Car and dog question

So this summer I am looking at getting a dog and the dogs I have found I like are a bit bigger like 60-100lbs. I doubt my Civic coupe will be big enough for the dog. Should I try to find a wagon or four door?

Haha this is the first time I've heard a what car with a dog in mind

But seriously, with a dog that large a wagon would be my suggestion.

Wagons for awesomeness. And dogs.

The 4Runner was our what car for the dog answer. It replaced a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which also did a decent job.

The problem with both is that some of the dogs aren't so good at making the jump. The 4Runner gives our pudgy black lab a hard time. Our beagle used to have trouble with the Jeep.

Some friends have a late Civic 4 door that they use for one or two 60lb-ish dogs. They have an inexpensive pet guard. That setup even brings the dogs back and forth to the dog park and dog pond.

The nice thing about wagons and minivans are the low floors.

If you can get a wagon with a roll-down rear window, your dogs will love you. It's my wife's favorite feature for dog hauling, mostly because they like to stick their noses out.

Yeah I am not getting a SUV as my daily.

I have a four door and a two door. Gertrude is fine with either one, but she is smaller at 40 lbs

Our two are 13 and 18 pounds. I could probably carry the little one on my bike.

When they're in the car, though, they each wear one of these: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755199 For one, it keeps them from trying to help me drive.

93EXCivic wrote: So this summer I am looking at getting a dog and the dogs I have found I like are a bit bigger like 60-100lbs. I doubt my Civic coupe will be big enough for the dog. Should I try to find a wagon or four door?

As an additional thought, do you own or rent?
If rent, a large dog can really hamper you ability to find desirable housing since most quality rental locations do not allow large dogs.

jrw1621 wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: So this summer I am looking at getting a dog and the dogs I have found I like are a bit bigger like 60-100lbs. I doubt my Civic coupe will be big enough for the dog. Should I try to find a wagon or four door?

As an additional thought, do you own or rent? If rent, a large dog can really hamper you ability to find desirable housing since most quality rental locations do not allow large dogs.

Rent a house. Any idea what kinda limit places put on size?

An Impreza wagon will be a little short for a greyhound, which actually has it's benefits.

That said, I don't buy that a 60-100lb dog won't fit into a Civic coupe made in the past decade. Will it be fun? No. But totally doable.

I also think a 60-100 pounder should be fine in a civic. Back seats are made for dogs.

My Basset is only about 40 pounds, but he would have ample room in a Civic.

David S. Wallens wrote: Our two are 13 and 18 pounds. I could probably carry the little one on my bike. When they're in the car, though, they each wear one of these: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755199 For one, it keeps them from trying to help me drive.

I've got one of those too. It seems dorky at first but then you realize your dog isn't all up in your business while you drive AND it keeps them safe in an crash. My dog (and my seats) like how it keeps him from sliding around.

Shooting brake.

I don't see why one dog couldn't fit in a Civic coupe. The ingress/egress would be the only issue.

Until last month we had 3 dogs, all in the 40-50 lb range. Two could ride in the back seat of any car easily. We can stick 3 in the hatch of the Forester with the seat up and dog guard in place. It's a little snug, but they can actually all lay down if they want. The issue we had with most of the wagons we looked at was the heavily sloping rear windows that cut out a lot of dog head/movement room. Vertical liftgates are best.

If you're only getting one dog, four doors and a rear seat should be adequate.

93EXCivic wrote:

jrw1621 wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: So this summer I am looking at getting a dog and the dogs I have found I like are a bit bigger like 60-100lbs. I doubt my Civic coupe will be big enough for the dog. Should I try to find a wagon or four door?

As an additional thought, do you own or rent? If rent, a large dog can really hamper you ability to find desirable housing since most quality rental locations do not allow large dogs.

Rent a house. Any idea what kinda limit places put on size?

Start by calling your own landlord or reading your current lease.
From there, place a couple of hypothetical calls to some For Rent listings.
I have had two dogs at all times for the past 15 yrs and i know how much harder they can be on carpet, wood floors and woodwork.

My niece is married to a military officer. In their most recent move to AZ they almost had to resort to getting rid of their beloved Great Dane since they could find nowhere that would allow a dog of that size.
A co-worker has a Spud's McKenzie like bull dog, very friendly, but typically listed as a dangerous breed. She is having trouble finding a rental in a better neighborhood.
These cases are not about price, they are not wanted at many places at any price.

Often, places that allow dogs will allow cats but the dogs need to be cat-like in size, like under 20lbs and even they you will pay more in monthly rent for a under 20lb dog. At 60-100lbs, they just don't want you.

I think for the price a minivan would do a job and you can haul a lot of stuff in it. It might not be as cool as a wagon but you will be invisible in it and minivans are easy to get into and out of.

My experience in renting is that when they have a size limit, it's usually a dog NO BIGGER than a Cocker Spaniel. Otherwise, it's an either/ or kind of situation. Either we will allow pets or we will not allow pets.

When I had my house up for rent, I allowed dogs but no cats. When I first went looking for a house to buy one of the houses I looked at the seller had 2 cats. I only saw one, but it SMELLED like she had a half dozen...and that smell is hard to ignore/remove.

Were I a landlord, I'd certainly allow dogs rather than cats. Pretty much any damage done by a dog can be repaired. The worst thing I've seen them do is eat woodwork, and trim isn't that difficult to replace.

But that cat smell is all but permanent. No thanks.

Our dogs ride around regularly in the back of my accent hatchback. 30 and 80 pounds, respectively.

Anything to keep them from helping you drive is a bonus. I have a Blue Heeler mix that would ride on my shoulders in the car if I let her ride with me.

benzbaron wrote: I think for the price a minivan would do a job and you can haul a lot of stuff in it. It might not be as cool as a wagon but you will be invisible in it and minivans are easy to get into and out of.

I am not driving a minivan.