Dogs in Teslas

[ladyworm]

So OH and I both have Tesla model 3s. We won’t be changing them anytime soon. Due to the design, we’d be unable to have a dog in the boot. If we were going somewhere as a family, we’d have two adults, two children (one in a booster type car seat), and the dog in the car. Does anyone do this successfully in the Model 3?

We’re only thinking of getting a small dog, but wondering if this would be enough space. The kids would love to share the back seat with a dog! Interested to hear if anyone else has the same car, and their seating arrangements with a family and a dog!

Yes. Middle seat. Attach seatbelt to harness.

I wanted a 3 but due to the dog I got a Y instead.
We do have a big dog though, a small one might be ok in the back in a harness

That’s what we thought. I guess it limits us to small dogs though?
I walked my sister in laws Corgi today and I’m strongly considering them again…. But he’s quite long and I’m worried the car would be too small for one. Not a problem if it’s just one adult and the two children as eldest is old enough to sit in the front.

Could one of the kids seats go in the front temporarily? I'm not sure I'd want a puppy in the middle seat without an adult to supervise. How old are the kids?

We weren’t considering a dog when we got our 3s. I do frequently say I wish we’d got one Y though!

11 and 6. Both very sensible. Only the 6 year old is in a car seat.

11 year old in the front and adult in the back while you've a unruly puppy then I'd say!

That’s a good idea!

how much space would a small dog need though? Do they need to stretch out completely?

Surely the most sensible thing would be to try your sisters corgi in your car?

Yes! He is two and according to my Welsh MIL “the biggest Corgi she’s ever seen!” Seeing him in her car today, he lies down and takes up two seats in the back.

Might be different with your lifestyle but we have spaniels and they get wet/muddy/sandy. I really wouldn’t want them on the back seats, you’d be forever cleaning the car. The winter we’ve had has been very muddy everywhere. Just something to be aware of.

I have a small DDog and I can confirm that they do indeed link to stretch out, especially if she's in the car for longer than 10 minutes

He can stretch out onto your lap though! Or a ddog might sit up and look at things.

I can't really remember how big a corgi is but my dog is 12kg and she's loads of room in the middle of the back of our not enormous car, if that helps.

I'm really against dogs being in the boot of a car as they'll be crushed to death if someone crashes into the back of your car. Mine have always travelled on the back seat with a doggy seat belt harness.

Are you fully able to supervise a dog in the back with your children - you aren't meant to leave a dog with children like that.

A Tesla? Really? Can you not find an alternative EV that will be better for you and your family, and dog? And doesn't actually increase Musk's fortune?

Thanks for that.

I agree with that poster.

It’s a bit late once you’ve already got one though.

I got mine on a 4 year lease 3 years ago. I won’t get another and I am gutted about it as it’s by far the best car I’ve ever had.

Anyway, to answer the OP - I have two children and a small dog and manage with the dog in the back with no problem. She sits in the middle seat with a harness on a blanket

Is it a Swasticar?

My dog is 9kg and sits in a dog booster seat which is like a box attached to the headrest. She seems to quite like it as she can see out.

Depends on how long the journey is for how much space you need.

Nipping 10/15 mins away to drive to a walk? Back middle seat is fine (buckled in)

Travelling 1 hour + not really, my dog stretches out across the whole back seat on long journeys.

But something to consider - when they are a puppy they are bitey and fidgety and that won’t work well with children either side. You can’t break up a dog/child ‘disagreement’ when driving. They will likely not sit nicely in the seat for a long time.

and then there’s the mess others have mentioned. My car looks like it’s been rolled through sand, mud and trees with all the doors wide open 🤣

in an ideal world you would have a crate on the back seat for the dog to keep them contained and separated from the children but that takes up too much room

Well if you are determined to buy one, you should get a good deal. As sales have plummeted throughout Europe and the US.

Oh, and every move you make in a Tesla car is recorded

https://spectrum.ieee.org/tesla-autopilot-data-scope

I don't

Just to say that almost all harnesses/seatbelt attachments are useless in a crash and will not restrain the dog safely. If you want them to travel on the backseat look for crash tested harnesses and belt attachments specifically. They are more expensive and harder to find but they will keep the dog (and everyone else) safe from flying forward in a crash.