At first, the list of Top Dog Cars sounds a little odd, but if you think about it, reviewing cars from a dog-lover’s perspective is refreshing...and useful! Smaller dog owners might not realize the consideration that goes into a car, when you have a large dog to accommodate for. For instance, when I go on a road trip, I have to take the larger or my two cars, so my dog, his crate, his food and other necessities all fit...along with me and my stuff! I can only take my other car on short day trips, when I only have the dog, without all the other baggage.
Get excited because there is actually a whole web site devoted to cars for dogs. DogCars.com has reviewed hundreds of cars, including varying models, manufacturers, and price ranges. Cars are rated on a 5 Paw Scale, 5 being the best. To get 5 paws up, the reviewers are concerned with cargo space, ability to fit crates and gear, folding seats, air flow to rear, ground clearance, and anything else that would help make a car more useful for dogs and their owners. As always, do your homework when buying a car, but don't forget to take your pup's needs into consideration too.
A recent article on MyRide, introduced these picks for Top Dog Cars of 2009 from DogCars.com:
Compact
Toyota Matrix
Small SUV
Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, Mazda Tribute, Mitsubishi Outlander
Mid-size SUV
Honda Element, Honda Pilot, Suzuki XL-7, Hyundai Sante Fe
Wagon
Toyota Venza, Subaru Forester, Volvo XC70
Luxury SUV
BMW X5, Acura MDX
Hybrid
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
For full paw-ratings, reviews and information about each vehicle, visit DogCars.com.
