About 6months ago I was on craigslist, sifting through the "free" section for a basketball hoop. I do not play basketball. I am not good at basketball. I do not attend nor do I watch basketball games. For the most part, I do not particularly care for basketball. So when I came accross a posting for a free dog of mammouth proportion, I naturally sprang on it.

Within 72 hours I had approximately 50lbs of free dog food, approximately 5lbs of free leashes and combs, and exactly 125lbs of free dog.

It was fantastic and is fantastic and i would like it to continue to be nothing less than fantastic, so I need to make sure this dog is safe in the mini. Additionally, I need the dog's accomodations to be practical or easy/adaptable, in the event that i should have to transport a human as well.

so I ask the forums...

HOW DO YOU ACOMODATE YOUR BIGGIE DOGGIE IN YOUR MINI MINI?!

I own a 2002 MC R50. The dog is too big to fit in front of the passenger side seat. The dog is too big to fit on the passenger side seat without trying to shift me into first as I am reversing up a steep hill. Dog is too big for trunk/boot. Dog is too big to stay on rear folded seats without turning himself into a tripod, as a leg slips into the closest nook.

The only place for the dog is in the back seat, with the seat backs removed, so that the dog can easily go in and out through the trunk. For the most part, this is okay, except that the dog is still unhappy. Why?! Because the dog cannot stick his huge dog face out into wind, where it can flap around as it slaps its way through the wind.

I feel badly about confining my woof in a car, but I would feel worse if I were to leave him at home. He was given away for free because the owners wanted to make sure he made it into the hands of someone that was capable of extreme face time with the dog. I'm an artist/musician/tax evader, so i have all the time in the world for this dog. So if the dog is in the car, the dog should be able to put his face out the window. I'm also a smoker (i know, gross... right?) so the dog might want some smoke free smells.

I pulled the front seat out, and that has been working for the most part. he is big enough to get his head out the window whilst sitting on the floor of the car, if the window is all the way down. This set up does not, however, work when i've just picked up an attractive young lady in brooklyn and we get pulled over because 1. the officer has just seen a floating head drive by and 2. i am endangering her life and breaking the law, etc etc etc. Also, i don't want people to think i have napolean's complex.

I know they make inflatable cubes, that sort of rest in front of the front seat and on the floor, such as to extend the seat of the seat. But those take time to inflate/deflate, are a waste of space, and they're also completely ridiculous. It won't make the cut. The leatherette is too slippery for him to stay put on the seat.

This post is already way too long and it is 2am and i need to retire. I suspect this thread/question may go unanswered. I'll post images of the dog and car if i get a chance. He weighs in about 110lbs these days and is a Great Pyrenees.



sitting on nothing more than a drop cloth, mainly to keep him from messing the pasenger seat electrical

he's eating something weird. maybe a dog treat or maybe a 5amp fuse.

 

Not something he should be allowed to do anyway!

In any event you sound like a prime candidate for a full rear seat delete.

 

This post was epic. I want pics of said dog, in or out of the mini =). I love animals, but I have a mini dachshund so he has no problem fitting in my mini. Goodluck =D

 

Erm, you seem contradictory. You want your dog to be safe but at the same time wants his head sticking out AND you smoke while your dog is in the car(yes secondhand smoke applies to animals as well-read the latest entries in the American Journal of Epidemiology).

Bottom line is, you need a bigger vehicle or a trailer to haul your dog.

 

The folded seat tripod situation can be fixed with a panel of blue construction styrofoam cut to fit the perimeter of the trunk/seat area. I used this styrofoam in my Scion when I transported 52" LCD and didn't want any bumps in the folded seats to mess with the screen.

I think it's ~$10 at Lowes/Home Depot.



The face in the wind shouldn't be an issue with folded front seat / lowered window. You can't have a passenger in this situation, but the dog will get to slobber all over the traffic behind you.

 

Here's my 90 pound Boxer Kaiser. He loves the Mini and rides very well. That being said I have to explain he is a super calm dog and is content with just riding.

 

and one more

 

I was gonna help you....................... Then u bashed obama and now im not.




Ill still help even tho i dont want to. I have a husky malamute that is about 8 months old and already weighs 75 lbs, shes gonna weigh prob about 100-110lbs. So i deleted the rear seat, and put a false floor down, it made a pretty big amount of space, that i didnt have with seats folded down, if u slide the passenger seat up when no one is in it, ur dog should still be able to throw its head out the window. Sucks ur poisoning urself, ur dog, and ur cars with those cancer sticks tho, lose the cigs

 

C-lop, good looking boxer man, and hes a big one right on

 

Political commentary (in either direction) is not permitted on NAM, per the NAM Site Guidelines. It doesn't matter if it's pro-Obama, anti-Obama, pro-Bush, anti-Bush, etc. Same goes for comments on Democrats & Republicans in general.

Everyone - take the political commentary elsewhere. NOT HERE.

I have removed the original comment. In future, if any of you see this type of thing on NAM (again, regardless of whose side they are on), please report it using the Report Post icon () so it can be brought to the attention of the Moderators & Administrators.

Thanks.

 

I have an 85 pound lab, she sits or lays on the back seat. when the top is down i have a seatbeat harness for her, she can still laydown - windows open in back, she streches her neck to sniff outside smells.
I smoke also but NEVER while anyone else or Animals are in the car.
hope this helps.
good luck that is one beautiful dog you have and thanks for saving him!

 

I DID NOT BASH PRESIDENT OBAMA. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I WORKED FOR HIS CAMPAIGN. IT WAS A JOKE. A JOKE PEOPLE, A JOKE.

The guy that went door to door for Barack Obama, before his election, just received a "warning" on NAM, for "bashing" the president. I am speechless.

 

Political commentary is rarely taken as a "joke" here. Now you know. We've seen our share of ugly interaction between otherwise friendly NAM members that the rule became necessary.

There's a reason I only made it a warning and not a proper infraction.

I'm glad it was a joke... but hopefully now you'll realize that since "jokes" on the Internet can be so easily misinterpreted (applies to everything, not just politics), that it's probably better to just not bring it up at all here, if it's political in nature.

 

Uhhhh, What is with everyone thinking that if they snuff out tobacco smoke, they're going to save the world?

Your photobucket link shows me an image of MCS, which emits about 160 grams/kilometer worth of carbon dioxide(Give or take a few, depending on year and whatever performance mods you may have done). Versus the MC, which emits 139 g/km.

I'm sorry, but I feel no guilt whatsoever. I will enjoy my cigarette, as I feel better, knowing that your S is destroying the earth 10x more than me, my MC, my bicycle, and my delicious cigarette ever will. Mmmmmm the taste of cigarette and victory.... delicious!!

of the remaining .5% of Co2 emissions, Tobacco is last on the list:

 

kerikino is right... I like the way he talks in his threads too, so that makes him even a more abundance of rightness. If that's a word

 

Who was it on NAM that transported a PAIR of St. Bernards in their Mini all the time?

 

aaaaaand THIS is why I miss this forum. BMW owners are typically soo... grown up.

 

Yes, the impact of vehicle emissions on greenhouse gasses is alot greater in comparison to cigarette smoke. We're not pointing out greenhouse gas emissions. The smoke from a cigarette contains over 4000 chemical compounds, 200 upwards of which are known to be poisonous and over 60 are identified carcinogens. I don't care if you are poisoning yourself, it's your body, it's your right. However, exposing your dog in a somewhat confined space(even with the windows down), is a big no no in my book. I work at a veterinary hospital and all dogs that have smoking owners reek of smoke. Guess how much of that they've inhaled?

Since you've taken it upon yourself to save this dog, the responsibilities are now upon you. This includes not only shelter and food but also prevention of diseases. In addition, it is your duty to your dog to stay healthy so there's someone to take care of him/her. I've worked with both working dogs(Urban Search and Rescue(USAR) K9 unit) and companion dogs. These animals will give their lives for you and everything they have UNCONDITIONALLY. Keep that in mind the next time you light up in front of your dog.

Sorry to go off topic but it sickens me when people are poisoning their animals and are oblivious to the fact.

 

i do not understand this comment. most likely because i am either too young, or too old. heheh. which is it?!

 

You are a beautiful person for saving this beautiful dog...GET A CLUBMAN!!

 

i am sorry that my dog's exposure to carcinogens "sickens" you. we all have our vices, and i thank you for indicating that you are disgusted me and mine.

i suppose what i was getting at with co2 emissions, is what most people call "the big picture." no offense to you or your chosen profession, but saving domesticated animals is not exactly a righteous way of life. i would imagine that you treat animals, save them or whatever, and then hand them back to their owners, right? if so, then you --either consciously or unconsciously--acquiesce every day, that it is okay to abduct animals and remove them from their natural habitats. or perhaps you acquiesce that the animals life is not its own, but that of it's owner... as the animal has been commodified and traded. you acquiesce that animals are something to be traded, something material, something that makes you money!!! afterall, your entire profession, is entirely unnatural and against the grain, is it not? the life of an animal could be dependent on your personal availability, versus the animals ability to fend for itself and save or lose it's own life. that's not fair... is it? animals could die because you don't get paid overtime for more than 40hrs per week, so it's just not worth it to work more. you are killing dogs because you want to relax on the weekends and go to the movies! (yes, that was all satirical... you are not a killer)

my next dog is going to be named "charles darwin" and i will keep him inside a large plastic bubble where he can be safe from the toxins emitted from my cancer sticks.... where he can be freee!!!!!!

seriously, people need to get over the cigarette thing. the only reason "we" (i mean, collectively, north american society) think cigarettes are so awful is because the auto industry has paid lobbyists to tell us that smoking is destroying the earth. how about that?! "put that in your pipe and smoke it!!" i was just kidding, i'm sure you don't own a delicious tobacco pipe... relax.

so anyway, the bottom line is, if there is no earth, there are no cute little doggies to save. we won't be able to save a dog from worms and go to bed at night feeling as if we live a righteous existence. that would truly be horrible, wouldn't it?!!?! that said... if there is no earth, there is no you, no me (and my disgusting, horrendous, despicable cigarettes), no dogs.

so instead of castrating me for smoking a cigarette near something that has a pulse, we could instead look at something that's actually significant.

if you are going to bash me for smoking, then you should probably go ahead and take your mini and melt the chasis and redeposit the minerals back into the earth and tunnel into the earths core where you can replenish whatever oil you have left, etc etc etc. tobacco smoke is trivial, minute, completely and entirely insignificant, if you consider the scope of the earth and all of it's living things.

it might sound absurd, but really, it is no less absurd than insulting someone because they smoke a cigarette every other day, with a dog in the car, whilst driving 55mph with both passenger and driver windows down.

 

firstly, your dog is flippin' adorable.
I have to agree that he probably shouldnt be able to hang his head out the window, unless of course you buy him some doggie goggles to protect his eyes. (Im not kidding, you can get them at petsmart) Otherwise, he could be seriously injured by road debris.
As for putting him in the car, I'd agree with the rear seat delete. That, and open the sunroof for him so he gets some wind, and he'll be happy as a clam. My dog LOVES the mini, because when she sits up she's in the perfect position for a face full of wind. You may however also want to invest in a doggie seatbelt for him, also at petsmart. Good luck!

 

ust to clarify i ride a bicycle. as in self-propulsion.. as in 100% self-sufficiency.

someone thought i was referencing a motobike. not a motorcycle.

 

Congrats on your dog, and a big thanks to you for lookin'
for a free dog that needed a good home. It's great you
want to take your dog out with you to have some fun and
motoring experiences.

I would think a rear seat delete would be the best for you,
however I'm sure you could get by with simply removing the
rear seat backs and putting some dog blankets on the bottom.
If your dog wants to put his head out the window, let him
do it as it's what dogs like to do.

 

to the people who have posted helpful junk... thank you...

i could not disagree anymore. unless that was a joke. was it? if so thumbs up to your cunning wit and tactful dry humor. but if not... i think my earlier post/response about "the big picture" would explain why i would not want anything bigger or to add weight with something like a trailer.


i've considered something like this or the rear seat delete for quite some time, but ultimately i don't think it's what i am going for. something like that would remove space from the car by occupying the formerly available space. i've gone for the blanket/heavy drop cloths/manageble leveling of the back seats, but still, the dog can't get his face out the window. :<

Forums aside, those are some pretty first-rate photos.... You were not kidding when you noted your dog's tranquil nature. Seriously... those are great. Maybe I need a narcoleptic dog? <--- that was a friendly joke...

i think what i want to do is elongate the butt, or the "seat" of the front passenger chair/seat. but doing that would require some serious... everything. do what i may try sometime in the spring is to reposition the seats rails... shift them forward more, so that the seat butt can move forward further, and the back of the seat can flatten out more because it will not hit the back seat area as quickly.

i'm not really sure that will work very well or make much of a difference though.

C-lop -
how does your narcoleptic dog keep from sliding off the seat, side to side? I have the leatherette interior. That paired with the design of the mini seat, and the dog is sliding all over the place.

I wonder, if i had the time and the resources, if the front seat back were to have a removable hinge, it could hinge forward, then come off. then the butt seat could slide (with extended seat rails) all the way to sit flush against the back seats. resulting in an extended butt seat that starts at the back seat. ooooo and then the back of the front seat (after removed) could sit on the floor, in front of the butt seat, that has been moved backwards, making a super gnarly platform area for my dog, or someone elses mini horse, or panther, or animal of comparable proportions, to get down. the dog could lay down, sit up, move into the wind, move out, etc etc.

so if anyone was able to decipher all that butt seat, back seat nonsense, and they are also a product designer, and they also have a means of produce, please... feel free to steal and copyright my idea as your own! just let me get the first prototype!!!!

does anyone else feel like the mini seats are kind of really poorly designed? i know i read something about adjusting the angle of the seat with spacers... but the whole curvature thing seems like it goes too far. it looks good, but fails ultimately in practicality. thoughts?