Dogs + Cars = natural combination

So I outfitted my car for canine transportation. Behold.

A couple weekends ago was the maiden voyage of the dog-fortified Matrix:

 
Royal gives it a test drive!
 

Royal gives it a test drive!

But before I get ahead of myself, here’s the back of the Matrix without any royal treatment:

 
rear of car, bare
 

rear of car, bare

As you can see, it’s nicely flat and the backs of the rear seats are made of plastic. Perfect, you might say, for carting small animals around. But first, there was a need for a more non-slip surface. Enter the cargo liner:

 
new liner laid
 

new liner laid

The liner is a polypropylene fiber, very carpet like. It’s stuck to the seat backs with velcro and gives Royal (my new step-dog) the traction he needs, especially with my lurching driving. Then add the adjustable pet barrier and we’re off for a drive!

 
pet barrier installed
 

pet barrier installed

Royal loves riding in my Matrix as much as I thought he would. See, until now, he’d been riding in the back of Sarah’s Passat, a fine car by most soccer-mom standards. She’s quite fond of the automobile and I admit it has some snazzy features — butt warming seats, hydraulic hood props, and the like. And yet it has a hard time turning off an iPod when parked, let alone accommodating a medium sized dog’s simple desire to stick his head out of the window.

 
dogs in mirror are smaller than they appear
 

dogs in mirror are smaller than they appear

Tell me, I dare you, this is not adorable.

 
catching air
 

catching air

The cool part is that turning my Matrix into a dog mobile has been mutually beneficial. For one, I’ve learned just how bad of a driver I was.  Some people close to me have noted my tendency to stop suddenly and accelerate a tad too fast.  Maybe she they were right!

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6 Comments

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  1. Lynda
    Posted June 29, 2006 at 5:48 am | Permalink

    Too funny! I mean about the drving part. Well, at least now you are going to have to drive “nicely”. Royal should love his new ride, once his driver gets the hang of it!!!

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  3. Posted June 29, 2006 at 7:39 am | Permalink

    Nicely done. Cute dog!

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  5. Posted June 29, 2006 at 2:01 pm | Permalink

    ahhhh. . . butt warmers. . .

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  7. Posted June 29, 2006 at 6:05 pm | Permalink

    He is such a cute dog! I know he appreciates all your hard work.

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  9. James
    Posted July 3, 2006 at 7:05 am | Permalink

    Oh driving with your spouse. Julie and I hardly ever fight but when we have, it’s been while “I” was driving. I tend to swerve just a little. ;)

    Cute blog entry though. When Julie and I first got married our pets were our kids too.

    We didn’t have step pets though. We got ours right after we got married. Rob, you will have to adopt Royal later this year. ;)

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  11. mel
    Posted July 4, 2006 at 6:57 pm | Permalink

    Those driving pictures are so cute! I just got to meet Royal yesterday–such a cute dog!

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