As the summer travel season quickly rolls into sight, we might find ourselves wanting to include our new puppy along for the ride. Or even take a toy breed, or other small dog who may not be as quick on her feet as she once was.

If so, then you might be in the market for a personal pet carrier — or a pup carrier — to ease your travel concerns.

Our Product Review specialist, Kim Campbell Thornton, has been busy trying out and testing a number of the most state-of-the-art pet carriers on the market today. Of course, she’s had the help of her new pup, Harper, who’s eager to assist in the testing, as only a puppy can be.

At this point, Kim has tested six crates and carriers, plus one barrier, and a host of other dog-friendly products. Check them out here. And be sure to return often as more products are added all the time.

Happy travels!

When Ford designed the engine for the F-150 pickup truck, I’m pretty sure they wanted to put horsepower under the hood. But when the Northern California owner of this truck lifted the hood to check on a power steering leak, he realized he had more than just horses under the hood.

He had Pit Bull power.

Here’s the story by Alex Nunez at Autoblog.com:

Dogs are common sights in the cabs of pickup trucks. Sometimes you’ll see one riding back in the bed. But underhood?

Not so common, but that’s exactly what Walter Witthoef found in the engine bay of his F-150. There, head poking up behind the motor, was a growling but otherwise healthy pit bull.

Somehow, the dog wound up stuck inside the engine compartment, where it whiled away the time by using the fuel lines, distributor wires, some hoses, and pretty much everything else within reach as chew toys.

After her discovery, Animal Services arrived on scene and freed the pooch, who was reunited with her people the next day. Hopefully they’ll be willing to pick up the $1,000 tab for the additional damage she allegedly caused to Mr. Witthoef’s ride.

Bad dog! No biscuits!

Here’s a video of the story.

By the look in this pup’s eyes, he probably won’t be volunteering for any further “pit” crew duty anytime soon.

As we previously reported, California is preparing to take the dogs off of our laps — while driving.

A bill introduced by State Assemblyman Bill Maze of Visalia makes it illegal for California drivers to tool around with their lovable pooch sitting in their lap. The measure passed the Assembly on Monday by a hefty 44-11 vote and now heads to the State Senate where its passage is expected.

A story by Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee points out that even though there are no statistics about how many accidents have been caused by drivers who are distracted by their pets, there is clear evidence that many people drive with a dog in their lap.

Eight percent of drivers surveyed by Nationwide Mutual Insurance in 2006 said they had held a pet while behind the wheel.

Maze also pointed to a recent American Automobile Association study that found pets and loose objects were common distractions and significant traffic hazards.

Violators of AB 2233 would not be penalized with higher insurance rates, but they could be slapped with base fines of $35 that could rise to about $150 through penalty assessments, Maze said.

Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, voted in favor of the legislation.

“Anybody with common sense has to know that they shouldn’t be driving with an animal on their lap,” he said. “But if there are some people who think it’s acceptable, I suppose the bill will send a clear signal.”

Read the rest of the article here.

As we mentioned before, this bill is clearly necessary to help protect those of us who know better from those who don’t, but it doesn’t go far enough. What is really needed is a seat belt law that covers not just people, but all beings traveling in a vehicle. With an unrestrained pet loose in a moving vehicle, too many things can happen — all of them bad:

• A loose pet can distract the driver away from what’s happening on the road, possibly resulting in an accident.
• When there is an accident, the unrestrained dog becomes a flying object, possibly hurting the dog and/or others in the car.
• And after an accident, a dog on the loose could potentially get free of the vehicle and run out into traffic, putting him at risk for getting hit by a moving vehicle.

So while the anti-lapdog bill is a good start, here’s hoping for a stronger, more effective solution to soon follow.

To participate in an online poll about the law, click here.

When you get advice from an experienced and trusted veterinarian, you follow it.

That’s how we came to discover the wonders of a vehicle that would not have previously registered on the DogCar radar. As a dedicated reader of DogCars.com, our veterinarian friend was adamant that her vehicle definitely deserves DogCar attention.

And after driving her car of choice, we realized that once again, the veterinarian was correct.

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe is one of those vehicles that hardly rate a mention in casual conversation. It’s not overly powerful or radically designed like some of the small SUVs it competes against. But it’s the Vibe’s utility aspects that left us pleasantly pleased.

The Vibe scores big DogCar points with seats that fold flat, a wide-open tailgate design, and a cargo area featuring hard plastic surfaces to make for easy cleaning.

Sometimes a car will sneak up behind you and knock you for a loop. For this veterinarian, that car is the Pontiac Vibe.

Read the full review here.

I’ve always been a big Honda fan. The first car I ever bought was a Civic and I owned several other models since then. And of course, the Honda Element is DogCar of the Year, so what’s not to like about that?

So it was with great anticipation that I was looking forward to the arrival of the 2008 Honda CR-V to test. Another great Honda to explore — what a treat!

But my enthusiasm was quickly tempered when I saw the curvy look of the CR-V’s rear end. In the model’s redesign of the 2007, the Honda creative types sliced a good portion of the rear roof back, making the last foot or so of cargo space unusable for dog crates. The only way to properly position large crates is to remove and store the second row seats, leaving the rear area open for cargo.

For DogCar use, it’s best to have the crates in the rear, facing toward the tailgate to allow easy entry and exit, keeping as much dirt and mud as possible on the outside of vehicle. So the middle row just doesn’t cut it.

Driving the CR-V is fun for sure. It’s a nice, safe and very capable vehicle — clearly another one of Honda’s stellar products. But as a DogCar, it’s missing the critical component: a boxy rear-end.

You see, with DogCars, it’s definitely hip to be square.

Read the full review here.

Nobody ever said that a DogCar has to be dull as dishwater.

A recent study released by Kelly Blue Book — those are the folks who know everything about the value of a vehicle — reveals the “Top 10 Coolest Cars for under $18,000” available on the market today.

And guess what! At least three of these Cool Cuties are legitimate DogCars.

Here’s how the KBB folks judged the flock.

In choosing the elite 10 Coolest Cars under $18,000, our kbb.com editorial staff used the same combination of objective and subjective criteria that many consumers use in examining this category. Safety, fuel economy, environmental impact, interior size, comfort and fun-to-drive were all items on the consideration list. And each vehicle was examined through the subjective magnifying glass of what is cool.

From a DogCar perspective, three of the Top 10 are actually the coolest of the cool.

The Honda Fit, which earns a 5-Paw rating for its hatchback versatility and fuel-miserly ways, earned “Top 10 Coolest Cars” honors by KBB.

With gas prices on the rise, small cars like the Honda Fit are gaining in popularity. The Fit sips gasoline and offers the sportiest driving experience available in an econo-car. Plus, the seats can be configured in multiple arrangements, so it can easily hold things like your friends, your gear or a medium-sized alpaca (according to a photo — above — on Honda’s Web site, anyway).

The only dog-related drawback with the Fit is that it’s just a tad bit tiny for big dog families. However, as a second vehicle for transporting small to medium-sized pups, the Fit is it!

The sporty Mazda3 also corralled “Coolest Car” honors along with four Paws as a DogCar. The KBB panel has enjoyed the five-door hatchback so much that they’ve placed it among the coolest cars year after year.

Fun, stylish, versatile and substantial, the exceptionally well-rounded MAZDA3 is the only vehicle to make it onto our list the past four years in a row—and every year since its introduction. Suffice it to say, it’s cool.

From a dog lover’s perspective, the Mazda3 is perfect for city dwellers in need of a small get-about without sacrificing interior space. Oh, and it’s fun to drive.

Finally, the boxy-yet-appealing Toyota Scion xB won Coolest Car honors for its cost-effective amenities.

The xB, with more attention for the dollar than any of our other “coolest cars,” makes a bold statement while being extremely utilitarian.

We like the Scion xB’s space and versatility enough to award it four Paws and a mention as a possible contender for Best DogCar honors in its category.

So there you have it. You can be a responsible, prudent and dedicated DogCar owner and still be considered cool . . . which is definitely a cut above dull dishwater.

Another auto manufacturer is catching on to the fact that being highly rated by DogCars.com is good for business. First it was Honda, which upon learning of its DogCar of the Year “Best In Show” award, went out and developed an advertising campaign geared toward dog owners.

Now Mitsubishi is getting into the act. After DogCars.com honored the Outlander as the Best Small SUV for dog lovers, the Japanese automaker sent out a press release touting the award to the rest of the world.

A quick review of Mitsubishi’s media web site finds that the automaker has included not one but TWO photos of dogs in the rear portion of the Outlander. One photo shows a dog safely secured in a crate behind the bottom portion of the horizontally split rear hatch. The second photo has the pup up on all fours and out on the open tailgate.

And by the look on his face, this dog is ready to get moving.

These photos mark the first time — at least in this writer’s memory — that an automaker has purposely included a dog in one or more of its press photos.

Bravo Mitsubishi!

The annual gathering of Western Automotive Journalists and automotive public relations professionals usually stirs up some exciting news about what’s on the horizon for four-wheel enthusiasts.

And this year’s just completed conclave in Monterrey, California, also brought some interesting insight for lovers of our four-legged friends when Honda’s West Coast PR guru Chris Martin confirmed that the Japanese manufacturer was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Honda Element was named as the first-ever DogCar of the Year “Best in Show” last December.

The wonderfully versatile Honda Element features a squarish cargo space, fold-flat seats and easy-to-clean interior that all add up to the perfect combination for owners of multiple big dogs who take their canine traveling very seriously.

After the award was announced, Honda’s marketing department sprung into action by creating an advertising campaign geared specifically for the dog-loving car buyer. They’ve even included the DogCars.com logo on their Element website to power home the point.

During a lunch break in the Carmel Valley, Martin said the powers that be are happy to be a top pick among dog lovers, and that they are always looking for ways to respond to specific markets.

“Automakers are always targeting niche markets, like young buyers, sports lovers or even surfers or skiers, where there’s a huge demand for a very specific vehicle,” Martin said.

One wonders if perhaps Honda is considering a U.S. launch of the “Wow”, short for “Wonderful Open-Hearted Wagon” (pictured above), concept car that was introduced at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show. Martin said that while the Japanese loved the little car with a small dog crate built into the glove box, the concept never got off the drawing board for U.S. distribution.

Stay tuned . . .

We all know by now that leaving your dog in a vehicle during warm weather can be fatal. However, many people are under the impression that it’s OK as long as you leave the windows open a bit for ventilation.

That is not the case, according to this amazing story in the Marin (CA) Independent Journal. Brigitte Coleman, customer care supervisor at the Marin Humane Society, relays a real-life example of how one dog was found in a car that had its window partially rolled down, yet the heat was still intense enough to send the canine into a life-threatening condition.

It’s noon when the call comes in to the Marin Humane Society’s customer care department; someone has left a dog in a car at the mall. My heart starts to race as I take the information as quickly as I can. My main focus is to get the animal services officer there as soon as possible. All the while, I think how could anyone leave a pet in a car on a day like today?

The officer arrives on scene within minutes; however, the parking lot is full and the caller’s description of the car and its location were sketchy. Finally, she finds the car. Inside is a medium-sized shepherd mix pacing and panting heavily.

There is no time to waste, but the officer needs proof that she had “just cause” to remove the dog. She takes the temperature of the inside of the vehicle, which reads 130 degrees. That’s all she needs. The windows are down far enough to unlock the car door and she removes the dog from the vehicle.

The dog is very lethargic and has labored breathing. She offers him cool water and wraps his body with cool towels to attempt to lower his body temperature. Just then, the dog’s guardian arrives on the scene.

“What are you doing with my dog,” he asks? “You had no right to break into my car.” The officer responds that his dog is suffering from heat stroke and is going to need immediate medical attention. Reluctantly, the dog guardian agrees to follow her to the closest veterinary hospital.

The officer calls ahead and alerts the clinic to the dog’s condition. The veterinary staff meets her out front and quickly gets the dog inside. Upon arrival, the dog starts to have a seizure. In this case, the veterinary staff was able to treat the dog and pull him through. However, the dog sustained some residual brain damage and now has some physical challenges.

Read the rest of this compelling story here.

So in order to avoid the possibility of cooking your beloved pup, make sure you don’t leave them in a car on a warm day — period.

A friend sent this photo with a bunch of funny animal photos and captions.

The caption: “Who us? We’ve been in the bed of the truck the whole time!”

The photographer, Gary Hamburgh, surely knows how to catch a moment of pure, doggy delight.

Which reminds me, I will be joining my brother and three cousins (all male) this weekend for a mini-reunion with our identical twin moms to celebrate their birthdays. We also promise to try to stay in the bed of the pickup.