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What are the Best Vehicles for The Family Dog?
Dog lovers know that many of man's furry best friends like going for car rides almost as much as walks, but recent research takes it a step further.

ABC's Good Morning America veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and syndicated columnist and PetConnection.com blogger Gina Spadafori recently pointed to studies that show consideration for the family dog often plays a large role in car-shopping decisions.

"Surveys show about half of all car-buyers consider the comfort of the family dog when buying a new car — and 65 percent take their pets on errands," explained Becker.

But is there a vehicle better than the most for taking along Fido? According to DogCars.com, it's the Honda Element, which the named as the DogCar of the Year for 2007, an award created by Becker and Spadafori.

"We're glad to see car-makers address the comfort and safety of our dogs on the road because people don't want to leave their pets — or should we say ‘four-legged family members' — behind," Becker continued. "More than a quarter even sometimes take their pets to work."

The Web site also awarded the Suzuki Forenza as the Best DogCars Value, and lauded cars-to-watch honors to the Scion xB, Volvo XC70, Dodge Grand Caravan and Buick Enclave.

Additionally, executives honored top DogCars in categories such as luxury, midsize and small SUVs, sports, truck, minivan and compact cars.

According to the site, some of the criteria used to generate "paw ratings" were the following:

—Easily removed or folding seats.

—Cargo space.

—Maximized space by using wide, square backs with minimal sloping.

—Door and window locks.

—All-wheel or four-wheel drive.

The site noted that the Element's "versatile cargo space, easy-clean flooring, crate-friendly rear design and optional all-wheel drive" make it ideal for dogs.

Other winners are as follows:

—Best Luxury SUV: Land Rover Range Rover.

—Best Midsized: SUV: Volkswagen Touareg and Volvo XC90 (Tie).

—Best Small-Sized SUV: Mitsubishi Outlander.

—Best Sports DogCar: Mazda Speed3.

—Best Pickup Truck: Ford F-150.

—Best Minivan: Dodge Grand Caravan.

—Best Hatchback: Honda Fit Sport.
What are the Best Vehicles for The Family Dog?



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DaHarderDaHarder - 12/12/2007 3:25:46 PM
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A former Airman of mine just bought a Chrysler PT GT, and constantly comments on how versatile and useful it is for transporting his dogs in.

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Agent008Agent008 - 12/12/2007 3:42:49 PMView My AgentSpace
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I have a 7-year old chocolate lab - she loves riding in the back of my S4 Avant.

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c36amgc36amg - 12/12/2007 4:26:00 PMView My AgentSpace
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bmw was made for this... so here you are bmw you found your niche market...;)

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pacotacololpacotacolol - 12/12/2007 5:00:30 PMView My AgentSpace
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in the 80's i had a AMC pacer. the best pet-mover ever. now i have a bmw x5. i use that to move the pets around. my s-class has never seen a pet, and never will

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ShredmoShredmo - 12/12/2007 5:24:36 PM
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After riding in the car with me, my dog loves to hop out, then immediately run over to the grass and vomit. My wife now does this on occasion too. I attribute this to my awesome driving.

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ShredmoShredmo - 12/13/2007 12:55:10 PM
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OK, the above was intended to be a joke...

The best vehicle I have had for transporting my dog (Standard Poodle) was my '99 4x4 Ranger ext. cab. The rear doors opened to allow easy access to the cab. The dog had a nice, flat area to lay down, or sit and do what she does. The rear area was big enough for her to move around, yet small enough to hold her in place, if the vehicle maneuvered in a manner she was not expecting.

I took her across the country several times in this vehicle. Once, after a 1600 mile stint, she got out, stretched and I asked her if she wanted to go for a car ride. She responded with an enthusiastic bark, the wag of her tail and proceded to run over to the truck. It has gotta be a good dog car if she was willing to get back in.




lexusis350lexusis350 - 12/12/2007 6:04:14 PM
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Dogs don't belong in cars so none of these are really doing it for me.

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lexusis350lexusis350 - 12/13/2007 12:09:09 AM
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I don't know why you're deboosting me. If dogs were meant to be in cars, they could build and drive them themselves.


S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 12/12/2007 10:19:28 PMView My AgentSpace
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My poodle finds ways to put the windows down when he's in the car with me, and sticks his head out, loving the wind.

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