When shopping for a car is it important to you that your new car be the right vehicle for your dog? If
so, you may want to check out DogCars.com. Research shows that more families have pets than have children. Almost every week DogCars.com get a wagon, crossover, truck minivan, SUV or other dog-friendly vehicle to drive, poke around in and write about from a dog-lover's point of view.
They review cars from each end of the financial spectrum...from the Suzuki Forenza ($16,000) to the Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged ($72,000) . I found some of the reviews helpful and thoughtful when it came to the needs of dogs and dog owners.
The review of the Acura MDX stated that: It is smooth and powerful, utilizing every bit of its 300 horsepower, V-6 engine to provide plenty of bite without much bark. However, for dog transporting purposes...
...the MDX gets lower marks because the second row seats don't fold down completely flat -- an absolute must for dog cars.
Persephone's parents drive a Honda Element and my father in law absolutely loves this car and has told
me on more than one occasion that "the dogs love the car...it is perfect for them"...Lets see how the Honda Element holds up in the eyes of DogCars.com...
I flipped up the seats, put down the old bedspreads to protect the vehicle and put in a dog bed, followed by McKenzie, the day’s test dog. And off we went.
I immediately noticed a great and surely accidental dog-friendly feature on the Element: Windows that are resistant to nose prints. The windows are placed high on the vehicle — so high that you can’t comfortably rest your arm on the driver’s side window sill — and for a dog resting on the floor of the Element it’s tough to put nose prints on the window. Since I have to wash the nose prints off the windows, I immediately decided this was a spectacular feature. And although I didn’t get much enjoyment from it, McKenzie sure liked the removable moonroof over the cargo area.
My only quibble is a minor one: The cup holders are on the floor, between the two front seats. That meant if McKenzie decided to, she could help herself to my latte when I wasn’t looking. Personally, I’d rather have cup holders swing out from the dash, since I don’t like sharing my coffee with the four-leggers.
The coffee cup placement...mmm...that may explain why my in-laws Westies always have "dirty faces"...Overall I find DogCars.com a fun and informative website that could be of great assistance to dog owners in the market for a new car. In addition to their straight forward and practical reviews of vehicles they also have a blog which covers topics from the dog friendly vehicle that celebrity Charlize Theron drives to the dangers of traveling with your dogs in Winter.
I've got to find a job where Land Rover just "gives" me their cars to drive for a week...






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