He looks pretty happy in there! How did the ride go?

 

Ohh... He hasn't road back there in the cage yet. I was just getting him a little warmed up. I just wanted to check the space and figure out to relocate the cage door. I put his bed in there and a few of his toys just to make him feel a little comfortable with the idea but he didn't complain. He is attached to his bed so I don't think I'll have issues with that.

Before that My wife and I took him to the park to do a little leash training and on the ride there he was all over the place. He even jumped on my lap for a while then back to the wife, then back on the 2nd row, then back to me and my wife. He is still small so i can still keep control of the Ex but a few weeks from now that can be a serious issue. He also slides all over the leather when I turn or stop. It was a short ride there so it was ok, but on the way back I put him in the back. He managed to wiggle his self under the seats and get back to the front by the time we got home though. I was more concerned if he gets under the brake pedal.

He was all worked up on the way to the park but when we got there all he wanted to do was sleep.
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Wow he is such a good looking pit... also, you may want to consider returning that crate for a double door version which has a second door on the side so that solves your door problem. Looks like it is a 42 or 48" crate and I know that double doors come in that size.

 

The crate is about 2-3 years old. I got it free from a neighbor some a few years back when his dog died of cancer. It's gonna have to do for now. But the the double doors in the rear would be nice. Knowing me Im gonna end up picking up a welder at the pawn shop and relocate the door. I been wanting to get a welder for some time now and will come in handy for a roof rack project. I got inspired by a member on here who made one and it came out really nice. Im gonna need the roof rack by this summer's vacation to Disney. He'll be fine for a few more weeks. Thanks for the complement.

 

Was that the rack that got made out of conduit? That thing did come out awesome. Also I hate how you all are in shorts and t shirts at this time of year...

 

Yea the weather is really nice and you can even go to the pool. Im still blasting my home ac at 65-70

 

1) GREAT looking pup!
2) When Simba gets full size, those pet dividers will be useless. IMO they should be outlawed.
3. Remove the tray in the crate and get some 2" metal strips from the bulk metal section of Home Depot or Lowes and fasten the crate down to the 4 tie down points in the back. May need to get longer bolts, so take one off and into the store with you, that crate is collapsible and in a rollover or head-on it will fly.

I wish I'd have taken pics of the windshield of a minivan accident where the German Shepard came through the divider and made a 2nd spider in the windshield. The driver was lucky he died or the guys would have killed him for what he did to that pup.

For any kind of true "divider" they can't just depend on "pressure" against the roof. The roof liner is fabric and a type of lightweight board...even if it feels tight, the weight of a full size dog at 20 or more MPH hitting it and it will fail - either the roof liner or the divider.

They either need to be bolted/welded to the roof or reinforced and bolted to the floor. Check out the professional K9 barriers for PD units. You will see ALL are bolted to the car/truck. You can use them to get ideas on how to make one and for a case of beer or two I bet you could find someone close who would weld it up for you. I believe you could fashion one to bolt to the existing tie downs to maybe even the rear seat bolt points.

 

I was thinking of making one and also have it act as a roll bar in case of an accident. I saw a k9 suv that had a really nice one that can be removed if needed. it had a mount the was hoisted to the floor and made no contact with the all not the liner. It had a curved top frame about 3 inches thick. Something like this but more visibility and thicker frame.

 

Exactly the kind I'm talking about...glad you already had a sturdy one in mind!

 

Yeah, I used to have a press in one and it works good for keeping the dogs where you want when you are parked or driving, but I was in a minor fender bender and it got knocked out of place. Plus on the excursion there is space between the headliner and the roof so it will leave two big dimples in the headliner.

 

Yup, just not worth it to lose your pup, you know?!

 

You are correct, that's why you also use a restraint and harness together with the barrier, that barrier is designed as a deterrent to jumping over the back seat only, not a safety screen. Anything you put in the rear cargo area needs to be safely secured in the event of a collision.

I believe one of the articles in the other barrier site quoted that a 60lb dog in a 40 MPH accident turns into 1000 lb dog if unsecured.

 

Now if people would just read the warnings on those barriers! They see the 1/2" tubing and think "that's beefy enough, I don't need the harness with THAT!"

 

Good point. I usually have about 200 pounds of tools in the rear. Sometimes with the kids in the car. My cargo area is about to go through some asap safety mods. The though of us rolling over and those tools flying around the car is actually scarier then the actual rollover. Looks like I'll be buying me a mig welder sooner then I anticipated. I've seen those nets that catch stuff from the rear but I rather all metal tubing. Im gonna need something I can remove also in case I need to haul stuff. Im adding this to the top of the priority list.

 

If you make it so it attaches to a reinforced point (rear seat bolts on the 2nd row, third row mount points or the 4 tie down bolts in the rear) it should have plenty of strength in an accident.