Great 2,555 mile Mini Vacation with my dog

[ronnie948]

I recently went to Maryland and decided to take my Welsh Corgi "Mario" I went on line and bought a doggie booster seat for him so he could see out the window of my 2009 JCW. I had to get the large one from driving comfort because he is about 35lbs and a long dog. It fit fine in my passenger seat sideways. It was actually better sideways because it allowed Mario to just lay or sit and look out the windshield.
We left Daytona at 3:am and drove up I-95 to South Carolina. Of course I did stop at a few rest areas to stretch Mario's legs and let him do what dogs do.
We had breakfast and got gas in South Carolina and back on I-95 north.
We got to Just below Richmond and got gas and was informed of a traffic stoppage on 301. Plan B was in go mode through Washington and continue on I-95.
We got to my friend Tom's house at 7:pm and Mario met Tom, Thressea & their dog Bella for the first time.
It was Mario's first vacation and sleeping in a strange place but He really seemed to enjoy this new experience.
We did a lot of driving and visiting around Delaware & Pensylvania as well as the Elkton part of Maryland. Mario was ready to go every time. I would have thought he would be tired of riding but no way. He did have to sit in the back seat because Tom claimed the passenger seat.
We did take Toms Pickup truck a couple of places and Mario found he could stand on Tom's center consol and put his front paws in the cup holders so he would not slide around while looking out the windshield.
We headed back to Daytona after a great week with our friends and Mario is ready to go again.We did take two days to get back. Mario stayed in his very first Motel on this trip.
2,555 total miles counting the week driving around the tri-state area and I averaged 41 Miles per gallon for the whole trip. Pen & paper not the cars computer was used. I did check the odometer many times and it is spot on. My speedometer is off three miles per hour at 80. My Gps said 77 when the speedo said 80.
It was fun for both of us and I'm hoping to go to Denver next Sept. for the Mini in the Mountains. Of course I will take Mario.
Ronnie948

[minicooperwill]

Sounds like you and Mario had a great time. We've thought about taking our dogs on trips with us. Cooper (nice name, huh?) would be fine, but our poor little Daisy always gets carsick, even on short trips to the vet or petsitter. Oh well. Dogs are still so cool.

[Wolfeee]

How Great!!!! Mario is a handsome boy! Glad to hear of your travels!

[Oakland Raiders Mini]

Great dog, great car, great story, great life!

[xphiledan]

Awesome post! My dog loves car trips! Where did you get the booster seat?

[LadyGodiva]

Oh, I love it!!

Thanks for sharing. Mario is adorable.

[Tsar]

What's on your dash? It seems strangely hairy/dusty.

[diffuser1977]

My dog loves car rides. She hasn’t been in a Mini since we totaled our last one. Luckily my wife was able to block her from receiving direct contact with the air bag, she was in the passenger seat. We are looking forward to receiving our new Mini this weekend. Hopefully she will be ok to go for a ride.

[ronnie948]

I got the booster seat from www.drivingcomfort.com
I got the fitted piece of carpet from one of the nam forum venders. I got it to protect the dash from being scratched by Mario's toenails. It fits pretty good considering I don't have it fastened down with velcro.
The booster seat comes in two sizes. (small) & (LARGE) I got the large one and it fits sideways in the car just perfect. Mario is actually 37.8 pounds and I know because I just got back from the dog doctors with him.
I think other places have the booster seats but driving comfort had it 15% off with $5.95 shipping.

[ShaqDan]

That's pretty awesome. Looks like the dog had a great time.

[ronnie948]

He had way to much fun. I can't go near my garage door now without him come running and wanting to go with me.
I can't take him to the store in the Mini because it is just to hot to leave him in the car.
I usually have to take my Samuari if I do take him because it is fully open in the back and is cooler. He would rather go in the Cooper though.
I can't hardly wait for our Denver trip next year. I just have to plan an extra day on the road due to rest stops for Mario.

[jckonrad]

We'll be looking forward to seeing you and Mario at MITM, Corgi's seem to be the dog of choice out there; I know my two met with three others this year which means we'll hopefully have six next year!

[RVExotics]

Awesome to hear your dog has adapted so well to the MINI. I have two mini schnauzers that love going in the car but I'm so paranoid about their claws (schnauzers don't shed so thank goodness for that!). I don't worry about it too much in my GTi because it has cloth seats and they seem pretty durable, but I do worry about their claws scratching or ripping the leatherette in my soon to be MINI. I love the idea of that dog booster seat!

[kilmas]

Thank you for sharing you story and the pics. This post really made me smile.