Hello, our names are Snow & Anton. We have two dogs as well. Yepa, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Cheyenne, a Weimaraner. My parents own a Prius and we just acquired a 2009 Prius five from my parents neighbor. It has 81,000 miles on it. We currently own a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel & a 2002 Infinity I 30 that we're looking to sell. We also used to own a 2004 Nissan Xterra which got totaled in a car accident. We don't know much at all about the Prius but we'd like to learn all we can. We're hoping to make this our dog friendly/camping/adventure vehicle, so anything you can recommend for us would be greatly appreciated as we will be taking it on a trip to Disneyland here next month. We can't wait to delve into the forums and learn all we can.
Welcome! How do you plan to safely secure the dogs when traveling? We use dog crates tied down but our largest dog is only 90 pounds. My wife and son recently took a round trip from Virginia to Texas with 4 Papillons in a Prius v. Palillons are a much smaller breed though. Our 90 lb dog is a Miniature American Shepherd.
Not sure. We had them with us when we were in our accident. On our 1k mile trip to Iowa a few years ago. They were unrestrained, but I think if they were in crates they would have been killed. Maybe we'll use some sort of harness system to belt them in. Im not sure yet. If you find anything better then crates let us know.
It isn't just the dog safety you need to worry about. In an accident they can become projectiles aimed at you. Not sure if this would work. Here is the dog harness we prefer. Julius-K9® professional dog gears, dog harness They apparently have a caqr seat belt attachment for them. Safety belt for dogs over 55lbs (16SGA-2) - Accessories for harnesses
Another dog-related thing: the intake to the battery fan is in the back seat area and has very wide holes, so pet hair can easily get in. You can prevent the fan from getting clogged by putting some kind of filter over that if possible. Some general Prius info: the engine will frequently turn off when the car is stopped at a light or in traffic, and then start again with a slight shudder when you start moving. This felt strange to me the first few times, but it's normal behavior for the car.
There are lots amazing threads on camping in a Prius. A simple search will give you oodles of reading and info. Some of the outcomes are revolutionary. Ex: beds in the back, and hvac that runs for a few days (or more) on a tank of gas.
