I would like to hear from others about if and under what conditions they have their pets ride in the front seat of their vehicle. I was reading a blog the other day and I came across a picture of a van that had its front seat facing backwards and it looked like that was the way they travelled - allowing the dog in the picture to look out the window, be close to the driver, and have a barrier between it and the front windshield. 

I am anticipating a purchase of a class B rv and want to employ this idea for Matilda, my australian shepherd mix. Has anyone tried this? Has it worked - to your and the dog's satisfaction? Any ideas from others about this?

Well, if facing forward, make sure you disable the airbag. Then keep the seat belt snapped closed and clip a d-ring/carabiner clip around the strap of the seat belt and onto your dogs harness. Not collar, harness. (A collar will slice the dog's head off if the impact is severe.) If there does happen to be front end impact and your dog suddenly becomes a projectile, the seat belt will snap to a stop like it does for you and the dog will go no further forward than the place the seat belt locked. Yet under normal speeds your dog will have some room as the seat belt stays loose. My dog rode in the Jeep that way, and then in the FJ Cruiser, and when we hit the road, she will be perched on the throne I made for her clipped to the seat belt. BUT... only if I can figure out how to turn off that passenger airbag. That bag fires with such force it will kill a dog.

And if your dog rides with her head out the window, check out a product called Doggles at any pet store. Eye protection for your dog. The dog before this one wore them because she rode with her head out the Jeep. I figure, they get one pair of eyes like us, someone produces this product so there must be a need for it, and how bad would I feel if my dog lost an eye because I was too cheap to spend 20 bucks on safety goggles?

Doggles at Pet Smart

I crate train all my dogs. The crate becomes their safe space. When we had a class C, a medium size Vari kennel fit under the dinette. In our current crew cab, it fits in the back seat area and is easily secured to the seat bases. We only travel for 4-5 hours per day with a stop for lunch and a dog walk so the dog happily sleeps in the crate while going down the road. 

Edited July 21, 2017 by TCW