This may sound stupid to many of you, but I need to buy a "dog car," and am seriously considering (due to Cash for Clunkers and multiple special offers good through the end of the month) a new HHR...

I have a 12 year old 80 pound dog with cancer.

Will this car be too high or too small for him to comfortably get, and then ride, in? We have a ramp, but he's not crazy about STEEP climbs (we currently have a minivan, so it's a short climb).

Anyone else out there have any PHOTOS of your big, old dogs IN your HHR, that you could post?

Yes, I'm serious. I plan to take him to the dealer, but that'll just be for the duration of a test drive - I want to know if anyone's doing this consistently, repeatedly.


Thank you!
Emma

 

When the HHR is next to a curb my big old golden retriever (90 #s) just steps in easily, and she has bad hips so it's a chore to climb. The backend is not too high either and with the ramp there shouldn't be a problem. Plenty of room in the back too, even more with the back seats down.

Welcome to the forum Emma.

 

Welcome, Emma!
Here is a link of HHR folks with their pets: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/lounge-10/what-kind-pets-yall-got-1358/
Many of the pix include dogs--but you may have to dig through lots of pages to find pix of large dogs in the back of an HHR--but they do exist on there!

Good luck and hope you decide on one.

@ngelita

 

Thanks for the feedback, and link to the pics -- tho most of those dog pics were pretty small dogs!

I did take mine up to the dealer this a.m. and, using a borrowed ramp, he passed the ramp test with flying colors. The "interior room after dog is in" test, however, I'm not sure about... We'll need to take that ramp everywhere. I'm not sure where I'll stow it, when he's in the back! He's going to need "seats down." I had hoped to squeeze the ramp in behind the front seats but, especially with the console there, that's not going to work.

Are there tie-down hooks on the WALLS of the cargo area? If so, I might be able to bungee the ramp up against the side.

I'm thinking roof rack, but this is getting to be more hassle than it's worth, I fear. I may have to stick with the (crappy, crappy) minivan. Gawd, I really hate to miss these end-of-summer, end-of-year clearance, and cash for clunkers deals, though...

Ideas?

 

To the site enjoy

 

mine work's well with two golden lab's in the back just fine

 

I can tell you with confidence your dog will fit fine in the back of the hhr. I have an 85 lbs Greyhound who is very comfortable back there. He is a very tall, even for a greyhound. We also have a small terrier who can fit back there with him. The plastic wipe able surface is great in case they get sick.

 

Sorry to be such a PITA. I have limited time in which to get the good deal on this car, but have concerns and am trying to come up with solutions for those concerns...

Would this be possible?: If I left the FRONT part of the cargo "lift-off" storage (the storage area over the spare) at floor level, could I hook the BACK part of that lid in the upper slots, for it, angling it from OPEN at the hatch to CLOSED at the middle of the cargo floor, and possibly store my dog ramp under that? That way, my dog could sit behind the front seats and lean against that angled lid, but still see out the back window, but the ramp would be stored out of the way and couldn't slide forward onto him in a fast stop ?

What are the dimensions of that "under lid" area?

Does that make any sense? I guess what I'm asking is - can you leave the lid in this position?:

 

Yes.

 

I do not see why not. Why could you not store the ramp behind the front seats going across the car? The headrests pop right off and there would be plenty of room for a ramp on the floor between the top of the folded down rear seats and the back of the front seats.