A Ford-commissioned survey has found that almost a third of dog owners don’t secure their pets before setting off on journeys.
The survey asked 5,000 people from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK about how they let dogs travel with them, and 32 per cent said they let their dogs get in the car without being secured properly – allowing them to potentially move around and disrupt both the driver’s and other people’s journeys.
Of the people that didn’t secure their dogs, 32 per cent of those said their animals didn’t like being tie up in the car, 31 per cent claimed they didn’t need to on shorter journeys, while 14 per cent said they didn’t have enough space in their car for a crate.
A quarter of the 32 per cent also said they let their dogs poke their heads out of the window, with some also saying their pet jumped out the car and was injured or killed. Others also said that dogs had distracted them while driving – through walking around the cabin, pressing controls or even biting other occupants.
Insurance claims can even be invalidated if pets aren’t secured in the event of an incident.
So when designing its latest version of the Focus Estate, Ford and engineer Rene Berns ensured that the boot could accommodate the largest dog crate it could, as well as allowing space for the world’s tallest dog breed, an Irish Wolfhound.
See Available Ford dealsUsing his Australian Sheepdog, Emil, Berns made sure that large crates could fit into the back of the Focus Estate. With compressed foam insulation, a wider boot opening and changing the length of hinge screws, Berns was able to make transporting dogs much easier in the Focus Estate.
“I know how much it means to me to be able to take Emil with me wherever I am going, and I’m proud that he has helped make that easier for other dog owners and their pets to travel safely and in comfort,” Berns said.
The Ford Focus Estate starts from £19,400.
