Our Prius should be here in 2 weeks and one thing I have been thinking about is how to protect the bumper and interior when we transport our dogs. We have 4 greyhounds and I am guessing that I will be able to fit 2 in the back with the seats down, though I will certainly experiment to see if I can fit another back there! (Four greyhounds in a Prius might make a good avatar ) I am a bit worried about them scratching the bumper as they jump in through the back--they might be tempted to place their front paws on the bumper while jumping. Any suggestions as to what I can lay over it while getting them in? Also, I might just buy a cheap sheet or blanket to cover the interior while they're in there but I would be interested in knowing if there exists any sort of throw that is made to fit the Prius.
They make a bumper protector. It is a clear sticker sort of thing. (To describe it simply) It looks "ok", I'm not a fan of the line (edge) in it. But I use an old sheet to cover my back seat up.
We got the bumper protector as well. Although we can hardly tell it's there. We like it and it seems to be doing it's job....
I have two very large dogs (only one fits comfortably WITH the seats down) and so far the bumper has not suffered any damage from their claws. For the inside I just lay a large blanket on the floor. Does a good enough job of soaking up any drool. I always clean the sides and such as soon as I get home, so that is not an issue either. The key is to not let the drool dry and sit too long before cleaning.
OHGREYS! I just adopted my first grey this week! She's a beauty! I have been contemplating buying this bumper protector off ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/REAR-BUMPER-PROTECTOR-...1QQcmdZViewItem I think it is more heavy duty than the clearcoat kind -- or at least it looks that way to me! It wasn't really with the dogs in mind, but just anything that even I might scrape over the bumper while loading/unloading...
I have one grey named Oreo & a mutt named Georgie that fit pretty comfortably in the back. When I had RJ, 85lb male grey, I used to put him & Oreo in the back of a New Beetle with the seats down. :blink: Three greys might be a bit of a squeeze in a Prius. Mainly depends on temperment. Oreo is a drama queen & won't let any dogs touch her when she's laying down, if your greys like to cuddle each other then it might work. I use this to help protect my seats: http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/de...uctID=3050&AS=1 When I fold the seats down I still use the cover to help keep drool off the front seat head rest and to keep the hair from getting on the floor in the back seat. I let them in through the rear doors so I don't have to worry about the bumper.
I used an old blanket to cover the back seat for our dog on a recent trip. Unfortuately, during the trip the blanket shifted and exposed part of the seat. Naturally, our dog chose this spot upon which to barf. The good news is the seats cleaned up VERY well and there is no sign (or odor) of the mishap.
I built a cargo floor protector for the Prius. At the time our puppy, a Cane Corso, would get carsick with the attendant mess. Not a problem in the old Saturn, just clean it, hey it's 10+ years old! Anyway, what I built was a length of replacement auto carpet backed by vinyl home "entry runner". A trip to Home Depot got me a can of Scotch 33 adhesive to bind the 2 together. When it isn't being used it's rolled up and under the cargo floor. The vinyl runner keeps "stuff" from soaking through, but from experience they always find the worst spot to puke in. Dang, after reading these posts I realize I should have made it a bit longer to cover the bumper, it could always be pushed in and the hatch closed on it. Now, he's grown out of the problem, but every once in a while we still use the floor protector that I built.
I heartily recommend the bumper protector as linked to by Miss_Taz. It is actually made for the matrix, but fits a prius very well. It has a lip that goes all the way over the edge. Mine has quite a few gouges in it now that would have been in my expensive bumper plastic. Most of that is more likely from cargo then dogs, though. A prior dog, a 60lb pit, routinly placed his feet on the bumper while getting in. I suspect greyhounds would do likewise. As far as space, my 130lb Great Dane lies confortably on the back seat. He is a rather complacent rider, though, and stays still for the duration. I would expect greyhounds to want to move around more. Wet Okole seat covers are fantstic for the seats, but I think I would just drop in a big blanket for a long trip, or for the rear section behind the seats.
Just got to make sure that you get the sheet tucked back in as it gets into the latch very easily. Sammie is not at all bothered by the sheet on the back getting in, problem is she is in way too much of a hurry to get out and drags her nails before I can get the sheet repositioned!! She has to have the window so our seats are frequently folded down for dog days.
Thank you for all of the replies. I will look at that bumper coating. I'll probably start with a sheet for the interior and move to something heavier if they seem too messy back there. The carpet/runner combo is a great idea. Miss Taz your hound is lovely. My hope is that ours will sit or lie down more in a smaller vehicle than they do in the truck.
I bought one of those industrial carpet runners you see at the entrance to office buildings at my local hardware store. They cut it to length so I had it cut to around 7 feet. I hold it in place by making holes in it at one end and run the rear seat head rests through it and have enough left over at the hatch back entrance to allow it to fold out onto the bumper when dogs enter and exit. I also almost always leave the back seats folded down. I did, however slit the runner in such a manner that either seat can be folded up leaving the remaining seat down and covered. works great.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ohgreys @ Jun 10 2006, 10:42 AM) [snapback]269178[/snapback]</div> I have 2 English Bulldogs and a Lhasa. For the bumper, I went to my dealer and ordered a Corolla bumper protector, which fits a Prius perfectly. It looks exactly like the one shown in the eBay photo posted in the message up above. For the cargo area of my Prius, I went to www.autoanything.com and bot a Weathertec cargo tray. I absolutely love it. That web site also sells several other brands besides Weathertec, including some that cover the entire cargo area when the rear seats are folded down (the Weathertec does not extend forward all the way to the back of the front seats . . . thus, the reverse side of the rear seats is not covered; for that, I just toss in an old quilt). If your two greyhounds get along well, I think the cargo area, with the rear seats folded down, is more than enough area for both. I live near New Orleans, and had to evacuate for Hurricane Katrina. Had a Mazda Tribute SUV then, and easily fit all three dogs, two cats, and some personal belongings. The need for a large cargo area is one of the reasons I bot the Prius. To my naked eye, its cargo space looks more spacious than my Tribute did. Gary Gary
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ohgreys @ Jun 8 2006, 11:35 AM) [snapback]267938[/snapback]</div> Personally I would think you might consider worrying more about what could happen if an accident occurred. If the dogs are loose in the car they can be tossed out windows, smashed into the front windshield, crash into you as you are trying to steer, and be seriously injured just by being suddenly slid into the back of the front seats. The only safe way to transport a dog is in a crate, period. You can glue carpet to the floor of the crate so the dog is more comfortable. Another consideration is emergency personnel, if you are injured to the point of unconsciousness the people trying to help you may have difficulty doing so if your dog is protecting you, or so scared it would rather bite than allow anyone near it. If your dog is crated it is more likely to survive the accident unharmed and be easily transported to a veterinarian or kennel for safe keeping until someone can take it home. A very sad statistic is that the average lifespan of a pet dog is now 7 years due to car accidents, the majority of which the dog was inside the car at the time of the accident. PLEASE consider a crate when transporting your pet, the next best thing is to have a barrier so your pet doesn't get flung through the windshield or out a window and you are able to concentrate on your driving during a crisis. The seat belts and seat carriers do help but not as much. A short piece of carpet runner will protect your bumper while the dogs get in and out.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Miss_Taz @ Jun 8 2006, 11:51 AM) [snapback]267998[/snapback]</div> I have this on my Prius and I like it a lot. I have a black Prius and you hardly notice it. I have a 55 lb Labrador Terrier and I put GT covers on the front seat and he has a padded harness he wears when he rides. We call it his "seatbelt" and I put the seatbelt through the back and he sits there like a passenger. I also have two bumperstickers. "Dog is my Co-Pilot" and "Dogs Bless America". They make a lot more sense when he's riding with me. Someone got a long cargo mat at Pepboys they say fits the entire cargo area when the seats are down. As for how many will fit, I'd wait until I had the Prius and see how many will go inside with the seats down. If they lay down and huddle it might be all of them. You might have one that insists on riding shotgun. If you do, I encourage a halter and they be buckled in. Yes, I worry about the airbags but I worry about my dog getting thrown around the car more.
At first I was worried about the rear bumper getting scratched but my Afghan Hound is very careful of where he lands and goes right in without touching any paint, although I do have the "rear bumper applique" which is the clear adhesive. I would suggest the plastic alternative for the corolla or matrix if you are concerned. I've also seen a "Trunk Apron" for the Honda Civic that I think clips onto the cargo hooks. I considered getting it when I had an Insight, but the back end was too high for a dog to jump: I recently installed the vertical and horizontal cargo nets and I like to keep the retractable cover over the cargo area (it's a pain to hide it under the floor then dig it back out every time), so I no longer use the rear hatch for the dog entry/exit. Now he uses the rear passenger doors (I have seen a scratch around the bottom of the door jamb area where it curves by the tire) with the rear seats folded down to protect the leather because I don't have nice covers for the seats and I throw a few towels over it to keep the seat backs clean and to pad the child seat anchors, plus he gets a little more room to lay down. I would like to find a better way to secure him, I do realize how dangerous it can be for a dog riding loose in a car. I have a friend with an Afghan and an Infinity G35 sedan, she put blankets over the back seat and a padded wire crate for the dog (with a bunch of bungees to secure it). Recently, she has just been using parts from a wire dog pen bungeed to the headrest posts of the front seats like a wall to keep the dog in the back seat. A little less secure but more comfortable for the dog and still protects the driver keeping the dog secured in the back seat area.
I've seen that apron attached to a cargo floor area protector in some catalogs. It looks like it would fit the entire cargo area with the rear seats down. It' from A.J. Prindle. I love A.J. Prindle. They have the most amazing, practical stuff. Cargo area protector with bumper flap. If the rear seats are down, it's possible all four greyhounds could fit in the back. It's surprisingly large back there with the hatch and back seats down. Besides, you don't want them running around back there.
