Kim recently told you about a new crate called, The Other Door by Pet Gear..  One of our readers bought one, and sent us pictures as well as her comments, which I've included below.  Thanks for sharing, Andrea!

After seeing this crate mentioned on this site, I became very interested in it. I did lots of research and was shocked at the prices. I wound up buying the 27"L x 18"W x 21"H size which is the small. I bought mine from Ebay for $120 (including shipping). This was by far the best price I could find anywhere!! When I first received the crate and started setting it up, I was a little disappointed. For the price, it didn't seem as sturdy at first.

In the process of setting up the crate, I've caused the "garage door" to jump its track about 10 times already. Despite that, I really do like the crate and have already received several comments from other dog people about it. This crate is very convenient since it has four doors to choose from. I love the fact that the crate folds down to four or so inches.

It's not near as heavy as some of the wire crates I've carried, and it has wheels. This past week, I took the flattened crate out of my RAV, set it up, and rolled it across the agility field. Our very-hyper Eskie Cheyenne didn't break out of the crate when she was in it during class, so if this crate can stand up to her "roughness," it should be fine for everyone else's dogs.

The Eskie model , Cheyenne, is almost 16" tall and weighs 30 pounds to help with the scale of things. BTW, when you fold down the crate, there is nothing to keep it together if you pull it. I guess that's why the brown carrier bag is included (which I'm not going to use). So, I bought the red bungee cords and made something work. There are two wheels on the crate. The handle doesn't "pull" out like it does on one of my crates. I found that the top door doesn't help with loading or unloading Cheyenne. However, at last weekend's trial, I unloaded the crate from my RAV, set it up quickly, and then used the top door to "load" things into the crate. I put my agility pack, water, and other things in the crate and then rolled the crate inside. Piece of cake!! Overall, I really like the crate so far.

Andrea and the Bama Eskies

So my mind turned to fuel efficient cars, and I wondered...what are the most fuel efficient minivans?  

First stop for information on mpgs is always fueleconomy.gov.  Ah, they've read my mind with their link to the most and least gas efficient vehicles in several categories. Here's the most fuel efficient trucks, vans and SUVs.  Of course, hybrids lead the pack for the SUVs.  Hmmm, best minivan is the Mazda5.  I saw one of those at the L.A. car show, and they're not exactly a full-size minivan.  I guess you could call it a mini-minivan.  But who am I to quibble with 28 mpg highway?

Okay, on to other search results and the little pieces of information that have floated to the surface.  For example, did you know that Toyota markets a hybrid minivan in Japan, the Toyota Estima?  Hey guys, send a few of those our way!

If you drive the Honda Odyssey EX-L and Touring models, you could be looking at mpgs as high as 20/28.  That's looking pretty good for a full-size minivan!

Ah, according to Consumer Reports, the Toyota Sienna XLE also gets as high as 28 mpg highway, putting it right on par with the Odyssey.  Not bad.

Of course, to save money on fuel you have to spend money on the more expensive models of both the Sienna and the Odyssey. <sigh>  Back to the drawing board.

Do you have a minivan that gets good gas mileage?  Then share the joy, and tell us about it! 

The good news for CarGoDogs readers is that the size has increased a bit.  I've never seriously considered a Forester simply because the old model had so little cargo space.  But the 2009 version is 3 inches longer and about 2 inches wider.  That may not sound like much, but it may allow you to squeeze a crate where you weren't able to squeeze a crate before!

The downside to the Forester is gas mileage.  All models are 4 wheel drive, which doesn't help.  The non-turbo version gets 20/26 mpg and the turbo gets 19/24.  That's not all that much better than a minivan, and though it has more space, it doesn't have THAT much space.

We'll try to take our measuring tapes to this one very soon.

• One small and one medium crate.  As you can see one medium and one small dog crate fits nicely. (Sorry, I just can't seem to stop using that word.)
• Three small crates, maybe more.  You people with small dogs have it so easy. 
  
• Two medium/large crates.  If you had one 36" x 24" crate with a side opening door, it could be situated parallel to the rear hatch, and another 36" x 24" crate could be placed next to it behind the front seats, with the door opening to one of the side doors.  Depending upon the location of the side crate door, you may need a riser because of the rear lip.  (See picture below.)
• Two medium Precision crates.  If your dogs can squeeze into the medium Precision crates (30 L x 19 W x 21 H), you should be able to fit them side by side, facing the rear.  Again, a riser might be required because of the rear lip.

So perhaps you've determined there's enough room in the Fit for you and your dogs.  Is it a car you'd enjoy driving?   Dan Neil, the always witty auto writer for the L.A. Times has nothing but good things to say about the ride, the quality, and the flexibility of the Honda Fit.  It also received Consumer Reports "Recommended" rating.   Keep in mind that though it's well put together, it's not a luxury car.

Because of the small size of the car, potential buyers may have concerns about safety. But with front seatback-mounted side-impact air bags and roof-mounted curtain head-protection air bags, plus the required front air bags you'll be well-padded in case of a crash. It has a 5 star front and side crash rating from the NHTSA.  You might want to know that in order to maximize cargo space, the fuel tank was moved under the front seat.  It doesn't, however, seem to have affected the safety.  Remember, this car has been around a while in Europe and Asia.

Cargo carriers from sellers such as Yakima and Thule would make help make the Fit a viable alternative for longer trips, depending upon the size and number of dogs you travel with, keeping in mind that roof top carriers can affect gas mileage.

Overall, it's quite surprising  how much you can fit into a Fit.  Hmm, maybe it's really NOT a dumb name after all.

Also consider:  Toyota Matrix

Accessories



Sports Dome Tent for Honda Fit

One final note - we provide this information as a service and we hope you find it useful. We cannot, however, be held responsible for the accuracy of the information. If you find errors or if you know the manufacturer has made changes, we welcome your input and will make all necessary modifications to the matrix.

Happy traveling!

In 2007, Ford also unveiled the "Edge," a slightly smaller crossover vehicle.  While the Freestyle exuded a definite conservative feel, the impression of the Edge is that of a classy and attractive vehicle that is "fun to drive," according to Edge owners. As a CUV (crossover utility vehicle), it has the functionality that many families need, in a sporty package. There are only 2 rows of seats, but there is plenty of room for its 5 passenger spaces. The Edge is an inch taller and wider but about 14" shorter than the Freestyle. For those of us needing as much cargo space as possible, this loss of space could mean the difference between fitting 2, 3 or 4 crates in the vehicle.

The Edge rated very well in crash tests. All safety equipment is standard in a solidly built vehicle but with the rear window set high, visibility is somewhat limited. The Edge is also rated very high in consumer reviews, with the occasional comment about poor gas mileage and some lack of braking power. The Edge is based on the Mazda 6 platform, which gives it more of a sedan ride. It is a fairly pricey vehicle with the upgraded models which rival its luxury competition, but there are a lot of pluses with that upgrade. There are controls in the steering wheel, extra cupholders in the rear console, button in cargo area to lower the back seats, dividers and storage in the front console, etc. The technology options include Sirius radio, MP3 and USB jacks. Another great feature is the front passenger seat that folds flat.  Although it is not at the same level as the cargo floor, it could allow space for longer items. And then, of course, there is Ford's standard keypad entry, which can come in VERY handy!  However, with a base price only $1295 more than the Edge, if more cargo space is preferred, one might want to consider the Taurus X, instead. 

As for how well the Edge accommodates dogs, it would be worth checking into slant-front crates to utilize the very back of the cargo area which is angled. In fact, the whole cargo floor slants, but it follows the ceiling line, so the height is fairly consistent. Slant front crates are available through manufacturers such as General Cage, but one must consider that the space might be too small for dogs who normally fit in crates that are 24x36. The clearance between the wheelwells of the Edge is 42", which should fit the special SUV crates. They are available in 21x36 with one or two doors. However, those crates are 26" tall, so your vertical space then becomes limited. Bottom line is that the SUV crates will fit, but they'll need to recess beyond the rear slope which limits what will fit behind the front seats. Slated crates might fit closer to the rear door, but they'd need to be placed ABOVE the wheel wells.  Any arrangement would require very careful planning to be sure your specific crates will fit.  Another thing to consider is that the spare tire is located under the cargo floor, so the crate configuration will need to be removable in the event of a flat tire. For me, that is unfortunately a deal breaker for an otherwise potentially decent dogmobile.

The first is a model called The Other Door by Pet Gear. I've never seen this crate before, so I think it may be a new style. It is relatively expensive for a dog crate, but it seems to have features of many different crates all in one package;  Metal sides with a heavy-duty plastic top and base, rounded corners, FOUR doors with the side door being "garage" style, built-in wheels and a pull handle, and the ability to fold down for easy transport.  This looks to be very cleverly engineered. I'd love to hear from anyone who may have one of these since I'm sort of in need of an extra crate and this one is just calling out to me!  

The second crate is your typical wire crate but with a unique door that folds up into the crate. Not like the "garage" style of The Other Door, but something that folds up.  I think it would probably work really well being placed behind the front seats, where regular crate doors end up hinged on the wrong side or hit the curved parts of the car door opening. This crate is made by J-B Pet and is called a "Premier Series Crate."

I'm actually mid-process of putting together a crate matrix for all the different types of wire crates out there. I'm surprised at how many different styles there are with various wire gauges and spacings, overall size variations, number of doors, etc. Since we at CarGoDogs.com travel with Belgians, our focus tends to go towards the 24x36 sizes, but the crate matrix will be complete with the smallest up to a monster 48" crate!  I'm sure it will be a continually evolving thing, as new styles and sizes are manufactured. As I mentioned on our Belgian list recently, consider that there are a myriad of crates out there that may be different than what you currently own. Finding just the right crates might make your dream car into the perfect dogmobile!  Oh - and I admit, I prefer wire crates, but we plan to eventually put together a crate matrix for plastic crates, too.