what the best kind of car if you have big dogs? i quite like the freelander.
Is there one that is just heaven for dog owners?

i own a ford Ka at the moment, not very practical for a big dog lol!

I just love my new Volvo V70, huge amount of space, can fit two good size XB's in with Obi in his cage, though probably not suitable for tall dogs as the height is not too generous...... also have a new shape Primera estate, not as much load space, but can fit all the dogs in, as long as Obi isn't in his cage.... just in process of selling Citroen C3, love the car, really funky, but wasn't the cleverest idea i've ever had! :D

Hiya,

I know its very boring but I have a Volvo V70 for me, all my gear and my two labs. I have a Barjo dog guard, divider and tailgate in it and I LOVE it.  I looked at the Freelander, and thought that , although it would be excellent for tall dogs, I needed more overall depth. My dogs come out with me when I'm instructing at the weekend and they needed a roomy boot to stretch out in!  I know people with the Kangoo van/car and they say that its very good. Oh and the big MPV's are great too, with the third row of seats taken out.

If I ever had enough money or lost my kids, I would have a properly fitted out dog van, oh well,I can dream.....
Ali :)

We just went out today and bought a Toyota Hi Lux.....for our little scottie puppy......lol!!

But if you want a nice big car with plenty of boot space for big dogs....then they're worth a look at.

And all I have to do now is convince the OH that we need a lab to fill it ;-)

Just got a Renault Kangoo car - Excellent! Can fit two Maremmas comfortably in the boot part - have a Hamster basket cage which can fill the whole back with the seats down to take up to 4 dogs (more if small!) or can be reduced in size to go behind the back seats for 2.

We love it - excellent visibility, economical (diesel), high roof means the dogs have lots of head room - lots of room. And relatively cheap (compared to Volvos and 4WD anyway!)

Janet

I have noticed a lot of people driving the van car versions like the Renault Kangoo, Peugeot Partner and Citroedn Berlingo.  You have the height which is handy for tall dogs, and als9o gives you storage if you get cages built in.  You basically have a vanif you fold the back seats.

Skoda Skoda Skoda :D  We've got the Octavia Estate and can fit two big dogs in and there's room for another (yipee!)  Ours is the 1.9Tdi and the fuel economy is great.  Our previous car was a Volvo, but we're alright now ;)  (Sorry Volvo drivers, I loved my Volvo to the point of nearly crying when I handed it back, but the Skoda is much, much better!)  Can't recommend it highly enough :D

Lesley

Our four dals travel in the back of a VW Passat estate, without the rear seat having to be folded down.
:)

Brilliant!  The Octavia is a Passat in sheep's clothing so maybe room for TWO more; even more yipees :D

Lesley

Agree with the Skoda Octavia,1.9 TDI,  lots of room for two dogs and kids, very, very economical (at least 53mpg) and still running at 321,000 miles.

We have just got a ford mondao estate.  fits all 4 dogs in the boot comfortably and space for one more!!!!  also pleanty of space to take the 4 of us to shows aswell which is great!  Its Dads car and he loves driving it so thats a bonus aswell.

If I was you, go round and look at all the cars, see which one has the largest boot space, plus height if needed and then decide!

Rox

You should also consider how easy it is for the dog to jump into the back - an estate with no boot lip and a low floor is ideal.

When I was looking for my last vehicle I had in mind my dogs as much as myself.  I went from a Toyota Hi-ace to a Nissan X-Trail.  This has a large boot area with a decent height.  The boot area and back of the back seat are hard plastic so very easy to clean.  Because it is just me and the dogs most of the time I tend to have the back seats down with a double cage in the boot and I can get another couple of dogs in the back seat area (I could also, if I wished have another double cage designed and put in there.

There is also large sun roof and a power outlet in the boot for powering either a fan to the crate or, as I more often use it for, a travelling fridge.  Has anyone tried these - they are like large coolboxes and brilliant for keeping dogs (and my) water chilled.

One thing I did in my van, and now in the car is to have black film put over the windows (obtainable from Halfords but only do this on a day that is not windy if doing outside - the reason will become obvious when you start :D).  This keeps the car much cooler.

We have a Mondeo Estate 2 litre Diesel and it carries our two male Mals in comfort :) Even room for a crate in the back with seats down when no. 3 comes along :D

Air conditioned to keep the dogs comfortable and a Guardsman cage in the boot so that we can leave the tailgate open at rallies and shows...

Nothing wrong with Volvo's.  My hubby works for a volvo dealership and if I could afford one I would love to have the XC90.  Unfortunately have to be content with my Merc Vito or the Vauxhall Cav for the time being.  Only have a couple of staffies who love to curl up in the footwells in the back to sleep.

Mine is a vauxall astra (no not estate either) and it's a right squash getting 2 adults 1 child and a great dane in i can tell ya!
I saw a bedford rascal van for £600 the other week to buy as a second car but hubby said no way he's not driving a sooty van :rolleyes: his is a vw golf which is even smaller!
I NEED a van!!

We have a Nissan Almeria Tina (mpv), which is great for getting our 2 american bulldogs in the back. They have a massive boot, so our 2 are perfectly comfy in there, and we also have the back seats spare too.
The back seats also all come out if you are needing extra room.
Dally

thanks for all the replies, seeing as ill be getting a rather large dog (newfie) im going to have to be particular, it would have to be tall enough so dog could sit/stand comfortably, and enough room to lie down!
and of course, nice looking!

Im going to have to look at some cars at weekend, i really like the freelander, just not sure how newf friendly the back would be! lol

I have 3 newfie, 2 Tibetan Mastiff's, & another one in the next 6 months and 2 dogue de bordeaux. so we have a Mercede's 308 van just getting the cages fitted, as we have a vauxhall midi van, but we have grown out of that, Newfoundlands and vans make sence we also have a Granada scorpio I can get 2 dogs in that but not much good if I am takeing more than that to a show. newfies need lots of space we looked at the Pergeot 806 they have lots of room and the seats come out for extra if any 2 people

We all seem to want to give our dogs as much room as possible when they are in the car but is this really a good idea.  In a compact cage if we stop suddenly they can't go far, if they have a large cage or the whole of the boot then they could travel a few feet on impact, enough to cause a severe injury.

Does anyone else use those "thinggys" about a foot long that you can hold the boot open with but no one can get in?  I bought one last year and they are brilliant - also got my local blacksmith to make me some of different lengths.  You need a barrier to stop your dog getting out as there is room for them to get out but it seems to be a safe way of leaving the back open.

Hi,

I use the Ventlocks, have a long one and a short (about 6 inches) one - I have a tailgate guard, and they're great.

I've just got the new Honda Accord Tourer .... HUUUUUUGE boot :D

M.