Ruff Tough Kennels Dog Crate
I was rear-ended by someone without insurance a few months ago. Both Shibas were with me with a harness attached to the seatbelt when this happened. I stopped at the red light and the guy behind us drove too fast and couldn't stop. Luckily, none of us were badly injured, but my old sedan was not so lucky. It was deemed too damaged to be fixed by the insurance company and I had to total it and got a replacement vehicle.
I got a wagon/small SUV that much better meets my needs with dogs and I became super concerned about the dogs safety in the car. I always put the dogs either in a safety harness attached to the seatbelt or crate them for safety. I have since tried many different products for this purpose and am very happy with what I currently have.
Ruff Tough Kennels are made of super strong plastic material and they are one piece constructions, making them very sturdy. You can find a more detailed description of the crates on the manufacture's website. http://www.rufftoughkennels.com/
I bought 2 to put in my car, medium size for my girl Maluko, who is about 14.5 inch at wither and 22 pounds and an intermediate size for my boy Koji, who is about 17.5 inch at wither and 27 pounds.
Medium Dimensions- 18" wide X 20" tall X 28" deep
Intermediate Dimensions- 20" wide X 23" tall X 31" deep
What I like about these kennels:
Safety - they are very well-made and sturdy. This YouTube video got me hooked. I understand their testing is not very scientific, but I am very impressed with how well the crate holds up its own in different testing scenarios.
Size- I have a wagon/small SUV, and the two crates fit nicely side by side in the back. I previously had a Midwest iCrate Double Door 30 inch wire crate and a Kennel-Aire Small 30 inch wire crate and they wouldn't fit side by side.
Here is a picture of the crates in my car.
Quiet - The crates do not rattle like the metal crates do, making the car ride much more joyful for both me and the dogs. I also replace a stainless steel crate bowl with Popware crate bowls. They are collapsible and can be folded up when not used. Did I mention they do not rattle, which is super nice! In the picture above, you can see the green one on the left in Koji's crate when it is in use and the purple one in Maluko's crate to see how the bowl looks when not in used.
Design - For the Intermediate and larger size crates, you can choose a double door design for flexibility. I also appreciate the fact that the crate door can be opened to either the left or the right without any change of configuration (in the picture, you see two "RTK" on either side of the crate and that is door handle). The optional tie-downs give you more choices to further secure the crates in your vehicle if you want.
What I don't like about these crates:
None so far.
I would highly recommend this product to anyone who wants maximum safety and security of their dogs in the car.
On a side note, here is the new sticker I got for the car. I really like how it matches the color of my car.
I got a wagon/small SUV that much better meets my needs with dogs and I became super concerned about the dogs safety in the car. I always put the dogs either in a safety harness attached to the seatbelt or crate them for safety. I have since tried many different products for this purpose and am very happy with what I currently have.
Ruff Tough Kennels are made of super strong plastic material and they are one piece constructions, making them very sturdy. You can find a more detailed description of the crates on the manufacture's website. http://www.rufftoughkennels.com/
I bought 2 to put in my car, medium size for my girl Maluko, who is about 14.5 inch at wither and 22 pounds and an intermediate size for my boy Koji, who is about 17.5 inch at wither and 27 pounds.
Medium Dimensions- 18" wide X 20" tall X 28" deep
Intermediate Dimensions- 20" wide X 23" tall X 31" deep
What I like about these kennels:
Safety - they are very well-made and sturdy. This YouTube video got me hooked. I understand their testing is not very scientific, but I am very impressed with how well the crate holds up its own in different testing scenarios.
Size- I have a wagon/small SUV, and the two crates fit nicely side by side in the back. I previously had a Midwest iCrate Double Door 30 inch wire crate and a Kennel-Aire Small 30 inch wire crate and they wouldn't fit side by side.
Here is a picture of the crates in my car.
Quiet - The crates do not rattle like the metal crates do, making the car ride much more joyful for both me and the dogs. I also replace a stainless steel crate bowl with Popware crate bowls. They are collapsible and can be folded up when not used. Did I mention they do not rattle, which is super nice! In the picture above, you can see the green one on the left in Koji's crate when it is in use and the purple one in Maluko's crate to see how the bowl looks when not in used.
Design - For the Intermediate and larger size crates, you can choose a double door design for flexibility. I also appreciate the fact that the crate door can be opened to either the left or the right without any change of configuration (in the picture, you see two "RTK" on either side of the crate and that is door handle). The optional tie-downs give you more choices to further secure the crates in your vehicle if you want.
What I don't like about these crates:
None so far.
I would highly recommend this product to anyone who wants maximum safety and security of their dogs in the car.
On a side note, here is the new sticker I got for the car. I really like how it matches the color of my car.
Comments
A little off topic, but what car do you have btw? I sold my motorcycle before getting Tsune and am shopping around for a small SUV/stationwagon.
Though yours is newer, mine is an '04. I also have a cool dog sticker, but I will need to take a photo...
Are there any other air holes besides the front door? Ventilation would seem to be a concern...
I have a Subaru Forester '03 now to replace my old sedan that was wrecked in the accident.
I like it a lot. It suits my needs now that I have 2 dogs in my life. I fold the backseat down, so I can have more space. It is AWD and just have enough space for me and 2 Shibas and some of their gears!
@WrylyBrindle Mine is actually an older model, '03. I found the car on craiglist and it belonged to an old lady who hardly drove the car. Her son actually was the one helping her sell the car. It is '03, but the mileage was low when I got it. I can now totally understand why dog people love Subaru!
Yes, there are other air holes beside the door. You can see more pictures here, http://www.rufftoughkennels.com/Photos.html
I personally think the crates with the air holes are much better than wire crates for my two. They get less visual stimuli in these crates than in their wire crates and actually rest more and not sit up the whole time watching everything that goes by while on the road.
Here is another video that talks about Dog Seat Belts & Car Restraints: Vet Chat from DrsFosterSmith.com
It is really not safe to have your pets riding in your car without any safety precautions. Don't play with fate!
(edit)
Went back and watched the video of the crate testing... That first one that the 20 pound weight basically destroys? That is the exact crate I have for my border collie to use in the house.
...I do have to admit that I lost it at 20s thought, the look on that stuffed animal's face :P
For the car, what car restraint do you guys use?
I know how easy it is to think accidents will not happen to "me and my dog" and that "we only have short trips around town" or "I am a very careful driver", but the risks are real and it is hard not to do something about it after seeing the videos.
I have tried wire crates, several harness designed for car travel and now settles on the Ruff Tough Crates. There are many products out there that will fit different scenarios and what works best for you and your pup. For a car harness, I really like the CHAMPION Canine Seat Belt System http://usak9outfitters.com/CCSS.htm
CHAMPION Canine Seat Belt System uses really strong materials and the thing is totally bad-ass. For anyone that is considering a harness/seat belt system, that's what I would consider. However, for my situation, I feel a crate would provide them maximum security/safety and comfort as we travel a lot in the car to shows/trials and classes.
In our station wagon, they ride in the back behind the car barrier, but I'm looking for something for the back of my truck. During my camping trip, Sosuke rode back there loose (there's a topper), and all the luggage was secured. He had a bed, water, and wasn't going to get loose or anything, but that's a lot of room for him to go flying if we get into a crash, plus the topper could pop open if we rolled or something. \
I also like the plastic crates for agility practice. Carrying the metal crates around is a huge pain, and he seemed to whine more in them (because he could see more, maybe?)
If you want to go all out, this is imported from Sweden and is crash tested. They are pretty spendy though.
http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=714
For Agility practice, if you are thinking that the Ruff Tough Kennel would be lighter to move around, you may be disappointed. It is probably not as heavy as a wire crate, but it is definitely not light. If your dog will stay in a soft crate and not break out, then it will be your best bet in terms of portability. If he whines in the crate, I will use a mesh cover to block what he can see, but still has enough ventilation for air. This is what I have - http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=564&ParentCat=313 . I have 3 different sizes, so I can use them to either cover the dog crates or the car.
I have thought about the cloth ones, and I think my dogs would stay in those, but I'm not sure I like the idea. They're not any less expensive, and they don't double for anything else. As in, they don't also act as good travel kennels and I wouldn't leave a dog in one while I left the house or something. I doubt they last as long, either. Other people at agility practice had them and they always ripped sooner or later.
I had been just using a wire crate and covering it, but that actually didn't seem to work as well as the plastic crate in terms of stopping him from whining. Although, now that I think about it, it may be because the plastic crate was stolen around the time we switched from practising outside to practising in a barn, so the new environment could be to blame and it could have nothing to do with the crate.
I could use the wire crate in the truck, too, I guess. I hadn't really thought of that.
My wire crate didn't fit in the trunk of my station wagon and took up all three seats in the back, so I guess it's lucky I only ever went by myself. The plastic one fit in the trunk, but it took up the whole thing. I never collapsed it. I don't think the Ruff Tough kennels collapse at all. But, I'm mostly going to be using my truck. It won't take up any passenger space and of course there's plenty of room. It's good to be flexible, though. I might want something for a family vacation (as in, not the truck where I have passengers).
A lot of this could be solved by simply getting a smaller crate. My spare wire crate is the same size as the one we use to crate the dogs when we're not home, which is the 36" wire one. It's quite a bit more spacious than what the dogs need when they're just waiting their turn at training or being driven from A to B, or even as a temporary away-from-home crate on vacation. They only ever seem to use half of their 36" crates.
I might rethink the cloth crates. Sosuke sometimes digs in his crate, like when he's getting comfortable to go to sleep, but that's not something he does while he's at training. Rakka's kind of unpredictable. She's mostly fine in her crate but once in a while, we come home and her bedding's been ripped or chewed, so she could just unexpectedly decide to rip a hole in the crate in two seconds while I'm not looking.
Check out the harness car crash test video linked in the article, http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130812/OEM11/308129989/a-safer-ride-for-rover-and-rex#axzz2cjnnaxKR
Here's a Petmate Deluxe Vari-kennel.
For wire crates, I know there is a "suitcase" crate that some of the dogshow people have. Collapses and assembles straight up and down with the sides folding inward. They're usually sold at the bigger AKC dog shows (ie. Ventura).
The one I saw in person was made by Precision.
I went to PetSmart and looked at 30" and 36" plastic crates side by side and I'm still not sure. The 30" seemed adequate, but like it would be too cramped for any significant length of time. The 36" seemed bigger than what I wanted.
For most medium size dogs in the 30-40 pound range, the 30 inch long crate usually works. Also note that the Ruff Tough Kennel is narrower and a bit longer than crates of similar size. I have transport 35-40 pounds dogs in my Intermediate Ruff Tough Kennel without any issues. For a crate that is used in the car, I would suggest sufficient space vs. looking for a spacious crate/kennel. When an accident happens, you really don't want the dog to have a lot of space to be thrown around in the crate.
Ruff Tough Kennel is one piece construction, so there is no set-up/take-down. It is one of the reasons why it is so sturdy as the whole thing is just one piece.
As for plastic crates, my 75lb JA male uses a size 500 Extra Large 39", my 60lb JA female uses a size 400 Large 36", and my adult and teenage 50lb JA females use a size 300 Intermediate 32". JA puppies up to 35lb fit comfortably in a size 200 Medium 28". All of these plastic crates are smaller than what they sleep in at night, but a good size for shows and travel.
EDIT: Our soft-sided crate is 37" x 25" x 28" which seems similar to the wire crate (36" x 23" x 25") but believe me there is a noticeable difference with the extra 1"-3" inches in each dimension adding 5,200 cubic inches. That's just over 3 cubic feet.
ETA: Thanks for all the info and opinions, guys! Super helpful.
Actually, I found the crate I used for Tojo to see if Sosuke would fit in there, but it's too small, lol. Tojo was about the same size as Koji. I guess I remembered the kennel being bigger. I measured it and it's only 22" long, so duh. Well, he did fit all the way inside to get the treat I tossed in, but couldn't turn around.
i wish i could see one in person!
i wonder if it would be suitable for a pickup truck as well.