# Modifying your Motorhome for your dogs/cats



## 118111

We have 2 cats, and a german shep and black lab. All 4 are our babies and we normally take them everywhere they LOVE the car and are quite happy sitting there while you shop as they love going with us anywhere.

We will be picking up our aviano 675 which has an ok size garage big enough for them but I need to figure out the best way of us all travelling safely. 

For the cats they are fine loose as they travel in the car that way and find a place to relax and sleep on their own but the dogs could be sliding around unsafely.

I thought airline style crates tied down in the garage, but the hubby points out they don't break down that easy when we get to where we are going so he suggests a metal cage but I am worried those aren't as safe.

We don't want to modify the entire garage as it's the only real storage space we will have so we need it for the pets but also for our stuff.

We also want to make a hatch from the main cabin to the garage like some motorhomes and even though the husband seems to think he can do it I would like to know if anyone can suggest a professional place to have this done.

Thanks!


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## Rapide561

*Hatch*

Hi

A Burstner 747 recently came on site and I noticed it had windows in the garage door. I understand from my enquiries (downright plain noseyness) that this was done at Camper UK near Lincoln. Just a thought if you are to carry dogs in the garage.

As for the hatch, I think you would need to source some wood of an indentical match etc. I do not think the job would be too tricky though. As a side thought, my trap door from the garage t the habitation area is about 1 inch larger all round than the opening. It is also fitted with draught excluders etc.

Russell


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## some-where-in-oxford

How about Dave Newell in Ironbridge/Telford?

If he cannot do it he should know someone that can.

http://www.davenewell.co.uk/index2.html

Tel:01952 587702

Mob:07891 441883


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## patp

We only have one dog but we use a harness and attach it to the lap belt on the forward facing dinette seat. We giver her enough slack to choose her most comfortable position and she is then safe and so are we :lol: 

We saw in Portugal once a motorhome with a garage that had a gate on it so that the dogs could be contained when necessary but have plenty of fresh air when the door was opened. I don't know if they travelled like that though.


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## 117332

I know what you are going through, we have a german sheperd, we have adapted a metal cage to fit on the bottom bunk of our Roller Team 700, he loves it, he is in the M/H with us and its nice and snug in the cold. Good luck.


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## xgx

expanding on Patp's post.... 
Your pets have the potential to become missiles in the event of an accident, if they're travelling in the main hab area they should be secured for their own safety and yours.

...if you plan on taking them abroad apply for a second mortgage now :wink:


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## 107558

Travel Harness on inertia reel seat belt means he can sit and move about comfortably on the chair but is restrained under heavy breaking etc.


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## greenasthegrass

For our two sossies we have tried - dog seatbelts/harnesses but they ended up stangling themselves or the boys in the back, we tried a soft crate but Vicky (girl-dog) chewed the zip off and ended up looking at us stood on the table when we left her for a millisecond. 

We now have a wire crate which folds down flat and inside they have a houge big cushion we took out the solid metal tray at the bottom because of weight and it folds flatish and acts as a dog gate between the cab and hab area. The travel very well in it its wedged between the cab and hab area and can't move because of the size of it - its a bit of a pain getting boys out but they got thinner legs than me and if we cover the dogs up it stops Sweepie howling for most of way. He seems to travel best in the dark for some reason.

It was very much trial and error and costly but got the crate from local garden centre and it couldn't have fit better if we tried with having two long dogs as well they can spread out and lay on their backs like they normally do whilst we travel.

Hope that helps and yes the noisy van going past is usually us!

Greenie & zoo


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## RichardnGill

Our 6st Labrador just curls up and has a kip on the cab floor while we travel. The only time he wakes up is when we stop or some food is on the go.

I know you should have dogs restrained but on the can floor he cant rely go far if we have to stop quick.


Richard...


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## maddie

Ours is the same as Richards but if push came to shove I have one of those holes in the floor to put the table leg in -- about 15 quid-- this could easy be adapted with a bolt / hook in the bottom with which to secure a harness for the dogs.With the bonus that it would not look ugly or a mess !! 
terry


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## maggielou

Hi
I now have a small MH an Autosleepr Dorset. In this I removed the single seat next to the sliding door and replaced it with a metal dog crate bolted to the floor, and it works really well. On site, when the sliding door is open they can get all the fresh air they need.

In my previous van I had a garage and the wire crate for the dogs took up about half the available area. 36"wide X 48" deep X 28" high.

The crate is collasable and measures 36" X 36" X 28" high. The area available for the dogs was 36" wide X 48" deep X 28" high. 

The back panel of the crate could be opened to maximum and then swung onto the top of the cage, thereby allowing the dogs to untilise the additional space behind the crate. This meant that the dogs could also be accessed from the interior garage door.

Following a walk when returning wet or muddy, the dogs were dried and put into their crate via the rear doors of the van. When dry and clean they could be accessed through the interior garage door.

It worked very well indeed. The dog cage including the isulation covers is for sale if it would suit your needs.

Cheers


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## Kelcat

Pushka travels on the rear seat in her running harness - this is attached to a clip into the seat belt - available from most petshops.
When we're stationary she sleeps / lives in the garage - we have a door through & I've adapted the doors to be able to be restricted to 2" open - which still leaves them watertight. Early in the new year we're having a vent put in by Campbells in Preston.


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## parkmoy

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/dog-bag/

We use one of these for our dog. They can be tied down for security and are very strong. Most importantly the dog is quite happy to travel in it.


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## richardjames

We use a folding show crate, strapped down to the fixed bed and up against a wall. We use a folding crate as it is easy to get through the door plus it fits into our KA TOAD.
Richard


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## mgb

We have two small 3yr old Jack Russells and we take a fold flat cage for keeping them out of trouble in the safari room
They have slept is a cage ever since we had them at 8 weeks old with no bother
They used it in our MH for travelling and sleeping but we found that they were not happy with each other at such close quarters when awake
What we do now is to make a deep bed for them on the Ducato cab floor in front of and between the seats so that if we come to a sudden halt they don’t have more than 6 inches to go to the bulkhead and they are restricted as well on the sides. They love it and will sleep there for hours at a time and only wake when we encounter the rumble strips etc
We also felt that keeping them in a cage would turn them into chips under similar circumstances
The dominant dog does like to be a bit Rommelesque by standing on the table on very rare occasions to bark instructions when we enter a campsite
See the attached picture
MGB


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## 118111

Thanks very much for all the great advice. We have just come back from our 1st trip in the new Motorhome and the dogs want to be in between the driver and passenger seat which is a nightmare! so I am going to look into all the possibilities mentioned because they are a hazard when driving and I do think the garage with a window for fresh air and a cage seems a better option.


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## BEEGEE

I find it amazing that in this day and age that people carry animals unrestrained in any vehicle. Just thinking about the Lab on the floor makes me cringe. If you had a front end smash you will possibly be OK with your seatbelts on, BUT, highly likely the dog will at best break your necks, at worse decapitate you both.
Another point is that as far as I know it is unlawfull to carry an animal unrestrained in the UK, and I know that my insurance will be invalid if I do so, you should check with your insurance.


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## 118111

Well Beegee we have tried doggie seatbelts and it stressed them too much especially as our Shepherd is constantly moving and getting tangled up in it.

Which is why we are looking for the best option, hence the thread asking for advice. Some owners drive with dogs in their laps with open windows where they can just fall out so I don't think we are as irresponsible.

I certainly will not leave them in a kennel until we decide on the solution. My shepherd is fearful of strangers so can't be walked by kennel staff so I would rather risk them decapitating us than her stuck in a tiny jail with no room to move.

We have started making 1 lay under the kitchen table and another at the back.

The soft cage would be chewed open by the lab who can't handle being away from me.

I think the flat pack cage is our best option with a bed in it , stored in the garage strapped down is going to be the way to go but we're looking around at shops now for ideas.


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## BEEGEE

I'm sorry if it came across as a criticism of you, that was not my intention.
We show and Judge dogs all over Europe, and carry ours in plastic Barjo's, and the dogs queue up to go in when they realise we are off again.
We use the Barjo's because when on site the dogs use them for shade. Saying that the cages are ideal as they do fold down, and can be secured easily. Just one point, some cage manufacturers can supply cage covers, so in the winter they can be nice and warm. Try a company called Croft.


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## parkmoy

> The soft cage would be chewed open by the lab who can't handle being away from me.


If you are talking about the dog bag, I very much doubt it! Try and get a look at one, perhaps at a show. They really are VERY tough.

Hope you get sorted one way or another.


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## kiwistopher

*dogs sleeping arrangement*

We have a small poodle (unclipped thanks!  ) and he sleeps in the luton above our heads. I have made a small fence so he doesn't fall/jump out...and its fine. There are even long slitty windows he can look out of Ford Autosleeper Legend...


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## Kelcat

Brettnangie,
It's obvious you care a great deal for your dogs - but you also need to consider that quite apart from the risk of injury to you, should you need to even stop quickly, let alone have an accident, then the unrestrained dogs run a very very high risk of harm.
The harness Pushka uses has a ring on the back (sits between her shoulders) and a small lead that clips into the seat belt, theres not really any way she can get tangled up in it. She travels on the dinette seat with the table in the lowered position and absolutly loves it.


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## Zebedee

maddie said:


> Ours is the same as Richards but if push came to shove I have one of those holes in the floor to put the table leg in -- about 15 quid-- this could easy be adapted with a bolt / hook in the bottom with which to secure a harness for the dogs.With the bonus that it would not look ugly or a mess !!
> terry


What a brilliant idea Terry.  

Used in conjuction with the harness described by Kelkat (which our dog wears for travelling) it could be the definitive and easy answer.

I think you should put this in "Hints and Tips".


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## 118111

Its ok Beegee I guess I am protective of my babies. I know the current situation wasn't right hence the post. But I know Kennels would be far worse a risk than them decapitating us. We have had some very sudden stops already in the van at 60mph and it's been fine.

Kelcat nice suggestion as I think the other ones we tried attached strangely but we are going with flat pack cages which we just bought. The only problem is the lab.

She has chewed through fences, doors etc... and when left in the cage our sweet and quiet sleepy lab goes mental. If we had the hatch to the cab put in and she could see us it would be ok but she shook the thing apart and luckily we pulled over soon after as she trapped herself in it and its a good solid cage.

We have to go look for some easy clips to withstand her, I refuse to try cable ties in case of a fire I need to make sure we can get them out as fast as possible.

I also found an amazing cage for the cats www.penthouseproducts.com

Once we get an awning fitted I plan to get one of these for our 2 cats but until then I bought something called soft claws which are rubber cat tips so they don't claw the new motorhome to pieces so we can all be in the Van over the holidays.

So fingers crossed all animals will be with us for our planned trips over the holidays.


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## madeleine53

BeeGee - I think you will find it is NOT unlawful to carry an unrestrained animal in a vehicle in the UK. Also, it is not mentioned in the insurance policies for any of our 3 vehicles so would NOT invalidate the insurance. It is not mentioned in the dogs insurance either.

If if was unlawful, then the police woud be doing nothing but stopping and fining people for dogs on laps/parcel shleves/heads hanging out of windows/sitting on quadbikes etc. etc. 

As you show and judge, you must know that cars arrive by the thousand at shows with sometimes up to 5 dogs in very small cars occupying all the seats bar the drivers. Same goes for motorhomes arriving at shows. I'm not saying this is safe 'cause it's foolish!. Just saying that it is not unlawful.


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## 120187

BrettnAngie said:


> I also found an amazing cage for the cats


We haven't needed a cage for the cats while driving down the road, but did want something for when we stopped. Found Cat Cabana

When we park, it attaches to an open window. Our indoor cats can then go outdoors, but they are safe from animals, insects, fleas etc. They love it. Spend a lot of time out there. I guess it is their space and they are not underfoot.


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## littlenell

There is an interesting video that shows the implications of a dog involved in a crash. Be warned these are quite graphic- not real dogs obviously but they do get the message across.

We use muttslinger harness which encases both front AND rear of dog to prevent slingshotting them out of it

 Video 

 without belt 

Useful info  here


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