Ventlock: Keep the Pups Cool

You’ll find on cargodogs that we talk a lot about ventilation, whether it’s location of car windows that open, or fans to circulate air. After all, anyone who travels with their dog has to be concerned about keeping the temperature down in the vehicle when the car is parked and the dogs need to stay behind. Not to worry, we’re responsible dog owners, and we’d never leave our dogs in the car in the sun when the temperatures are toasty. But we’d like to be able to create a safe environment for them to rest and relax when we by necessity have to go places where our dogs aren’t welcome, or confine them during an agility trial for some rest and relaxation.

Unfortunately, it seems like fewer and fewer vehicles are being built with a tailgate window that can be opened separately from the tailgate itself, which limits your options. Your choices are to leave the entire tailgate wide open, which makes the contents, including your dogs vulnerable to theft, or you must close and lock the tailgate, reducing the air flow.

A reasonable fix to this problem is the Ventlock, which is a simple but ingenious little device that allows you to securely lock the tailgate in a partially-open position, which limits access to the contents while still giving your dogs some fresh air. Ventlock, which comes in six lengths from 4" to 24", is a steel rod with a screwed-in hook at one end and a welded loop at the other. When installed, it becomes a solid connector between the two portions of the tailgate locking mechanism, which is then locked using the tailgate lock, leaving you with an open gap to let in fresh air.

Ventlock seems solidly made and is said to fit 99% of vehicle locks, and takes only a few seconds to install or remove. The trick is to make sure you buy one of the correct length that will allow enough air to pass through, but not so long that someone can gain access to the vehicle's interior and/or contents. We've tested the 12" version on our Toyota Sienna, and have found it to be about the right size, leaving about a 12" gap at the bottom, but the correct length may depend on your own vehicle and how much of a gap you wish to have. However, it seems to us that anything wider than about 12" might make it too easy for someone to be able to access the vehicle's contents.

Don’t expect to find a Ventlock at your local pet store. The only place we’ve found them is via mail-order on the Internet. Check Google to an up-to-date list of sources.