What Car Does Your Dog Drive?

Ok, dogs might never drive cars, but car manufacturers do now  understand that dog lovers do think about their dogs' needs when deciding which car to buy.

One of the best examples of this is the recently announced 2009 Honda Element with optional Pet Friendly Features. The US built Honda Element will soon be available with canine specific enhancements to make it one of the most dog friendly vehicles available, according to a recent announcement by Honda Motor Co at the New York International Auto Show.

Scheduled for release to the market this Fall (Autumn), the Honda Element's optional features for car travel with dogs will include:

• a cushioned pet bed in the cargo area with an elevated platform;
• second row and cargo area pet restraint systems;
• an extendable cargo area load-in ramp;
• a 12V DC rear ventilation fan;
• second-row seat covers with a dog pattern design (matches the bed fabric);
• all-season rubber floor mats with a toy bone pattern;
• a spill-resistant water bowl; and
• Dog Friendly exterior emblems.

With 39 percent of all US households owning at least one dog, no one doubts that there is a growing market for these sort of dog specific features in cars, but I hope no one tells my Spaniels that Honda's purpose designed "Dog Friendly Equipment" will accommodate the transportation of dogs in the second-row passenger seats (as well as in the cargo area). I already have enough trouble getting my "girls" in the back. If they know there is an option to ride up front, I'm in real trouble! On the other hand, the rear loading ramp will be a great help for smaller spaniels and all other little dogs that have trouble getting in to the cargo bay of most SUVs.



It is good to see car manufacturers building in features which makes car travel with dogs safer and easier.  For full specifications and more pictures and photos of the Honda Element you can read the  Honda press release about the 2009 Honda Element and its Dog Friendly features .


I'm not sure the Dog Friendly Exterior Emblems would convince me to buy the car, but I love the load-in ramp and the rear ventilation fan and of course, dog restraint systems are a must for anyone traveling with dogs in the car.  The idea of a  "spill-resistant water bowl' is interesting, but I would like to see it in action before I pass judgment on how useful that is.

Dog reunited with owners after four months lost at sea

Owner Jan Griffith said her family were devastated when their cattle dog, Sophie Tucker, fell off the side of their boat in choppy waters off the Mackay coast in north Queensland in late November. A fortnight ago she was reunited with Griffith family thus completing a touching and wonderful tale about strong bond between man and his best friend.

The dog swam five nautical miles to St Bees Island, where she survived until last week by hunting baby goats.

She was returned to her family after rangers captured what they believed was a wild dog.

Ms Griffith said  was informed by their friends that a dog was captured in that island feeding on goat carcasses could be Sophie.

The couple met the rangers' boat as it ferried the dog back to the mainland and were blown away to find Sophie Tucker on board.
"We called the dog and she started whimpering and banging the cage and they let her out and she just about flattened us,'' Ms Griffith said on a televised interview.

"She wriggled around like a mad thing.'' and added
"She gave each of us a slurp on cheek and has slotted back into life with us like you would not believe."
But even more unbelievable was hearing how their domesticated "inside'' dog had survived, she said.
"She had looked really poor (on the island), the story was, and then all of a sudden she started to look good and it was when the rangers had found baby goat carcases so she'd started eating baby goats,'' she said.
"We think she'd swum close to five nautical miles from the boat where she went in and then some people believe she went backwards and forwards from Keswick to St Bees.''

The dog's survival story has even animal experts scratching their heads. Australian veterinarian Vicki Lomax told the Brisbane Times that Sophie's is a hardy breed, but virtually no dog would have been likely to survive what she went through.

"Cattle dogs are probably the most suited type of dog to survive something like this, but it would have been a major ordeal for her," Lomax said. "Five nautical miles is an incredibly big distance for any type of dog ... she is lucky she wasn't taken by a shark."

Ms Griffith said their pet had been quick to embrace her now easier existence - complete with air conditioning while enjoying her delicious mince and biscuits.