting in the crumple zone in back or near the sides of the element and safety I figure would be worse.

Wolverine Coach
56100 S Main St.
Mattawan, MI 49071
269-668-3794
www.wolverinecoach.com
email: wolverinecoach@aol.com
Ask for Greg Brinnger

Thanks for the info!

Thank you - this looks excellent for safety. I currently always travel with mine crated and the crates strapped in - but this looks like a wonderful option. I can't quite visualize how the attachment is with the ratchet straps, even with the slightly bigger pictures, to know if it would work as well with a small dog(s) in a proportionatey smaller apparatus. Also - do the seats need to be OUT or would just 'up' do?

Tess

I guess it would depend on how small your dog and thus dog crate would be. If you avatar picture is the dog that you have, I suspect you could have the seats just up. Either the crate would be far enough from the sides or short enough height wise that it would probably work. You also could probably have regular doors. I might advise going to a local place that makes dog boxes and seeing what they can do for you. The key is strong quality aluminum products.

In fact, I had hope to have the seats in and up and wanted something that if the seats were to fall down in accident the crate would hold up. Mine would (though it turned out to get the size I needed for two labs, I can't have the seats up in mine).

The best parts safety is my thinking is that the crate is very strong and that is is centered behind the front seats and that is stabilized.

In terms of strapping in--I suspect with a smaller crate all you would need would be to use the hooks on the floor that the back seats go into and you would wrap the straps all the way around. Again, the folks at the dog box making company helped me figure that out. Hope this helps.

so you would, or would not have to take the seats out for if you had the crate for just one lab?

It would depend on the size crate you got. You do want smaller for car than for home to encourage laying and being still and to minimize the amount of distance to hitting the sides of the crate in an accident. A 36 x18 crate might fit in place of one seat. You almost certainly could have the seats up and one crate in if you made it even 36 x20. Not sure how narrow it is to have on floor between back and front seats with seats in. I'd pull a measuring tape and measure in different configs--I spent a whole weekend doing that when I was considering order a custom crate/box.