Have old doggo, will travel.

July 1, 2016 9:29 AM

I would like to get this Old Man into this bike basket, and safely drive him around. What’s the best way to do that?

We adopted a senior dog about six months ago, thinking we would give him a soft, warm place to live out his golden years.

However, since gaining weight, he’s gotten really playful—especially for an old dude. He pounces! He plays with toys! He runs! He tussles! And he loves nothing more than being carted around Brooklyn to the farmer’s market, the park, the pet store, or basically anywhere we go. (We’re even starting to think he’s not as old as the vet told us.)

So! I’d like to get him some kind of bag, harness, or contraption to safely put him in my bike basket and take him to even more places.

A few notes:

* He’s very docile in a bag, and doesn’t squirm or try to get out. I guarantee he will love this, and it won’t stress him out at all*.

* He’s creeping up on 9 lbs., which amazing but still pretty little, so the contraption can’t be very big.

* I’d prefer the contraption to not be bulky, because I’ll have to carry it around once we’ve locked up the bike.

* It gets hot and muggy here. I don’t want something overly padded or fuzzy, because I don’t want him heat stroking out. That said, it does need to have a bit of cushion for his lil ol’ bones.

* I want him strapped to the basket, somehow. I’ll drive carefully and slowly with him, but Brooklyn streets are bumpy and I would worry about him bouncing out.

* This bag arrives at my house tomorrow, but the longer I look at it, the bulkier it looks. It does have air vents, but I'm not sure it's enough. I do, however, like how it transforms into a backpack or shoulder bag.


If “in the basket” is just a bad idea, I’m happy to hear other options. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

*Of course, if it does stress him out, I’ll never do it again.

posted by functionequalsform to Pets & Animals (9 answers total)

A 9-lb load that can move independently, cantilevered away from your handlebars, is not good engineering.

A rear rack would be preferable. I'd probably get a hard-sided carrier, and assuming you didn't want it to be a permanent fixture, lash it to the rack with webbing straps and side-release buckles or something like that.

A trailer would be better still: this would allow you to crash with much less likelihood of the dog coming to harm.
posted by adamrice at 10:16 AM on July 1, 2016

Best answer: Ronnie our dog, who's also a senior, travels on a bike in a similar basket with a piece of cardboard and a towel in the bottom, no bag, nothing fancy at all. It took a few gentle trial runs for him to feel comfortable about it, and I still tie him in, but it works for getting around with him. (Ronnie has also come riding and kayaking.)
posted by anadem at 10:22 AM on July 1, 2016

There are some good dog backpack-style carriers available these days. I'm sure you could find a way to secure one to the rack, then because it's a backpack it should be easy to carry around once you arrive at your destination. Several of these look quite well ventilated (just a page I found from a Google search, but you get the idea.).
posted by misskaz at 10:37 AM on July 1, 2016

I'd do the cardboard/towel in the bottom, and then harness and short lead attached to the basket. I'd think that a hard-sided bag would be hot (though it would provide shade), but I'm in Floriduh and it's always hot here.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:41 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

I really like the idea of these bike baskets with the wire cages - security and air flow.
posted by Squeak Attack at 11:17 AM on July 1, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: The pet basket is cute, and looks safe and well ventilated. You could even put a little covering over the top for shade.

I see little dogs sitting in wire baskets with a piece of 1/4 plywood or heavy cardboard wrapped in a towel. They generally have harnesses that are snapped onto both sides for security. I've seen one that has a parasol attached! It gets pretty hot here.

Your bag looks great for winter.
posted by BlueHorse at 1:08 PM on July 1, 2016

Best answer: This is my plan for putting my (freakishly similar looking dog) in my rear rack once I get that rack-enabled bike.
posted by supercres at 1:11 PM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I literally just got home with this k9 sportsackfor my 10lb dog, and it's GREAT. I took the big dogs for a walk, she got to come along on my back, and all of us were happy. She was super chill in it, and I'd highly recommend it.
posted by yarnagogo at 2:51 PM on July 1, 2016

My coworker used a somewhat more vertical basket (like this), lined it with a towel, put his dog in a harness, and bungee corded his (very active) dog to the basket. Worked just fine - he commuted ~2 miles each way for months with his dog in the basket.
posted by asphericalcow at 6:11 PM on July 1, 2016