Dog owners are traveling more with their pets than ever before. In order to travel safely with your dog, you need a travel crate that will keep your pup secure while riding in a vehicle. Having a collapsible travel crate, like this option from PetSafe, also allows you to easily bring it with you into hotels, camp sites or while visiting family or friends.
While riding in a motor vehicle, a crate will keep your pet contained in the rear of the car. He won't have free range of the vehicle to distract you, injure passengers or become a dangerous projectile in the event of an accident.
When you're out of the car, a travel crate provides a safe place for your pet to feel comfortable in a new environment. It is also a snug, warm place for Fido to sleep when on the go.
Portable soft dog crates, like this one from PetSafe, are a better choice for travel than hard-sided crates. They are made from flexible fabrics, which makes them lighter and easier to carry, but they're not suitable for all dogs.
Soft sided crates are well-suited for most dogs that are well-trained. However, if your pup is not crate trained yet, or likes to chew and scratch on things, a soft dog crate is not a good choice. Another problem with soft crates is when a dog hasn't been potty trained, or if they have incontinence issues. Soft crates are harder to clean because the fabric will absorb urine.
PetSafe Happy Ride Collapsible Travel Crate
This foldable, portable crate holds pets weighing up to 60 pounds. As you can see, my 40-pound Beagle fits in the crate nicely with plenty of room to spare. She is very comfortable in the crate and enjoys riding in it.
The pop-up aluminum frame is lightweight, yet durable. I like that the crate is narrow and fits on just one seat. That means there is still room in the backseat for another passenger or two. This is especially important if, like me, you have dogs and children in your family.
There is a headrest strap to secure the crate, as well as a strap to thread a seatbelt through to keep the crate stationary while your vehicle is in motion. The crate will fit in most full size vehicles, but probably won't be suitable for compact cars. It measures 27″ L x 19″ W x 28″ H when expanded.
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In the photo above you can see the simple locking mechanisms on the frame. With the push of a button, the bars fold in half and then you just push them straight to lock them into place when it's time to setup the crate.
There are 2 doors (one of either side of the crate) for easy access to your pet from the driver's or passenger's side of the vehicle. The mesh zippered windows allow plenty of ventilation and full visibility for your dog.
I mentioned that soft sided crates can be harder to clean that hard crates. While this is true, PetSafe has done everything they can to make this crate as easy to clean as possible. There is a removable, washable fleece liner on the bottom of the crate. The outer shell of the crate is also waterproof and machine washable.
This means that if your pet has an accident inside the crate, it won't leak out onto your vehicle's upholstery.
The convenient leather strap on the back of the crate makes for easy carrying. Based on the quality of the crate, the versatile design and ease of use, I would definitely say that this product is a good value for the money. It retails for $169.95 on Amazon right now.
While that is quite expensive and won't fit into everyone's budget, the price is actually less than or equal to most similar crates on the market. Hard sided crates are typically much more expensive, and cheaper soft sided crates are made with less features and poor quality materials.
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