Looking at dog carriers. Anyone have any advice?

[Quickdraw]

The wife and I have two 1 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and we want to bring them with. I've looked at the Kuryakyn and the Saddleman, as well as many others, but those two seem to be the top rated ones out there.

Does anyone have a dog carrier that they would recommend? I was looking at goggles and a helmet but don't think the helmet is really necessary. Goggles for sure though.

Thanks,
Dave

[easysuper]

I would recommend a trailer instead of a carrier, they would have more room and you can get a insulated one so they dont get over heated or cold. We had one for our English setter and she rode over 50,000 miles in her trailer without any problems.

Stoped for a break.jpg

[Quickdraw]

I looked at trailers but they go for around $5,000.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I would recommend a trailer instead of a carrier, they would have more room and you can get a insulated one so they dont get over heated or cold. We had one for our English setter and she rode over 50,000 miles in her trailer without any problems.

Stoped for a break.jpg

..... I had an English Bull Dog & a trailer is the only thing that He fit in (50 lbs.) .....Mike

I looked at trailers but they go for around $5,000.

See my post #4, $ 5000, OMG ..... I already had a small trailer that I had made using a Sears car top carrier and the frame was 2" PVC plumbing tubing ... It had a coli spring suspension too ..... It cost me about $75.00 in parts .... Max loved it .... I used it to go to town and get Him a soft serve ice-cream. .... When I asked Him if He wanted a "creamie", He would run around to the back of the house and get in. ......Mike

[Knizar]

I looked at trailers but they go for around $5,000.

My brother and I each have a 2020+ RTL, we have Aluma bike trailers for longer trips.

He has a German Shepard/Husky 80lbs dog, that loves to ride on golf cart or anything that moves!

This winter we bought an inexpensive used cargo trailer with torsion axle for less than $200.
We took the top cover off and replaced with tubing style sides with a used bike windshield on front.
Added new tires & LED lights. Total investment less than $600.

We have pulled the trailer & dog around behind the golf cart, to get him used to the trailer. So far so good!
This spring will see how it goes behind the Spyder.

What I'm trying to say is to find a good running gear trailer, mount a large pet carrier, personalize it, less than $1000.
"No pet wants to be left behind; they will love it!"

Good Luck Bill

[CloverHillCrawler]

I saw a guy at colonial beach when I was there in 2022 when I was driving into town and he had a German Shepard in a sidecar that was converted into a trailer and it has a kayak style cover up to the dogs shoulders and was wearing a leather pilots helmet and goggles. wish I could of gotten a pic of it.

[Quickdraw]

I'm just looking for something to take the pups out on a 2 or 3 hour ride. I'm not looking for a long haul carrier.

[Knizar]

I'm just looking for something to take the pups out on a 2 or 3 hour ride. I'm not looking for a long haul carrier.

I can't imagine trying to carry 2 pups on a Spyder without some type of a pet porter.
Any type pet porter fastened directly on the hitch would be a very rough ride for the occupants.
Maybe a back pack with 1 dog at a time.

Sounds dangerous to me!

Good Luck, Bill

[GFrog]

The wife and I have two 1 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and we want to bring them with. I've looked at the Kuryakyn and the Saddleman, as well as many others, but those two seem to be the top rated ones out there.

Does anyone have a dog carrier that they would recommend? I was looking at goggles and a helmet but don't think the helmet is really necessary. Goggles for sure though.

Thanks,
Dave

Will you be riding with your wife and the dogs? or just the dogs?

My wife and I ride with our Schnauzer, but it's only one dog.

If you are riding alone with the dogs, Kuryakyn sells a number of great pet carriers. Some that fit on the Spyder back seat may be able to carry two Cavaliers.

Here is my wife and I with our dog.

3-up Spyder Riding.jpg

[Quickdraw]

Will you be riding with your wife and the dogs? or just the dogs?

My wife and I ride with our Schnauzer, but it's only one dog.

If you are riding alone with the dogs, Kuryakyn sells a number of great pet carriers. Some that fit on the Spyder back seat may be able to carry two Cavaliers.

Here is my wife and I with our dog.

3-up Spyder Riding.jpg

Thank you for your input. I've been looking at Kuryakyn. I've looked at many options but that one seems pretty sturdy, albeit a bit pricey.

As it stands now, my wife rides her own bike. She's only ridden on my Spyder 1 time in the past 4 years. So the pups will be either both riding with me, or 1 on each bike. But I'd still like to be able to put both dogs in 1 carrier in case it's just me that goes out for a ride.

[Hound]

If you are on facebook there is a group called "Motorcycling with Fido" that has a bunch of information.

[Quickdraw]

Found one from Nelson Rigg. Looks like a nice one. Has reinforcement so that bag doesn't collapse over time due to my pups climbing all over it. I saw a video where the Kuryakyn over time lost its structural integrity.

[KevinD]

I use the Kuryakyn pet palace. My two doodles fit without a problem. One is 22lb the other 16lb. We use rex specs googles.

[Peter Aawen]

My previous Assistance Dog, Max the Miniature Maltese, could just sit in the tank bag - check out my avatar pic to the left of this post. He always wore doggles while we were travelling, and he was in a harness and secured to the bag which was in turn affixed to the bike (on top of the glovebox lid) so he couldn't fall out/off the bike. At about 5 lbs dripping wet, he just wasn't big enough ever to get in the way of control &/or seeing the dash & GPS, and he was small enough that he could settle right down into the slightly larger tank bag that I got shortly after that avatar pic was taken, where he'd curl up completely out of the weather if/whenever he felt the need. He absolutely LOVED riding up there, but altho he was already small enough, he also preferred curling up rather than stretching out!

Max was with us for a little over 18 years, and we had a year or so off before I could even think of getting another... And now, my latest Assistance Dog, Buster, who's a Maltese/Pomeranian Cross and almost twice the size, weighing in at almost 9 lbs, just doesn't really like 'curling up' anywhere, preferring instead to spread out flat on his belly like a lizard drinking, legs splayed out.... So the tank bag method of carrying him is simply not on cos it's too small in so many ways!!

After much research, we've sorted the following - when I'm riding solo, he sits in an open topped carrier 'travel crate' that's mounted on/secured to the pillion seat; or when we're riding 2-up, he sits in front of the Child Bride & behind my back, between us. In both cases he wears a harness that either secures him into the carrier, or onto the Child Bride, using his working/safety harness & a 'person harness' which is sorta like one of those 'baby papoose harnesses' you see many new mothers wearing these days. He DID wear doggles whenever we were out riding, but the last time I was out with him in the carrier crate, I sprung him just as he wiped them off his face & consigned them to the breeze while we were travelling on the freeway at about 70 mph!! Yep, they were gone, with no turning back, and him grinning like a bloody Cheshire cat!

I haven't replaced the doggles yet, so Buster is a little miffed that he doesn't get to go on our daily rides for the moment... But I really like the look of those Rex Specs, might hafta see if I can find them here in Oz & if he'll tolerate them. It's funny how the two dogs are so different - Max used to get very excited the moment I picked up his doggles, cos he knew that meant a ride was in the offing! Buster will race to the bike & go spak trying to get on if he sees me pick up my helmet & gloves, cos he knows that means a ride; but then he only ever grudgingly lets me put the doggles on him, and more than once I found he'd pulled them off & down around his neck at the first opportunity, then tried to hide that from me... I've seen what road wind &/or all the little bits of crap/bugs etc that fly around in said wind can do to dog's eyes both rapidly & over time, so I'm not really comfortable taking him for a ride without some form of eye protection, but I guess I'll need to find something he will tolerate - or close up the top on the carrier whenever he's in it... something he doesn't really enjoy too much while we're out riding either!

[Pooch]

Just an incident to pass on....
I was at a gathering of trikers one year when a driver pulls up with his dog in a small trailer behind the bike. When he began to unload the dog from the trailer he could see the dog had been throwing up, was panting heavily, and could barely stand up. He got the address of a veterinarian clinic, put the poor dog back in the trailer and rushed him to the clinic. The driver said the vet seemed puzzled until told how the dog had been carried on the trip. The vet said he believed the dog had inhaled a lot of exhaust fumes from the bike and coupled with the trailer bouncing around, the temperature and full sun exposure, it was just physically overwhelming for the dog to withstand. The driver left the dog at the vet clinic for the remainder of the trip and called his wife to bring the car to get the dog.
I would think carrying the dog on the backseat in a protective carrier would be a much better idea for the dog... protection from the sun, the dehydrating wind, and no exhaust fumes.

[GFrog]

Found one from Nelson Rigg. Looks like a nice one. Has reinforcement so that bag doesn't collapse over time due to my pups climbing all over it. I saw a video where the Kuryakyn over time lost its structural integrity.

I researched the Nelson Rigg's Carrier after I read what you posted above. After checking-out a bunch of videos and reviews, I purchased the Nelson-Rigg Route 1 Rover Pet Carrier and ordered the Show Chrome Black Luggage Rack and Rear Trunk Shock. This will provide a solid base to secure the pet carrier.

I'll post pictures when I get everything assembled.

Thanks for the great recommendation!

[Quickdraw]

I researched the Nelson Rigg's Carrier after I read what you posted above. After checking-out a bunch of videos and reviews, I purchased the Nelson-Rigg Route 1 Rover Pet Carrier and ordered the Show Chrome Black Luggage Rack and Rear Trunk Shock. This will provide a solid base to secure the pet carrier.

I'll post pictures when I get everything assembled.

Thanks for the great recommendation!

You're very welcome.

[Gwolf]

If the dogs are not too big a plastic chicken crate might work. Maybe put some light-weight windbreak material around it. I got one that we use to transport chickens, rabbits, and other small animals in the back of the truck. My dog won't fit in it, but she weighs about 80 pounds. She got a great big dog box for the truck to go to the vet in.

https://www.google.com/search?client...ih=541&dpr=1.1

Most of them in the $50 or $60 dollar range. Mine is a heavy-duty commercial transport type that is 30 years old. It was left on the farm along with 4 or 5 more when the commercial transport company came out to pick up about 30,000 chickens one night. They leave all kind of stuff laying around. You find binder chains, chicken cages, and other stuff the next morning. They always catch at night.