Misty Houdini

dannimac · Old Hand

Misty Houdini

Ambers Mo

I don't have any suggestion for the harness situation, but if Misty was off her food it might be an idea to try Dene's Gastric Tablets, which you can buy in pets at home. They certainly helped Amber get over very bad car sickness.

Joyce

tootsmazza · Enlightened One

Nice to know Mason's not the only Houdini, its extraordinary how smart groos can be when they want to

I bought a bizarre hammock thing from Kleeneze for dogs in the backseat which may work. Basically it tied to the front seat heads and gave some protection. Unfortunately it wasn't built for Mason's 34kg and frayed quickly but a lighter dog might find it suitable.
I admit I'm a bad owner and let Mason lie in the back, espically since he has puke every time I had him in the boot, he just lies down on the backseat and I fret about an accident through each journey! But to be fair I haven't had one in 20 years so what are the odds??
Marie

hugahound · Master

It's hard to know what is best. The harness is good if you had to an emergency stop but what about a proper accident. Aren't they just trapped then? I'm one of there folk that aren't even happy with a dog guard. I just feel if I had a serious accident I wouldn't want the dogs to be trapped in any way. There is also the thing that if they aren't confined they could bolt if in an accident. I think it depends on the dog. A friend used to stuff duvets in the gaps at the back seat (where your legs would go) so if she ever had to make a sudden stop the dog wouldn't fall off the seat. I've done this with Lenny whenever he had to ride on the back seat. Gives more room too.

dannimac · Old Hand

I know - it's totally devil and the deep blue sea. I worry that she would run off if untethered and also might really hurt herself or us in an accident (I read somewhere recently about the impact of an untethered dog) but there seems to me no point in putting her through the harassment of the harness if she can just wangle her way out of it anyway.

Ho hum - might try the hammock thing you're talking about, Marie - saw one like that recently - it would mean she at least couldn't fall in to the footwell.

If anyone has found any fab harnesses that they can't Houdini out of and still allow an element of back seat roaming, I'd be very interested to know, even if it's years from now!

Joyce, I'm definitely going to try those tablets - thanks for the tip.

D

tootsmazza · Enlightened One

I do the stuffing of duvets etc into the footwells as well particularly after a recent vet visit when poor Mason was struggling on three legs and got himself scissor-trapped after slidiing down and had to be dragged/cajoled out, on his way to the vet.
Early on he ended up in the footwell a couple of times but he quickly learned - mum driving, lie down flat!
Marie

Michelle · Master

We're the same, normally we try and take Jet to places in my mum's nissan micra which has a nice jet sized bit behind the seats but when mum's taxi servce isn't available we have to try and get him to lie down on the back seat of the Audi, which he is learning to do but he has a nasty habit of standing up on the seat at the worst times.

When we were moving we had to take him in the transit van we had hired and there was no room in the back so he had to stand in the front where we were sitting. It was a short journey so we thought, ok it's a bit uncomfy but not too bad. Jet thought otherwise though and proceeded (fortunately only one street away from our new house) to try and jump up onto the seat and sit on my knee. Jet is a very big dog and doesn't fit on my knee, when he figured this out he then stood on the seat, with his hind legs on my legs and his bum squished up against my face. Really nice. Thank god we arrived almost as soon as he did that!

-- Edited by Michelle at 15:56, 2008-05-14