Labrador owner - is it E class or ML only to carry a cage for your loved one?

[MikeInWimbledon]

Young friends have a year old lovely Fox Red Working Labrador Retriever which now needs to be carried safely in a cage on long trips (2-3 hours)

To my eyes, the ideal option is an E class or maybe an ML. (I hate SUV's for purely on-road use)

If you've got a larger dog, what's your view?

They also want to occasionally carry a bike or two AND the dog. (For a week or two away in the country). They could put the bikes on the roof but "would rather" put them in the car.

Their budget is limited to £10k, so an early S212 or W164 seems the likely solution.

Coming from a BMW 3 series saloon, and living on the edge of London, they're a bit loathe to move to a much bigger car.

Got any thoughts from YOUR experience of owning a larger dog?

 

[BTB 500]

If they don't need to go off road an E Class estate should be ideal. Also a better option (IMHO) for putting bikes on the roof as this isn't so easy with a tall vehicle like an SUV. If they get a cage make sure it has an escape door at the front so the dog can be got out that way if the car gets rear-ended and the tailgate can't be opened.

We have a few (ahem) Border Collies so sadly an E Class wouldn't quite cut it

TBH for a single dog a C Class estate would be fine (and closer in size to their Beemer). We have an S205 (and previously had an S203), and have used those for trips with just a couple of the dogs.

 

[SpikyMikey]

C Class is perfectly OK for a single Lab, but lab plus bikes would mean putting the bikes on the roof or a rear carrier.
We had a MIMSafe Vario cage for our Lab. Swedish designed and crash tested, but not cheap!

 

[BTB 500]

I don't think you'd easily get two adult-sized bikes plus a dog into an E Class or ML either? I was assuming the bikes would need to be carried externally ... a rear carrier isn't ideal as it's then not easy to get the dog in/out.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

We have a few (ahem) Border Collies so sadly an E Class wouldn't quite cut it

Wow: what a fabulous "pack"

 

[milleplod]

This mucky bugger fits perfectly in our W212!

Pete

 

[Petrol Pete]

They should buy a van if they want to do the dogs AND the bikes or get a tow bar and fit a Thule type bike rack to it. The rack we have that fits on the tow bar of the wife's Zafira pivots down (with 3 bikes on) allowing rear door to open. Do they have to have an MB for this task ? better options out there on a £10K budget.

 

[Benzowner]

Bear in mind as the dog gets older, he may not be able to jump so high as the floor of an SUV and may even need a little nudge of an estate car.

 

[Petrol Pete]

You could buy a dog ramp, or a short plank of wood with some old carpet nailed to it. First world problems we are having here

 

[SpikyMikey]

You could buy a dog ramp, or a short plank of wood with some old carpet nailed to it. First world problems we are having here

Or simply pick him/her up like we have to do with our old soldier now. But then he is 13 1/2 .

 

[Rpp999]

Our GSD ( middle one ) happy in my c class estate.

 

[Chugg]

We have a S212 E class estate and our big greyhound fits great, but we don’t have him in a cage or anything, he just jumps in and lies on his boot mattress, and stands up now and again for a stretch and turn around and have a little look at the world going by. There is one of those mesh dog guard things that you can roll up/down built into the load bay cover but we never use it and just leave it down, but greyhounds are quite placid, he’s well behaved, doesn’t try jumping over or anything, and isn’t a chewer, where as my brothers Patta-Jack would gnaw at stuff and fly around the interior like he’s in a wall of death show!
Got to agree with others about the bikes too, a van is the only real practical option if you want it all inside, or a VW transporter or a Nissan Elgrand or something for more comfort but they’re quite big buses, or else it’s outside mounted for a car or SUV. I’ve found the best compromise is (if you have a tow bar) a tow bar mounted bike rack, ours only takes about 10 mins to clamp on a fit 3 bikes, but yes obviously needs bikes off to get the dog in or out, unless you have a seat down and let them out through a rear door. I find it easier/quicker than taking wheels off to get the bikes in and easier than on/off the roof.
Not had an ML so can’t say on that.
Hope they get sorted though, sounds like they have a lot of great times ahead

 

[BTB 500]

Bear in mind as the dog gets older, he may not be able to jump so high as the floor of an SUV and may even need a little nudge of an estate car.

A friend of mine had a Newfoundland and a RAV4 ... not a good combination when the dog got older.

 

[BTB 500]

We have a S212 E class estate and our big greyhound fits great, but we don’t have him in a cage or anything, he just jumps in and lies on his boot mattress, and stands up now and again for a stretch and turn around and have a little look at the world going by. There is one of those mesh dog guard things that you can roll up/down built into the load bay cover but we never use it and just leave it down

Worth mentioning that this is illegal now, although it's pretty unlikely you'd ever get caught. Would be fine with the mesh guard up - that's what we do with the C Class.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Or they could get a few of these and not worry about space.

Unicycle.com Mini Bike - Green : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

Unicycle.com Mini Bike - Green : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Petrol Pete]

Worth mentioning that this is illegal now, although it's pretty unlikely you'd ever get caught. Would be fine with the mesh guard up - that's what we do with the C Class.

More worried about people/dogs getting badly injured , even in 'slow' crash.

 

[BTB 500]

Or simply pick him/her up like we have to do with our old soldier now. But then he is 13 1/2 .

Blimey we have a Collie that age (3rd from left on the pic.) who jumps up into the upper tier of caging in the Vito! Our almost 15 year old (2nd from left) isn't so spritely, but he still jumps up into the bottom cages on his own.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Blimey we have a Collie that age (3rd from left on the pic.) who jumps up into the upper tier of caging in the Vito! Our almost 15 year old (2nd from left) isn't so spritely, but he still jumps up into the bottom cages on his own.

Unfortunately our boy has arthritis in both front legs. Mentally he's still a puppy and is up for anything, but not so physically.

 

[milleplod]

Worth mentioning that this is illegal now, although it's pretty unlikely you'd ever get caught. Would be fine with the mesh guard up - that's what we do with the C Class.

What exactly is 'illegal'?

Pete

 

[Chugg]

Worth mentioning that this is illegal now, although it's pretty unlikely you'd ever get caught. Would be fine with the mesh guard up - that's what we do with the C Class.

Crikey, didn’t know that, thanks. Something to think about.
I’ve got to say I do see a lot of dogs get out of cages in cars and I think the cages look too small for the dogs and a bit cruel if they can stand, stretch turn round etc. but can’t argue it’s safer, because I see loads of dogs lolling around in cars and dogs on passenger seats of vans sliding around the car/dashboards.
Like @Petrol Pete says too, I wouldn’t like to think of an unrestrained dog in an accident, and I was think of getting one of those harnesses which you can clip on to the cargo anchors. I thought it’d be better than caging him in.
My brothers is one of those seatbelt ones, are those illegal too then? The dog has to be in a cage?

We don’t have him in the car very often to be fair, beach and lots of dog walks on our doorstep, but he goes in when we go away etc. same as the OP’s friends.