Just bought a 2010 (and am two days from taking possession).

Does anyone have any suggestions about dog crate tie downs?

My wife shows agility dogs; we have three Shelties (~20 lbs each). We have an Odyssey that is the primary dog-show mobile but my wife will be using the Fit for classes and short-hauls to save some gas. So any ideas on temporary crate integration are welcome.

 

Assuming the accouterments are like the 2012 model, there are a couple of tie downs near the floor next to the hatch opening and, on the sport model, a couple more on the floor near the seat hinges. There are also child seat tether attachments on the backs of the seats, and the loops that the seatbacks latch onto when they're upright. Any of these should be fine for strapping down a dog crate (though of course the seatback ones wouldn't be immobile if the seats are folded down and you somehow end up upside down).

There are also a couple of hook thingies molded into the plastic sides of the cargo area, but they aren't very sturdy. I think those are there mainly to hook cargo nets and such like.

 

Hawkstrike, I am curious what you decided to do.

I have 3 dogs (2 CWCs, and 1 MS) that I compete with in performance events.

I bought a 2008 Fit after totaling my 2003 Mazda Protege. In the accident my crates moved significantly and I am sure the dogs would have been injured if they were in the car.

I am interested in a better method to secure them in the Fit. Thanks in advance for sharing what you came up with.

Julie

 

In almost any higher-speed crash, items in the car are going to move "significantly." The important thing is that they move only 1 foot or so, rather than being loose and free to move all the way around the cabin. The best bet is to have ratchet straps, and not really thin ones either - thick ones. If they're less substantial than a seat belt, they're not good.

But even so, the dogs are going to move around quite a bit INSIDE the crates. So really, your best bet is to not get into a crash. The belt restraints in a car are optimized for a human, and dogs are not capable of understanding why they should wear them in any case; pets are basically not well suited for car travel. It's best to leave them at home, or drive safely.

I've never actually met a dog owner who was willing to admit that their dogs were ill-suited for doing anything they like doing with their dogs. Dog people seem to have a big blind spot regarding their dogs, just like horse people with their horses, etc. But that doesn't make it less true. Crate the dog, size the crate, pad the crate, strap the crate down, and pay attention to the idiots driving around you to minimize your chances of a prang. If you MUST travel with your dog, that's the best you're going to get