Towing the Van with all the shades up ?

Salus · Member

Towing the Van with all the shades up ?

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

There is no legislation saying you need shades at all, so whether they are up or down is your choice.
Pretty rough to leave an animal on its own in this environment though, I reckon.

Cheers,
Peter

Desert Dweller · Guru

The poor thing, animal cruelty springs to mind.

TheHeaths · Guru

Greg,

I believe it is illegal to have people travel in the caravan, and those that have experimented have said how disturbing the creaks and groans that come from the van are.

I would therefore suggest that the environment is not suitable for your dog due to the noise and movement of the furniture, combined with being on its own, and your dog would be much happier and better as a traveller in your car.

As you call it your fur kid, I would have expected it to travel with you anyway.

-- Edited by TheHeaths on Tuesday 6th of February 2018 08:04:22 PM

RustyD · Guru

I have a big chair cushion in the backseat that fills the LHS from the back of the front seat making a cubby house for my Jack in the LH rear footwell. He sits up on the cushion when going slow but gets on the floor when cruising the highways. We also bought one of those slip-over blockout thingys that go over the window.

Dunmowin · Guru

I wont comment on travelling with your "fur kid" in the van with the shades up, however, note the following.

When we bought our van, we were told by the manufacturers that it was better to travel with the blinds closed, i.e. foil up, to keep the heat out of the van whilst travelling. A few years later when back for a service, and replacement blinds, we were told not to close them while travelling, as the movement will wreck the mechanism. Which was why we were replacing.....

Make the decision yourself, but we now travel with the blinds open, i.e. screens up, foil blinds down. We do close the curtains.

denmonkey · Senior Member

any posts Ive seen where people have ridden in the van even for very short distances has been about how horrendous the experience was.
It seems the ride is very bouncy and not a pleasant experience at all.

I wouln't put my dog anywhere I wouldn't be happy to be.
I personally would not subject my pooch to such a ride.
Frankly, I'd probably have words with anyone who did.

Perhaps take a quick trip yourself or ask your wife to before considering it any further. I'm sure she will give you an honest opinion on it biggrin

What makes you think it will settle any more in the van than it does in the car?

Snippy · Senior Member

Our cat travels in the van, 25000km in last 12 months. Including Spirit of Tas.

Sleeps on the bed and is usually asleep when we open the van. Does not like travelling in the car.

Dickodownunder · Guru

I was told by the dealer not to close the blinds when travelling as if they snap open the blind mechanism will be damaged.
I open the blind to the bottom and rhe screens to the top.
My old van was the opposite to this.
If I HAD to put a dog in the van while travelling I would be more concerned about ventilation and water than the blinds.

SouthernComfort · Guru

1. Blinds and screens should be retracted. The van twists a lot when travelling, so do the blind mechs.

2. Dog in car. You have no idea how the dog reacts in the van unless you've traveled in there with her. Bad idea.

Footprints · Senior Member

As already suggested take a short trip in the van yourself and see how horrendous it can be. Out of sight, out of mind is a cruel way to treat your 'fur child'. You apparentry have not tried everything as there is always a solution to a problem. Do a search of previous posts as the subject of unsettled pet has recently been discussed. Re shades I always travel with them done and they remain as good as new. Take sometime to calmly help your four legged friend and you will be richly rewarded. He is worth the effort I am sure. Good luck.

Cheers Allen

SouthernComfort · Guru

One more thing: It's illegal to have an unrestrained animal travelling in a car. Purpose made straps which clip into a rear seat belt buckle are available for dogs, we use one for ours. I suspect it may also be illegal to have an animal travelling in a caravan whether restrained or not. Anyway, just keep the animal as safe as you'd keep yourself.

mezza56 · Senior Member

Hi Salus , whats ur dog/cat do when travelling in the vehicle , make noise ? , soil itself ? jump around ? . Go to the vet and get some thing to stop the anxiety , there are natural products on the market as well .

JackoFJR · Senior Member

Wouldn't it just be a fancy big dog trailer.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

mezza56 wrote:
Hi Salus , whats ur dog/cat do when travelling in the vehicle , make noise ? , soil itself ? jump around ? . Go to the vet and get some thing to stop the anxiety , there are natural products on the market as well .

How wold you know - unless you were in the caravan as well? We have a motorhome, and some of the noises we hear whilst driving can be scary - creaking, groaning, road noise (not too much) - imagine what the poor little dog is going through - he is probably terrified - can't it travel in the tow vehicle with you?

-- Edited by jules47 on Wednesday 7th of February 2018 03:18:34 PM

KJB · Guru

No different to a dog trailer or horse float.............dogs travel alright in boxes under the tray of cattle trucks.

KB

SouthernComfort · Guru

KJB wrote:
No different to a dog trailer or horse float.............dogs travel alright in boxes under the tray of cattle trucks.
KB

There's a big difference IMHO.

Dog trailers and horse floats are purpose built to minimise harm caused to animals under extreme conditions or events. Like cars, they're not foolproof, but some thought has gone into the build designs for appropriate size and occupant protection. Whether it's legal or not, an animal would be far more vulnerable travelling in a caravan. Extreme events with a van are never pretty, and any animal inside would become a projectile with dire consequences. Caravans rock around, vibrate and bounce much more than cars. They are also much less stable in construction, built from different materials and equipped differently to cars: No side intrusion bars, no air bags and no occupant restraints because they were never designed for that purpose. At the very least, the animal would need to be in an anchored cage, same as they are in an aircraft hold and other forms of livestock transport, and even then the van's lack of structural integrity remains an real issue.

Still a bad idea.

Stuart-Jan · Veteran Member

You can purchase Pet safety harnesses in almost any size to suit whatever breed of fur baby you might have. These are a proper harness rather than a choker collar. We purchased 2 of these so that our family could travel with us and they double as a walking harness. They get irritated after a while but that is one of the joys of travelling with pets. Try training a cat to walk on a leash. cry

Footprints · Senior Member

Regardless of what the animal is traveling in the issue is that it is upset or fearful and that alone is the issue that needs to be addressed.

It is a legal requirement that for all animals that are being transported that their welfare and comfort is paramount. Find the cause of the problem and address it would be my suggestion.

BruDi · Senior Member

When we collected our new van we were told to travel with the blinds and shades retracted as otherwise they get damaged.

This is how our girl travels in the car. She wears a harness and is clipped in. Her basket is secured around the seat as well. We place her in the centre so that she is in shade and can follow the road. She is very happy with her basket. We know she is safe and restrained.

Di

rockylizard · Guru

Gday....

hmm Greg (Salus) hasn't responded yet ... was on 26 hours ago ... I guess the responses have not been what they were looking for. cry

Cheers - John