My home has front steps and a back step and I’ve been using a blanket folded into a sling to help Sparky navigate the back steps. It’s working pretty well but it’s hard to feel confident that I won’t have it slip. I’ve ordered one from Drs Foster & Smith that has yet to arrive. Photo from their website…
As I’ve mentioned earlier, Lorie and I live about 70 miles apart so I travel weekly w/Sparky and am concerned about how he’ll manage in the back seat of my car. I’m thinking of getting a back seat dog hammock that will prevent him from falling off the bench seat and getting stuck while I’m barreling down the freeway. Has anyone used one of those and can recommend a style or brand?
Hi there! What we use is a collapsible crate (Boots and Barkley brand). I have a small SUV & I secure it with one of the back seat belts. My dog loves being in it -especially the way I drive. I just put his favorite blankets in there & he snuggles up & sleeps. If you don’t have a big vehicle, the hammock should work just fine. I’m always afraid that my pups will get tossed around in the car if they’re not secured somehow. We live in an area where there’s a lot of sharp turns in the road. Really depends on your situation. My coworker uses a hammock & it works for her. As for the sling, I think it will come in handy. We use the Web Master harness for our tripawd. SO handy when tackling stairs or getting in/out of the car. Sparky is in good hands. Oh, in case you’re wondering, we found that Boots and Barkley crate at Target for about $25. Keep us posted on Sparky’s progress! And congratulations on your engagement! – Anna, Gizmo the tripawd, Chico, Tator & Kishou the meanest cat ever.
Hmmm. Not sure that you’ll be entirely happy with that harness, since the handles aren’t removable. You wont’ be able to leave it on other than for trips to and from the car, so if you’re OK with that it could work but for more mobility assistance there are better ones out there. Have you seen the ones in our Gear shop? They’re all Tripawd Tested and Approved 🙂
http://gear.tripawds.com/shop/
In the meantime try using a reusable canvas grocery bag as a sling, it works much better:
http://tripawds.com/files/2014/09/SlingDemo.jpg
The hammocks are great! I don’t have one but a friend of ours does for their pups and they love it. Consider asking about this in our Hopping Around Forum, you’ll get lots of feedback:
http://tripawds.com/forums/hopping-around/
Thanks for the feed back and tip about the canvas shopping bag as sling – great idea. For now I’m thinking that the sling will be situational. Will probably get a harness soon as well.
I did get a back seat hammock for him but we’ve only used it a couple times. A little clunky getting him in there, but once he’s inside he can sit up and get comfortable etc. Of course, we bring his blue blanket so its cozy.