Happy Fourth of July! Our DogCars.com bloggers are taking the three-day weekend off to do … whatever the heck we want to do. We’ll be back Monday with a new post, although we’ll be checking in on the comments now and then over the weekend to thwart the spammers.

If you haven’t signed up for our PetConnection.com e-mail newsletter, don’t forget to do so. The July edition is going out on Tuesday, and being a subscriber will automatically make you eligible for our monthly giveaway of $1,000 in pet-care gear. This month, the cool stuff is all coming from Petmate.

It only took about five minutes Monday for me to see someone breaking the law.

I live in California, where the new, hands-free cell phone law went into effect Monday. And wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I hit the freeway, I spotted a criminal. There she was, driving along happy as a clam, chatting away on her pink cell phone like everything was fine.

It didn’t look like she was in distress, or in an emergency (the law says it’s OK to hold your phone in an emergency), so I can only assume that this woman was a criminal. The news about the hands-free law has been everywhere: on the TV news, car radio, in newspapers and even posted on those highway signs typically reserved for traffic issues or missing children.

So there’s no way she could have missed it — the new law — unless she’s blind and deaf. In which case, she shouldn’t be driving on the freeway anyway, right?

Then I started to see other lawbreakers here and there. Many drivers were talking on their cell phones. Admittedly, not as many as I used to see on the roads, but still it appeared that quite a few people were breaking the law.

Why is this law not being strictly followed by everyone? I’ve got a couple of possible answers:

1) The aforementioned deaf, blind and dumb issue.

2) The wireless ear piece is broken, or forgotten, or lost under the seat along with a dozen stale French fries, two sticky cough drops and some loose change.

3) Can’t afford an ear piece.

4) The dog ate it.

5) I forgot.

OK, so that’s more than a couple of reasons. Truth is, there are many reasons why someone would fail to comply with this new law. That’s one of the curious things about the law — it sets up a scenario where many people will be stopped and possibly issued a ticket for doing something that until now has been a non-issue.

One day it’s OK, the next it’s a crime.

I’m not saying that I disagree with the law. I think it’s fine. Hopefully we’ll begin to see a reduction in accidents that are directly caused by a driver holding a cell phone with one hand and the steering wheel, shifting gears, drinking coffee, putting on makeup or whatever with the other hand.

But we can lump it into the other self-protection laws in place like buckling up ourselves and our kids, taking our pups off our laps, wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle, and now, by all means, keeping our hands away from the phone.

I just hope nobody gets confused about the new law and thinks that it really means you must do hands-free driving. That could get ugly!

With the price of gasoline well over $4 per gallon, most owners of large sport utility vehicles are putting their gas guzzlers out to pasture while they seek out more efficient transportation.

But those of us who travel with multiple dogs have had a quandary: Do we bite the fuel bill bullet and drive the SUV? Or leave the pups at home and take the compact?

The 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid presents a modest compromise for dog-loving families who refuse to lose their crew for the sake of a few drops of oil. The Vue hybrid runs on gas and electric power that achieves an average of 26 miles per gallon in the city and 32 on the highway.

And best of all, it’s big enough for the dogs, their gear and your stuff because the rear seats fold flat for maximum versatility.

Saturn is pumping up the fuel savings again in 2009 as it introduces another Vue hybrid, this one featuring new two-mode technology developed in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler and BMW.

For the full review of the 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid — including our exclusive DogCar paw rating — click here.

Because our emphasis here is strictly canine, I don’t pay a lot of attention to vehicles that aren’t dog-friendly … sports cars, for example. Case in point: While waiting in the doctor’s office yesterday, I eagerly grabbed the latest copy of Motor Trend magazine, flipping quickly past the spread on “muscle cars” and looking for the “first look” feature on the redesigned Honda Pilot (they liked it, and from I could read, I’m guessing we will, too).

That’s my excuse for missing this little bit of automotive news until a friend mentioned it to me:

BMW has unveiled a “concept car” named … Gina. From AutoBlog:

The BMW GINA Light Visionary Model that was seen via video being installed in the BMW Museum in Munich last week has finally been revealed, and the futuristic design study shows how BMW designers are thinking outside of the box when it comes to the materials that make up a car and also how the car relates to the driver. GINA stands for “Geometry and Functions in ‘N’ Adaptations”, which basically means that designers from both BMW and BMW Group DesignworksUSA were allowed to throw out the rulebook. This is most evident in the GINA Light Visionary Model’s outer skin, which is made entirely out of textile fabric that’s pulled taut around a frame of metal and carbon fiber wires. The skeleton of the car is controlled by electro-hydraulic devices and can actually move and change shape beneath the fabric skin.

Sad to say, the Gina is completely worthless as a DogCar, and for all its advances and tweaks of the technology, looks like just another phallic-symbol-you-can-drive to me.  Room for a dog? Maybe a small one. Room for a crate? Don’t make me laugh.

Hey BMW, I want my name back. I’m giving it to a company who’ll make a car we can actually use.

Summertime traveling with dogs is a fun and rewarding experience . . . but it can be a messy one as well.

Dog food bags or boxes are hard to store and can easily tip over and turn a car into a giant box of dog food in no time. Attempt to bring cans or fresh food ingredients, and you’ve got even more issues.

However, a product has hit the market that takes all the fuss and muss out of DogCar travels while also providing your pup with a meal that is fun for him to eat because it’s shaped like a bone.

It’s called WholeMeals Food for Dogs and it was developed with veterinarians who were looking for a new approach to healthy nutrition that would be easy for owners and fun for their dogs to enjoy. The bone-shaped meal is the first meal to resemble real bone, with a shape specifically designed to give your canine a bit of a challenge at meal time.

The result of WholeMeal’s bone shape is that dogs no longer have to eat from a bowl, preferring to take the bone in their forepaws and chew in a natural way to get their food. According to WholeMeals, scientific research shows that the smooth and angled edges of the bone-shaped meal gives dogs what they love best — and what is built into their DNA — the ability to pick up their meals, eat with their paws and chew longer and more thoroughly.

Available in four sizes (Toy, Small, Medium and Large), the bone-shaped meal is designed with varied surfaces to fit into different parts of the mouth. The chewy outside helps prolong mealtime because your pup has to work to longer to eat her meal. A special dual texture helps keep teeth cleaner and reduces tarter and plaque build-up.

Dr. Marty Becker, the popular veterinary contributor to ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” and veterinary adviser to DogCars.com, is convinced that WholeMeals is a good way for dogs to eat.

“The secret behind WholeMeals food is the fact that owners appreciate the food as an entire meal with all the nutrients their dog needs,” said Becker. “The meals are about freedom; they make feeding easier for owners and more enjoyable for dogs.”

Speaking of Dr. Becker, you can see him on ABC’s Good Morning America tomorrow (June 26) as well as on XM Radio channel 155 and on ABC’s GMA NOW, which is an extended version offered to viewers through cable, broadband and cell phones. Click here for more details.

So now summertime travels with your canine crew can be less messy and more fun — for everyone!

The word “oil” has become a dirty word.

It causes wars; dirties our shores, and empties our wallets at the gas pump.

We can’t live without oil, but living with it is becoming more frustratingly expensive by the minute.

So what’s a concerned, dog-loving citizen to do to help make things right with our relationship to oil? There are many ideas floating around, but it all starts with training.

Just as you would train your pup to learn what’s permitted and what is not, people can be trained as well. We can learn to drive slower, or more efficiently, on our daily rounds. We can focus on grouping errands together to save fuel, and we can shop for alternative vehicles that get the best gas mileage while still fulfilling our daily DogCar needs.

And we can keep an eye out for other ways to save fuel. General Motors is currently promoting a campaign in California that busts open the tradtional idea that every car needs to have its oil changed every 3,000 miles.   

Here’s what GM has to say about the oil change myth:

The old mantra that drivers should change their motor oil every 3,000 miles is not always the case – it’s a myth.

Many automakers recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,500 or even 10,000 miles depending on your vehicle’s model, make and driving conditions.

Research shows that nearly 3/4 of California drivers change their motor oil more often than recommended by their automaker.

Environmental Impacts: Nationwide, if all GM vehicle owners used the GM Oil Life System (calibrated indication system based on driving conditions), 100 million gallons of motor oil could be saved annually

Currently, California generates more than 153 million gallons of waste oil each year. Only 59 percent of that oil is recycled.

One gallon of used oil pollutes one million gallons of water.

Money saving: Additionally, it’s estimated that each driver in California drives approximately 15,000 miles a year. If your car manufacturer recommends changing your oil at 5,000 miles instead of every 3,000 miles – motorists reduce 8-10 quarts of used oil from entering the waste stream per vehicle, and save an average of $76 a year.

Here’s the complete oil change press release from General Motors.

Cutting back on oil changes may seem like a little thing in the grand scheme of things, but it’s something. And right now, with gas prices shooting through the roof, we need all the help we can get.

“Psst, Buddy, wanna go for the ride of your life?”

Dedicated DogCar reader Xyla from Montana sent us this awesome photo of a true DogCar — or rather truck — loaded up with pups ready to hit the trail.

Hello Dog Cars,

My husband took this picture in 2006 in Whitefish, Montana. Notice the Montana license plate (881BARK)! So funny for your site and audience that is concerned about transporting dogs. I guess these fellows took a break from transporting people.

Thank you for your web site and services. Our company Ford Explorer has to be traded in and we are looking for a good car for our 70 lb. Choc Lab/Amstaff mix.

Thanks for the photo, Xyla, and good luck on your search for your perfect DogCar.

“Hey, Baby, how ’bout a hot spin in my cool sled!”

This week in New England, Chrysler is rolling out its two new, full-size hybrid sport utility vehicles for 2009: the Chrysler Aspen and the Dodge Durango (pictured) two-mode hybrids. Both are worthy contenders as DogCar vehicles, with lots of interior space as well as rugged off-road capability.

The two-mode system — developed in a global partnership with General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and BMW — means that the vehicle can run in electric-only mode at low speeds and assists the V-8 Hemi when driving at highway speeds. Chrysler estimates the hybrids will produce 25 to 40 percent better fuel economy than their gas-only powered models. At at estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway, that could lead to an average savings of about 200 gallons per year.

Designed to compete against the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, which was named the Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal, the Chrysler hybrids offer a significant price break of about $7,000 less than the four-wheel-drive Tahoe and its sibling, the GMC Yukon Hybrid.

How these humongous hybrids handle DogCar duty remains to be seen, but their launch makes one thing quite clear: The battle is on to keep the profitable SUV market from going the way of the dinosaur.

Summertime is in full swing and what better way to welcome the travel season than with the chance to win $1,000 in free summer pet travel gear.

Just sign up for the Pet Connection’s monthly e-mail newsletter and not only will you get lots of valuable information about your pet, but your name will also be entered in a drawing for a prize package of summer trvel products worth more than $1,000.

Every month we draw the name of a single winner from our subscribers and that person receives a basket full of valuable pet supplies. The summer travel gift basket is especially exciting because it includes:

• Krugo Auto Zip Line
• Komfort’s Climate Controlled Pet Carrier
• Veterinary Ventures Inc.’s new Hydro-Go™ Portable Pet Canteen
• Kurgo’s Backseat Barrier™
• StickySheets
• Bags on Board

. . . and much, much more. For complete prize descriptions, click here.

So don’t delay, sign up today!

And have a great summer.

(Image above: Krugo Backseat Barrier™)

This personal story by a veterinarian on Coloradoan.com describes how even the best-intentions can run astray when traveling with your beloved pup.

Christie Long, a veterinarian at the VCA Fort Collins, Colo., Animal Hospital, writes about how her terrier, Pancake, dodged possible death when she jumped out the open passenger window of the car, landing in the right turn lane of a busy intersection.

Yesterday, my dog very nearly could have died, and it would have been solely my fault.

You can be certain those were tough words for her to write, especially for a person whose job and passion it is to save lives.

I was distracted on the drive home, thinking about how to manage a tough patient. Normally, I roll the windows down only a few inches to allow Pancake to sniff the breeze. But yesterday I had for some reason put the windows all the way down. We were stopped at Drake Road and College Avenue when I happened to look over just in time to see that scruffy terrier rump disappearing out of my passenger window and into the right turn lane.

I screamed, slammed the car into park and jumped out. Everyone around me had stopped and appeared as panic-stricken as I felt. On the other side of my car, I met my dog, wagging her tail as if to say, “Fancy meeting you here in the middle of College Avenue!”

I scooped her up, and we sped home, clutching each other the entire way.

Read the rest of her story here.

Fortunately, this story has a happy, tail-wagging ending. But it reinforces the need for everyone who enjoys taking their dog with them on the road, to do so safely.

There are many safety harnesses, barriers and crates available to help keep your loved one secure in your car. We’ve even reviewed some here.

Let’s look forward to a summer of fun and adventure with our pets by making sure that we’ve done everything we can to ensure their safety when traveling.

Be smart: Secure your pet.