Dogs in the Vault

[jerhenderson]

Is anybody else planning on putting their dogs in the vault? My concern is that if there is no removable or roll-down rear window then I have no way to get heating and/or cooling to the vault, and to hear the dogs if they're distressed or anything. I have two Boxers and my hope was to let them ride back there in a big cage for road trips. I'm often driving through snowy mountains or hot desert, and while I don't need to keep it 70 degrees for them I would definitely want to keep it between 50 and 90 degrees back there which I'd think a roll down rear window would achieve.

keep them in the cab with you. Simple solution. No dog of mine will be confined to the box.

Sponsored

 

[Fleetwood75]

keep them in the cab with you. Simple solution. No dog of mine will be confined to the box.

I’ve got a wife and two kids who will have to ride in the vault instead if I do that ?

 

[Cyberman]

Is anybody else planning on putting their dogs in the vault? My concern is that if there is no removable or roll-down rear window then I have no way to get heating and/or cooling to the vault, and to hear the dogs if they're distressed or anything. I have two Boxers and my hope was to let them ride back there in a big cage for road trips. I'm often driving through snowy mountains or hot desert, and while I don't need to keep it 70 degrees for them I would definitely want to keep it between 50 and 90 degrees back there which I'd think a roll down rear window would achieve.

Hell yeah. I was just having that conversation with my wife today. The ramp and kneel option are gonna be great! Especially for a big rottweiler.

 

[cvalue13]

I would definitely want to keep it between 50 and 90 degrees back there which I'd think a roll down rear window would achieve.

I’m not sure that a roll down window would achieve this. The vault would have ~equivalent square footage as the cab, and moving temperatures back there will not happen very well through just ambient exchange.

hell, I’ve been in the back seat of a quad cab thatonly had vents in the dashboard, and it could barely move air to the back half of the cab - much less a second cab with only a 12” X 40” aperture

regardless, the rear window does not roll down.

With a closed vault and an open rear window it's not much different from my Yukon though, in my opinion.

for reasons above, it’s quite a bit different - your Yukon has vents in rear to get that air moving

Totally agree, I don't want the dogs sliding around willy nilly. I'd put something like this in the back

for what it’s worth, that type of crate may help them not slide, but in an accident would fall to pieces and the vault will become a a boxer blender. At least in the vault the blended boxers wouldn’t become projectiles that endanger the lives of human occupants - unless of course the rear window was rolled down - in which case what is left of the boxers would turn the cab into a blender for both humans and boxers alike.

lots of folks dont abide by this, but lots of folks do lots of things.

For the safety of humans, dogs should be either in seatbelt harnesses in the rear seat cab, or in legitimate travel crates secured properly in the bed - eg Gunner kennels. Neither approach is likely to save the lives of the dogs, but will contain the damage their bodies will do.

sorry to be gruesome, but it’s the reality of the situation.

imagine a 60lb boxer is instead a 60lb 7 year old child. decide accordingly as to what outcome you’re comfortable with

 

[Crissa]

We haven't seen any proof that the ramp made it to the final production model have we?

We haven't seen any proof it won't be, either.

-Crissa

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

We haven't seen any proof that the ramp made it to the final production model have we?

No proof one way or another. I was responding to an unproven claim.

 

[jerhenderson]

I’ve got a wife and two kids who will have to ride in the vault instead if I do that ?

lol.... they can share with the dog(s).

 

[Eye of Elon]

This was one of the main reasons I wanted the cybertruck, to avoid the fabric and carpeted interior being layered in dog hair. A ramp would have been nice too, my dog will probably need it in a year or 2.

Also, camping, it better be climate controlled.

 

[Qishrink]

keep them in the cab with you. Simple solution. No dog of mine will be confined to the box.

I totally agree. Mine will be in the cab with me.

 

[RayzorBEV]

Agreed, if it's not a temperature conditioned space and if there's no opening (i.e. rolled down rear window) to hear if the occupants are in distress. With a closed vault and an open rear window it's not much different from my Yukon though, in my opinion.

If there is no roll down rear window I will have no choice but to get a Rivian R1S instead, but I'm really really hoping that I can get the Cybertruck

Even my Rivian R1T has a small but useful opening into the gear tunnel where many animal owners would put their small pets (not for large ones) in there. The gear tunnel is shielded from direct sun since it's sandwiched between the rear bench seat and truck bed. Even the doors are somewhat insulated because each contains a storage compartment.
Hopefully, Tesla would have similar or better setup on the Cybertruck.

 

[Rutrow]

I'll bet $100 that the rear window rolls down.

Any takers?

 

[PilotPete]

I don't know. I have always had an emotional attachment to my dogs. (my kids? , meh) If I can justify cleaning the interior because the kids or a guest dropped or spilled something (or I did), then I can justify vacuuming out pet hair. They make covers for the back seats if you don't want the hair on the seats. Ain't no freaking way I'm putting my dog in any tunnel or vault. And if the cab is full, the dog ain't going. And if we already have the dog with us, then there will be fewer peeps in the car/truck. People that ride in the bed do so knowingly. You can explain risks to them. I try and explain risk to my dog, and they just look at me and wait for the door to open so we can go. I will not ever wake up and feel guilty that my dog isn't here or suffered pain because I didn't afford them the same level of safety I give to people. Period, full stop.

 

[Rutrow]

I’m not sure that a roll down window would achieve this. The vault would have ~equivalent square footage as the cab, and moving temperatures back there will not happen very well through just ambient exchange.

hell, I’ve been in the back seat of a quad cab that only had vents in the dashboard, and it could barely move air to the back half of the cab - much less a second cab with only a 12” X 40” aperture

Something that needs to be mentioned, because I haven't seen anyone point out, and is EXTREMELY important for people who often have passengers in the rear seats, especially children and pets in the "way back", is to remember to turn off the "MAX" and/or "RECIRC" setting on your A/C.

The recirculating setting is helpful when you want to quickly cool the FRONT SEATS of your vehicle. It accomplishes this by closing off the ducts that bring in outside air, instead recirculating the conditioned air in the passenger compartment. The intakes for this recirculating air is under the dash, near the footwells of the front seat passengers. The cool air from the dash vents quickly gets sucked back into the evaporator coil plenum to cool down further, this recirculation leaves very little air exchange in the rear of the vehicle, so very little cooling beyond the front seats.

The passenger compartment has exhaust vents at the rear of the vehicle intended to draw conditioned air to the rear portions of the passenger compartment, and even the trunk. Most people are familiar with the cabin air intake grill at the base of the windshield but often oblivious to the exhaust vents that allow the pressure release, letting in the intake air. Cars in the old days used to play up these vents with contrasting colors or even chrome.

Not so much anymore. The exhaust vents on modern cars are hidden behind brake light assemblies, under roof rack mounts and window trim, but they still accomplish the important function of bringing cool/warm air to the rear of the car.

Grown ups and teenagers are good about notifying the driver that they're getting overheated, but toddlers, infants and pets will suffer silently, or at best cry ambiguously if you have the "MAX" or "RECIRC" setting activated, effectively closing off these exhaust vents because there's no fresh air coming in the intake vent.

sorry to be gruesome, but it’s the reality of the situation.

Thanks for daring to be gruesome cvalue, it's something many folks need to hear.

 

[PilotPete]

imagine a 60lb boxer is instead a 60lb 7 year old child. decide accordingly as to what outcome you’re comfortable with

There is a regulatory requirement in commercial air transport to have the dogs secured. In private jets this is done with either a kennel that's belted or attached to the aircraft interior, or a harness that is connected to a seat belt. I use a harness for the large dogs I've had and flown with. Never had them on the plane without one. If you think it's bad at highway speeds or under, imagine at double that in a plane. And planes don't have "crumple zones" to dissipate energy.

Sponsored