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New senior dog Maggie is quite small compared to Jolie. She arrived at 7 lbs. She *might* be up to a whopping 10 lbs by now.
A Cairn x Yorkie mix, she's great walker & goes a long way. The main problem for her is short legs when the snow is just too high.
I wanted a way to get her to the big local park that has a track that's usually plowed. It's hard to use the dog walk bar on the trike on sidewalks in winter, as there's just not enough width cleared for the trike wheels plus dog width.
I also wanted a way to get her out for at least 1 daily constitutional on days when I'm here by myself.
In looking online, I felt the dog baskets out there were too shallow for her, even though described as pet carriers. She's fairly long in the body.
Also, most of them needed handlebars with crossbars to hang from. The trike has weird wide swingback handlebars (which I love), but not many baskets will work with it. There's also not a lot of clearance between bottom of handlebars and top of front fender. And yes, I feel that the senior dogs in transition are happier keeping their eye on mom. So she has to be up front.
I felt a classic milk crate would be deep enough, not to heavy, and sturdy enough. Smooth, not sharp edges and surfaces.
That meant going with the Thule touring rack, which can attach to back or front. It has 25 lb capacity on top. Love the ratchet system for attaching to forks.
Bear in mind the trike has a lot of heft and stability to handle this on the front. It won't tip forward. The front wheel does rotate to the side more easily when basket is empty at a stop. I just have to make it a habit to put brakes on every time I park.
What with the motor etc, I have a lot of cable and fasteners attached to front forks of trike. So it maybe took me longer to find the right fit than it should. But I feel good about it.
The crate is attached by 4 extra strength 200lb capacity zip ties on the bottom. I've got 2 Clutch silicone tension straps securing the top edge of crate to handlebars. The crate does not budge.
I have a locking carabiner attached to the crate. I'm going to run that thru a loop made from a shorter zip tie. A short tether strap hooks from it to her harness.
Also on dog comfort & safety. I looked into helmets. But honestly even the expensive ones look as protective as a DQ baseball cap sundae bowl. So I think a soft padded cap of some kind. She will get cold up there. Maybe dog balaclava for the ear tips. Goggles against flying stones. Sweater. Have blanket and rain poncho in kit for bad weather on return voyage. Bungie or straps for emergency tie down.
I have a flat dog bed in there for cushioning. But it's a bit too big. She rides higher than I'd like. But I was relieved that for the trial she didn't try to jump out. Even when 2 big dogs walked past.
So I just need to tweak the liner. I like some padding for comfort. There are 2 kennel sherpas at the very bottom there now.
Maybe even a sleeping bag idea, folded over the top, secured tight around outside with bundle. For padding, small throw pillows could be put between the liner & inside wall of crate before fastening down.You want the holes blocked so that she doesn't get her claws or feet stuck in there. If it had a nice plaid lining, it would spruce up the milk crate look. Flannel feel inside, rather than nylon, would give her more comfort, less stress.
Revised thought on liner - I think this oversized flat dog bed may yet work. I liked the amount of padding it gave. She seemed to be sitting on top of the padding folded over on itself. Maybe it I keep it from getting collapsed - thinking grommets and zip ties to to edge of create - it could still work.
Mods to date 061523:
1. I ended up buying a Crate Mate liner off Amazon. I like the liner and was hoping the 4 point harness would be good.
but I don't. It's a straps around a neck collar. but it does give you a good template. there are 2 reinforced holes at each side. So I purchased my own short straps. I attached zip tie loops to the crate, and now the straps. can clips thru the premade slots to the loops underneath. I cut my own slash at the back to attach a third strap. So now it's a 3 point harness that can attach by 3 clips to the back D ring of a harness. That makes the Crate Mate a little less value for money. But at least I feel she's in there securely in a way that won't hurt her neck bones.
1a. I have added about a 1 " piece of memory foam to the bottom, on top of the Crate Mate, for more comfort.
1b. I've put the soft kennel sherpa mats on top of the foam so that she doesn't slip around.
1c. I've added 2 more clutch silicone straps to reduce front sway from the extra weight up there.
2. When we got her a life jacket for the canoe, we realized she's very easy to lift by the handle on the back. Also I like how the lifejacket has a wide band that Velcros under the tummy. So I've bought her a bike lifejacket that can stay in the crate. I haven't tried specifically lifting her into the crate by the handle, but I have out of the boat. Im pretty confident this will eliminate my worry about how to lift her up into the crate and back out again by myself. Update - I've been able to lift her into and out of crate myself using handle on pet lifejacket.
3. I have ordered a new bike walking leash for her. We've lost the old rod. But it wasn't good for her small height anyway. The new one will attach at seatpost but have a bend that brings it lower to the ground. I'm hopeful that will also keep her back from the front wheels more. The ultimate goal is to have a way to get her for those walks in winter by myself. Update - she did well with new leash system.
5. I've ordered a half canopy from Adirondack Canopies as a sun/rain/snow shade. We have had a couple of them for the canoe to shade the dogs. I like how these clip on so securely with almost jumper cable clips. We biked around with the one attached to the boat all summer and it never came loose. That's on the way.
6. I've picked up a couple more sets of bike lights. I want that front basket well lit.
7.. Field report. When she's just with me, she does will in the basket and doesn't fuss. If someone is with me, she's more agitated. Im not sure weather she thinks they can get her out, or if she's worried they are breaking with the pack. Anyway, a few more test runs, one mainly over the train tracks, and then I don't think I'll need to be shadowed any more. She has seemed to do well with slopes and road bumps. So I don't think there will be a huge problem.
