Bike trailer for dogs?

September 6, 2006 2:18 PM

Are there bike trailers for pets like the ones for kids?

I want to take my dog with me when I ride my bike, but he can't run alongside.

I want a trailer like the ones kids ride in, but are those OK for pets? I have a beagle who is about 33 lbs.

posted by I_Love_Bananas to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 comments total)

I'm not a pet owner but I've seen several folks using Burley trailers for pets. One was a pretty big German Shepherd who looked to be considerably larger than 33 lbs.
posted by fixedgear at 2:21 PM on September 6, 2006

I am sure you could just your beagle into a Burley (trailer for kids). You would even have enough space to put a little bed in there for him.
posted by sulaine at 2:22 PM on September 6, 2006

The other day I saw a woman with Burley full of puppies. It was the cutest thing ever.

I've known several people who have toured with Burley trailers packed with 100+ lbs of gear, so your pooch will be fine.
posted by Coda at 2:41 PM on September 6, 2006

Looks like the Burley trailers have a capacity of 100lbs, according to their website.
posted by gatorae at 3:02 PM on September 6, 2006

They do manufacture bicycle trailers specifically for pets. Do a google search on something like "bike OR bicycle trailer pet". It should come back with a lot of options.
posted by La Gata at 3:57 PM on September 6, 2006

WIKE Wagalong Bike Trailer, Petego Sport Wagon Bike Trailer, CycleTote DoggyTote. Pricey!
posted by lia at 4:18 PM on September 6, 2006

My family had a cocker spaniel for many years. When we got big into long bike rides, we would put her in one of those kiddy trailers and use the seatbelt harnness (just a harness with a loop to thread a seatbelt through) to strap her in, mostly as an extra precaution against her leaping out. She loved it.
posted by billy_the_punk at 5:52 PM on September 6, 2006

I've done grocery shopping with my nashbar knockoff of a Burley (less than half the price, pretty similar otherwise; I'd recommend it), and it worked fine.

I'm pretty sure I had more than 30 lbs worth of stuff, and the weight distribution of a dog is more similar to a kid than groceries are.
posted by JMOZ at 6:01 PM on September 6, 2006

off topic and I am not a vet, but your dog is between 8 and 13 pounds overweight. You might want to adjust his/her diet and exercise regime.
posted by furtive at 9:47 AM on September 7, 2006

I'm actually on the same search.

For the last three months, I've been carrying my now-5-month-old Aussie Shepherd puppy to work every day on public transit, but at 25lbs, she no longer fits in the bag I was using and is getting a bit too heavy to carry for extended periods anyway. They won't allow her on the bus or subway during commute hours if I can't carry her, so it's time to find a new way to get to work.

Before I got a puppy, I was riding my bike to work every day, and I've been missing the exercise dearly. There are a wide variety of bike trailers for kids on Amazon, and I'm partial towards the InStep Ride N Stride and the Rocket, but I can't find any literature describing what the floorboard is made of. I think the primary difference between carrying a dog and carrying a kid in one of those trailers is that the kid isn't putting all of its 50lb weight on sharp fabric-ripping claws. Can anyone recommend a trailer with a floor sturdy enough to withstand some light digging?
posted by quasistoic at 10:36 PM on October 5, 2006