Hello, I’m Dr. Maja! Read my introduction to me and my two cross-bred dogs, lava and spatula.
Having a big car and a dog is a dream come true. There’s all room for it. Lava and I used to be on long road trips and we always had plenty of space for all the supplies. Hera then joined the pack and it was a little more crowded. Both dogs were in the back seat and there was a gate between them as the lava was avid barkers and cries in the car. She produces a variety of sounds. Especially when you’re looking at something interesting outside. And finally, the radio came as the third dog. Luckily, she is quite small, but the car seems to have become smaller too.
Back seat drama
For half of last year, lava and spara were in the back seat of the car. Both are large dogs, so there are boots and most of the space in front of the back seat. So, slowly, the idea began to form: get a large crate that fits in your boots, and a large crate that would make your dog comfortable enough for a shorter trip.
The main reason for this change was my concern that lava, which is very loud and reactive when looking at other dogs outside the window, might turn to Hera as a way to express her frustration due to the inability to reach the dog outside. It’s not happening yet, but lava knows well enough to hope that it can be. Hera also takes on the role of barking with random things she sees outside, whining sometimes, but nothing worse than lava. By moving them into boots, they are unable to see the outside world that much, and what they cannot see cannot upset them.
Dog hair everywhere
Another major reason for the change was that dog hair abundance also began to exist. In reality, it was always there, but it was very inconvenient to drive someone other than my mother who was used to hair, so I started to get a little more troubled. There are every corner that is difficult to reach, making cleaning the car almost impossible. And dog hair loves to find its way everywhere and stick to everything. It’s a daily battle, and after a two-hour drive, the car appears to have never been cleaned at work.
Lajka has a special place
The smallest radio had the most desirable location in the car. If I was a passenger, she would either slept on my lap or have her entire back seat. In this way, there is more room for our things and she will choose the aspect she wants to sleep in. Because she’s small, she really doesn’t try to look out the window, and she rarely barks. To be honest, most of the time I forget that she’s there until she snores.
New arrangements
And now, finally, after a few weeks of waiting, there is a dog crate in the boots and an improvised crate made by a local handyman. It’s not perfect, and I’ve already seen some drawbacks that I couldn’t expect in advance, but it serves the purpose. Hera seems to like it as much as I can say, but lava absolutely hates it with passion. In general, she hates being in her boots because she can’t see the outside world very well. In other words, there is no real reason to bar. And in the eyes of lava, it is a disaster. Also, it’s a bit crowded despite her being so big that she can lie down. The first idea was that the spatula and lava were in the wooden frame, but for a long trip, the lava still holds her wishes, enjoys the back seat, “barking her eyes,” and the radio would go to the wooden frame next to the spatula. And because the two love each other, in a way, it is an advantage for both of them. Who cares about what I want?
This article is part of Dr. Maja with her three dogs series.
