Transporting dogs long distance in the truck bed

[AT2011]

I have a 2011 Sierra crew cab with an ARE Z cap and will soon have to worry about where the dog will ride on long trips as we are expecting a second child. My biggest concerns are the temperature and CO₂. I make an annual trek to northern MI every year in the winter where it obviously gets cold and then again in what seems to be the hottest days of summer. I am looking for some creative ways to protect the the pup and still maximize the cargo space. What would be the best way to heat and cool, and then prevent any dangerous gases from harming a very important member of the family? I appreciate all the help I can get.

[Morgan1986]

The best way I can think of (might be a little overboard) is to get a canopy on the back of your truck . Then if your concerned about heat (most does can take the cold really well) just get a heater and put it in the box. This could be something like even a in cab heater for like 50 bucks. Put a blanket or cushion down for the dog and it can figure out its comfortable to lay on that for long boring trips.

[TimmyG]

Do u have the rear sliding window? Just open it up

[maxco]

What I did was get a cap, with removable (or sliding) front window...with the front window removed it puts a good bit of air to the bed of the truck on the highway. I have a crate set up the dogs can be in if they want to, and I hooked up a 12V power supply in the bed with a fan I run while the dogs are back there. It moves TONS of air and the dogs have no problems back there at all.

Here's the only pic I have of the set up, but you can see the crate on the left side of the bed with the 12" x 12" fan. I got it from Camping World I think for like $75 or something like that....

And actually while I'm camping, with the fan on it's cooler in the bed of the truck than it is outside under the sun, so sometimes the dogs lay in there....

 

 

Here is a pic of the 12V I installed. One runs off the truck power, the other runs to a deep cycle battery I bring along with me so I don't kill the truck battery.

[AT2011]

Thanks for the ideas, I'll post pics if I do something creative....

[doverarjim]

years ago I followed a truck down the road that had a shell on it and the tailgate was down and as we went down the road I saw something moving in the back of the truck and the next thing I know a German Sheppard came out onto the tailgate and sat there for a minute and then ducked back into the bed, only to come back out again, this went on for about 10 miles and then I noticed he only went back into the bed when we were going under an overpass????