Riding in crates in pickup truck bed (closed cap)

[ejano]

We usually travel in my SUV, but today we had put the crate in the back of my husband's truck today for a visit to the breeder's farm as we planned a walk through the barn and pasture to get Brodie gradually reacquainted with sheep and goats...it's been about four months since he's been to the barn. Then we thought better of putting him through the back and let Brodie ride in front after he promised not to get covered in manure because I thought there might be a chance of carbon monoxide exposure from the muffler.

 

The truck is newish (less than 30,000 miles) with a good muffler system and no holes in the truck bed. We could leave one of the back doors open for fresh air but perhaps the traffic noise might disturb them? We're going about ten miles at most. The truck has a closed cap, but what are the chances of carbon monoxide exposure while under motion?

 

 

Brodie liked the sheep and goats just fine -- stayed on a long line outside, and loose in the barn where the animals were penned -- he couldn't get to them, but he could see them. He was a little jumpy and growly at first, wanting to lunge at them because he was a little fearful and wanted to get his licks in first - the sheep are so tame, they just stared at him like "I remember you, squirt. Weren't you the funny looking one with the target on your behind?" He calmed down after a few minutes and was very interested but still obedient on a recall. Lying down was a bit tougher, but he got it. We're going to visit more often and get more practice being around the sheep and asking for a down and recall before we start official lessons and I'd like to take him in the back of the truck, because my SUV is the "family car" and he's bound to get stinky one of these days.

 

Liz

[BCjetta]

I never had an issue having the dogs in the back of my dad's pickup with a canopy on it when we were growing up. They would be back there for a 5 hour drive up to the cabin and back. When I first got my BC, she was crated in the back but the older dog was always loose back there. I think we used to open one of the side windows a bit just for some air flow.

[KathyF]

I really don't think that there is any chance of carbon monoxide poisoning in the back of the pickup. A lot of people haul their dogs in crates or dog boxes in the back of their pickups. When we pull our travel trailer the dogs ride in the back of our pickup in crates with a topper on the truck.

 

Kathy

[Rave]

A friend of mine did that for years with her dogs with no problems. I used to ride in the back of my dad's closed truck as a kid with no problems either. As long as you don't open the back/side windows, the exhaust shouldn't contaminate the air back there.

[sea4th]

When I had my pick up truck, the dogs would ride back there with the windows popped open and there was never any problem.

 

Several years ago though, I read about a guy -- I think somewhere in the SW, who had his goldens back there for a ride home that took several hours. He arrived home with dead dogs. They died of heat stroke, in the heat of the day.