Riding Along in My Automobile

[Heidi & Milton]

I don't own a fancy car.  I'm rocking a Toyota Corolla, although it is a sleek jet black.  You have all seen the lovely doodle sticker that I display on the back, so people basically can figure out what I'm all about when I motor past.

It really doesn't add a "cool" factor to my car.

The thing with my Corolla is it gets outstanding gas mileage.  This is why Jeff insists that we drive it everywhere, and I mean everywhere - from the great plains of Texas, across to swampy Louisiana, and all the way up to woodsy New York.  As he puts it, we are going to, "Drive it into the ground."  That's a pleasant thought, I know...

Due to the amount of time I spend in the car, and the fact that I eat breakfast (think crumbly muffins and rolls) every morning within its confines, as well as haul the dirty Milt home from daycare, it has become quite filthy.  So, our latest car addition is this lovely backseat cover bought at Bed, Bath, and Beyond on Black Friday ($10, 20% off):

No more grime.

Here is the link, touted "As Seen On TV":

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=18362899

Now that I just read the reviews, some people lament about the smell.  Well, we shall see.  I need to clean my backseat first before I can lay it down, so it could be a little while.

Likewise, in an effort to upkeep our car and everyone in it, we have purchased the Milt a very sturdy seat belt.  For our other long road trips, we borrowed a belt, but we thought it was about time the Milt had his own.  Jeff purchased this one on Amazon, his go to shopping venue, for $18.50.

Safe and secure

The seat belt actually reminds me of a bulletproof vest.  It straps around Milt, and then it hooks to the actual seat belt, so he is not incredibly mobile while we are driving.  In case of a crash, he shouldn't fly out of the car either!  Here's the link in case you need one too:   

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MD3NOK/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00 

Milt seemed pretty tolerant/content while wearing it, despite preferring his usual loosey goosey fashion.

Getting cozy on a break

Checking out the action in the front while on a pit stop

 

Sometimes Momma likes to join the Milt in the back of the bus.

Our recent Tennessee road trip locked us in the car for 11 hours on the way there and 13 glorious hours on the way back due to traffic and our frequent food, potty, and Dairy Queen stops.  I thought it was about time to invest a little more into our reliable vehicle of choice and make the ride more pleasant and safe for the Milt and us.  Happy Travels during the holiday season, everyone!

To read more about Milton the Goldendoodle please visit www.goldilocksandherdoodle.com

[Doris]

Enjoy your Toyota Corolla.  I am now driving my GRANDMOTHER's Corolla - it is from 1997 and has 30,000 miles on it.  I too will be driving this car "into the ground".  It's going to be a long ride - haha these cars last forever!.  At least your backseat looks bigger than my model.  Bodi doesn't like the Corolla - he prefers the mini-van since he likes to lay on the floor during long car rides.  There is no floor space in my Corolla!  So glad Milt likes to travel and you are keeping him safe!! :-)

[Lynda Kamrath]

The last time I got a car, I told my husband that I wanted a dog car because I didn't want two doodles with me in my sports car.  And they were two LARGE doodles.  He got me a Ford Freestyle and took apart some dog crates and closed in the back of the car.  Then we put a truck liner in the bottom of the back and made a memory foam pad for the entire back when we were traveling.  For woods, field, and beach trips, the truck liner vacumns and washes up easily (easier than the dogs) and the pad makes it very cozy for them on longer trips. No seat belts necessary and they are totally contained.  Works for us.  Just got back from a 20-hr. car ride over Thanksgiving and then just slept the whole way except for their stops.  We even worked that out well.  We go into a restaurant and order our meals and while we are waiting, my husband goes out and takes the dogs for a walk.  When he comes back, we eat our meal and then he drives to a nearby gas station and I walk the dogs from the restaurant to the gas station while he pumps the gas.  Seems to be the best use of our stopping time while traveling.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What a great traveler Milt is. I know someone who has that seat cover and they like it a lot.

[BG and Gavin]

Milt is as cute as can be.  I am glad he is safely strapped in while travelling!