Hey, anyone w/ a Baja, would you say its possible
to leave a seat folded and let a dog go back
and forth betw. the bed and the inside? how
big- like a labador? Just wondering if its
dog friendly or not. be nice to have a pet-friendly
pass-through.

thanks!

My dog went though it, a 50+ lb terrier. I've already crawled though it once as well. Don't know if I'd like a critter doing that while driving, but that's your call.
Might not be as easy for a big dog but I've seen huge dogs squeeze under fences and such... the switchback shouldn't be a prob!

Oh I remember, put some carpet on that folded seat, it's kind of slippery for paws and claws!

A 50 pound terrier? What the heck are you feeding that thing?? ;)

hehe, that's my roomies dog
it eats nachos, pizza, dog food. and butter

wow that's cool. and a heckuva diet!

i figure dogs love to hang out in the beds
of pickups, but its nice for them to be able
to come in and out too. w/ a normal p/u
you can't really do that, unless the window
drops down.

Good topic, and I think that 50lb terrier should star in the Baja commercial with Lance to highlight this Switchback purpose not yet advertised. :D

AG
May the GT-B with you!

As an (uptight?) dog owner, I'll just voice my disapproval of letting dogs roam around the back of a truck. This is a bad idea for so many reasons - even though I know dogs seem to enjoy it. Even tied out on a line, it's extremely dangerous. I've seen dogs jump out the back of a truck and basically hang themselves. Needless to say, few human beings would drive around with their head out the window without some sort of eye protection, I don't see why people allow their dogs to do so. :(

If we get a Baja, we'll just tie down Sydney's crate in the back. Kind of sucky in bad weather, so I'm not sure how keen I am on the idea. It's nice for her to have her own little protected space in the wagon right now... dunno.

Would a specific length of leash prevent a dog from hanging itself? Just long enough to exit the cabin but not jump over the side?

AG

I thought about that myself...
let it reach about 1/2 out the bed and tie it inside the cab somewhere (rear headrest/tiedown)
At worst, they could stick they're back feet off the edge, maybe

Ok, for the record, I took my roomate and his fifty pound terrier for spin with the switchback open.

The dog doesn't really have a problem getting through the switch, but he's arthritic and got tired of it after a while. He wouldn't go into the back at all while we were moving, but with roomate sitting back there he would (confidence thing). He liked sitting in the car with his head sticking out the switch.

If you do this with a dog bigger then fifty pounds, and they clamber through the switch a lot they'll probably destory the door seals in no time. If you do what I reccomend above (short leash tied to rear headrest) the dog won't be able to get into the front seat. Tie it to the front headrest, or something.

Other then that it was pretty fun! Got some pics but no web space :/

One of the reasons I sold my BMW 323Ci and bought a Baja was so I could carry our "baby" - an 85lb Yellow Lab. I also bought a small bed with sdide and back bolsters from Drs. Foster and Smith and, with the back seats down Daisy has a great place to sit, lok out of the windows or just be close to Lynn and me.

Even at her size, I know she'd fit through that pass through - she crawls under tables and chairs all the time. But, as was mentioned above, I cringe whenever I see a dog in the bed of a pick-up. I was out with 25 other BMW Z3 owners last weekend in the mountains of NC, SC and TN and saw several people with dogs being thrown from side to side of the bed as they "tried" to keep pace in the tight turns with the Z3s or to keep ahead so they didn't have to pull over. I was sure I'd see at least one thrown out - luckily I was wrong. :)

Mark

jeffm -
The "smarter" truck/dog owners I've seen have a wire that stretches across the bed (from left to right) and then a very short leash attached to the dog (you'll see this is some backyards). This is certainly better than nothing, and better than having a long leash; but if the dog can walk around, most likely he can go over the side.

Of course, none of these posts cover the eventuality of what happens when you get in a wreck, which I'd rather not think about.

Personally, I find that even the back section of my wagon seems too large for my dog - she's a 30 lb Australian Cattle Dog. The smaller an area is, the less momentum the dog is going to built up in a crash so (theoretically) the less likely they are to get hurt. So, even in my case I'm making a judgement call (over keeping her crated at all times) that could end up killing her.

My only consolation is that the breed was designed to take a hoof in the head every once and a while. ;)

a friend of mine used to line the bed of his el Camino with rubber padding- like the stuff you dry dishes on or put under a oriental carpet, and that gave his dog traction so he wouldn't slip around in the bed.

I don't think that is a good idea. If you had to come to a quick stop the dog could go flying in the switchback and if it hit in the wrong way paralysis could happen and or the dog could fly out of the back of the Baja. Please don't put your dog in danger. :confused: The best thing would be a crate in the bed or in the cabin for the safety of your beloved pet.