Cargo space and largish dogs

Hi, all--

Today was the lucky day that my '91 Corolla went to the Big Junkyard in the Sky, which means we can now get the car we've been wanting--a Prius! Our only concern is that we do a lot with our dog, an 80-lb. Labrador who loves to swim and get muddy and generally makes a mess. Those of you with larger dogs, do they seem to fit comfortably in the cargo area? And have you found good ways to keep the interior clean? I would hate to see our new car go the way of our old one (which was ratty, to put it mildly).

The Honda Element seems to offer some more options for cargo and dogs (and the ability to hose down the interior is a nice touch!), but I'm having a moral quandary because it's not available as a hybrid. Plus the Prius is so much prettier.

I did some searching on this, but many of the dog-related threads I found seemed to be about smaller dogs, so I wanted to try to narrow it down. I apologize if this has been discussed to death before.

Thanks for any advice!

Nathan

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(theoconbrio @ Aug 7 2007, 11:52 PM) [snapback]492222[/snapback]</div>

My big black Lab(87 lbs), Jacks, puts out mass quanties of hair so I have a few sheets that I put in the area where she will be sitting. The sheets are queen size that I use specifially for hauling around my Jacks(short for jacklyn). She is a big dog but I have never put her in the cargo hold. Hummmm. Lets try that....
OK. She fit in the back cargo area. It is quite a large step for her and I had to pick her up and put her in there. She willingly jumped out on her own. It would probably be better if you removed the toneau(sp) cover so she could at least poke her head into the seat area. I would also recommend placing some of that green filter media(Airconditioning filters for homes) over the vent in the back seat area to prevent dog hair from getting into the traction battery compartment/ cooling fan area. Hope this helps.

Being concerned about dog hair in the cargo area including the sides I searched for a cargo cover that would cover with the rear seats down. I purchased the Duragear Waterproof SUV Van Pet Dog Cargo Liner 57X72 on ebay ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250116653855 ) .

With the rear seats down and the tonneau cover removed the cover fits almost perfect. It has velcro that attaches to the sides (approx 1" short of the plastic) so the entire cargo area is protectged from the reat hatch to over the top of the rear seats folded down. The cover when in place goes up both sides to protect the entrie area.

The cover is removed easily and folded into the hidden compartment. We have used the cover for a couple months now and it has worked great keeping the cargo area pet hair free.
Hope this helps.............

We have a 70 pound German Shepherd. She is quite comfortable in the cargo area with the back seats up. Although she can't completely stand up, she has enough freedom to shift around and change positions easily. We've had her there for four hour trips, no problem. Also, she's eight and not as spry as she used to be, but she can jump in and out without touching the bumper.

As far as keeping it clean, a blanket over the floor of the cargo area seems to be all we need, but only because she doesn't shed that much. We may invest in one of the Sigma cargo mats someday, since she does love to swim, but for now, we're just drying her off before she gets in.

My friends use Wet Okole seat covers and a dog tarp in the back seat of their Prius when they haul their four dogs. They are smaller and older than your Lab. I use my truck for my 80+ pound Lab. I can't imagine the damage she would do to the Prius. :lol:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 8 2007, 10:06 AM) [snapback]492330[/snapback]</div>

I have not used it without the floor/cover installed, but I'm sure it would work fine. I have the leather package so I wanted to be sure the back of the rear seats would be protected. The cover goes from the rear hatch to covering the rear seats (folded down) head rests. It covers both sides leaving less than one inch at the top where the carpet meets the plastic. It's almost custom made for the prius.....

Hope it helps.............

Koa

Very nice pic and your dog looks like are female Mocha, we also have a 100 lbs male named Harley. I really like the carrier on the back of your truck and if we ever purchase a pick-up we will ensure we have one of these for our pets' safety.

I do not allow my dogs in my Prius, they travel in my wife's Highlander. No need to laugh because I clean both vehicles. Pet hair in your vehicle is something you accept if you truly are a dog lover, mind you it does drive me crazy at times.

Cheers Mike

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CdnPrius06 @ Aug 8 2007, 06:45 AM) [snapback]492450[/snapback]</div>

Thanks. I got the idea from the pig hunters who carry their dogs in welded up cages instead of PVC. The tailgate becomes the door. Now all I have to do is stop her from jumping up on the side of the truck to get in. PVC might also work as a barrier between the cargo area and back seat. When Molly was smaller she rode inside my old truck which is why I built the cage.

Koa

Thanks for the reply, here is Mocha when she was six months old, Harley 4 years old and I. We live in the balmy area of Winnipeg Manitoba which is a lot like Hawaii LOL. We are located north of Minnesota and North Dakotaif you were not sure.

I have been to Hawaii on numerous business trips and it is truly breathtaking and majestic. I intend to take my wife there one of these days in the near future.

Cheers Mike

Koa

Thanks for the reply, here is Mocha when she was six months old, Harley 4 years old and I. We live in the balmy area of Winnipeg Manitoba which is a lot like Hawaii LOL. We are located north of Minnesota and North Dakotaif you were not sure.

I have been to Hawaii on numerous business trips and it is truly breathtaking and majestic. I intend to take my wife there one of these days in the near future.

Cheers Mike

Koa

Thanks for the reply, here is Mocha when she was six months old, Harley 4 years old and I. We live in the balmy area of Winnipeg Manitoba which is a lot like Hawaii LOL. We are located north of Minnesota and North Dakota if you were not sure.

I have been to Hawaii on numerous business trips and it is truly breathtaking and majestic. I intend to take my wife there one of these days in the near future.

Cheers Mike

Thanks for the replies! It looks like several of you have made it work with no problems. The height issue should not be a problem, since I don't want him standing up anyway (the environment will be more like a crate, I guess).

Thanks also for the links to covers, which might be a good option.

Just transported a reluctant Basset Hound in mine! We normally use the Camry Estate but that had a flat battery ( wife left the interior light on) and the Aygo was too small! He fitted fine but obviously needed lifting in! (and out!)

We have the best of both worlds. The Prius for me and a 2007 Element for my wife. The Element is one of the best haulers we have ever had. Remove the rear seats and it has better space then my old Nissan Armada.

I am looking for a similar product but one that is a bit more durable. I need to put a Magliner cart in the back with the seats down. So the product noted above may not be rugged enough for me to roll in and out a heavy duty equipment cart.

Ideally it would be like one of these types of cargo liners, only it would need to somehow cover the rear of the back seats.

Thanks for the help.

i'm dragging this thread back to life now for a couple of friends of mine.

so my best friend and her hubby have a pit bull and an american bulldog. big, happy, goofy, rowdy dogs. well trained. they also have a hummer h3 to transport them, which is handing their asses to them with gas prices as they are. once their lease is up, they're looking for a different car and my friend's hubby was very interested in what the prius looked like with the seats down- if the dogs would fit.

anyone have 2 dogs that big and fit them both in the back with the seats down? i'd love to tell them others have done it!

we carry an 80lb greyhound in the back easily. He did bump his head when he turned around the first few times but learned to lower a bit and is now fine.

I have a 70 pound black griffondore (griffon/labrador mix) and a 50 pound black mix (looks like a black coyote) and they ride in the back seat. We tried with the back seat folded down, but they had too much room and started rolling around play-fighting. They get along better in the smaller space. I have a canvas drop cloth over the upholstery to keep the seat clean.

When I searched for pictures of Prius on Flickr, I found these pictures of someone who takes not one, not two, but her 3 greyhounds in the back of her Prius. It looks like she puts down a waterhog rug for them to be on.

Photo 1
Photo 2

A lab should fit in the rear of the Prius. Weather Tec sells a rubber mat for the rear, that should work fine.
Will Fido use a crate? You could always get a crate for the rear area.

I looked at the Element as well, liked the idea of washing it out after a dog day filled with herding.

Floor was a bit uneven with the seats folded up, it would require removal of the seat brackets to get a flat floor for the use of crates.
Ride in the Element was a bit harsher than I wanted to deal with in a "family car."