Ruffland Dog Crates

Thought I would share my setup because I found it very difficult to find any sort of pictures of the type of set up I was looking for. Hoping this helps someone else.

I bought 4 of the Intermediate sized dog crates from Ruffland. I have a 75 lb lab and 3 other 60 lb dogs. All are about 23-24 inches tall. They have plenty of room to lay down and turn around in there. I also found this Softopper on marketplace. (They are expensive! Up to over $1,000 for a 6 ft bed), but I got a sweet deal on it. This gives them more consistent shade any time of the day.

So I only keep 2 crates in the back consistently. I have 4 total dogs but don't take them all everywhere I go. I am trying to socialize them more so my partner and I take them 1 or 2 at a time when we can to public places.




(60 lb Foxhound)

(75 lb Lab)

Depending on the time of day, I either have one of the sides down or both up, so there is less sun but the most air flow. I also bought some desk fans. which I bungie to the top to circulate air. They aren't going to knock you over, but they put out some pretty good air. $10 each on Amazon (link in bottom).



They don't obstruct any view from the back either.


If I do have to take all 4 dogs, I am able to fit the other 2 crates in as pictured. I had my dog test it out to make sure he can fit beside them to get to the back 2 (where the tire is in the pic).
Keep in mind this is a 6 ft bed so 4 crates won't fit in a 5 ft Tacoma bed.

Mini USB Desk Fan Battery Operated, Duoai 2500mAh Desktop Rechargeable Small Quiet Personal Fans Portable with 360°Rotation 3 Speeds for Office Home Library Dorm Bedroom Car Outdoor Travel, Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z3FYQY3?ie=UTF8

If you have any questions or hypotheticals, let me know!

 

Nice setup for the doggies!
Do you have the crates strapped down or tied once you are driving?

 

yeah. The back ones are ratchet strapped down always, and when I need to use the other 2 I will strap those down as well. I haven't had to yet, since I recently got them but I will use the tie down point close to the tailgate and the rails on the side for the attachment points.

 

There was a previous thread on heavy duty dog crates. There were some Jurassic Park looking ones.

 

I thought about those but they are like 600! each. The ruffland were about 200. If I only had 1 or maybe even 2 I would have went with the Gunner crates but 4 x 600 is way too much $$$ for me. I do like them though!

 

Ahhh it has tie down anchors! Those are some nice sturdy looking crates.

 

I got a set of 10 and the correct size screws and washers off Amazon for like 20 bucks. They are much more expensive on their website.

 

They seem like overkill unless you are using them every week or so. I mean it looks like a zoo set up that they would move a small tiger in.

 

Can one intermediate sized kennel fit in the back seat?

 

Gunner G1 Intermediate BARELY fits. It's a bear to get in and out but once it's in, its snug.

 

Great setup. Pics like the first one is convincing me to buy a Softtopper. Grrrrrrr.

 

Just out of curiosity, why do you use the crates at all? I got a Leer shell for the bed specifically to haul 3 dogs around back there, so I assume the soft topper would work fine too.

 

If I needed to haul four dogs I'd just buy a shell and call it a day but I just have two and they do just fine in the same cage when need be. Most of the time the smaller one (maltipoo) rides in the cabin.

 

I do have 4 dogs but I typically only have 2 at a time with me. Plus, I like to be able to remove the top easily if I need to haul something tall like my motorcycle. And I don't like them to just be loose in the softopper cause it isn't that safe if I get in an accident and they could get out of it fairly easy if they wanted to. If I didn't want to be able to remove it easily, I would have went with the hard top and put them loose in there (except one dog). My oldest lab mix get anxious riding in the car and the crate really helps her out with the anxiety.