Crash-Tested Crate for a Dalmatian Car Traveller

Weekly car travel with a Dalmatian is a specific safety problem, and the crate you use genuinely matters — a standard wire or soft crate offers almost no crash protection. Crate size is still the foundation: too small causes distress, too large removes that den-like security that makes crates effective. For car use you also need to think about how the crate is secured in the vehicle, not just what the dog is sitting in. To point you in the right direction — how old is your Dalmatian, roughly how much do they weigh, and what vehicle are you putting the crate in? An SUV boot, a hatchback, or a van setup all change what's practical.

Perfect — a calm 25 kg Dalmatian with a cooperative attitude toward crates makes this straightforward. At that weight and with a lean build, a large-format crash-tested crate is the right call. One thing worth knowing: genuinely crash-tested crates are a short list. Most products marketed as 'safety crates' have no independent test data behind them. What's your current setup — is she loose in the boot right now, or in something you're looking to replace?

Good that you're making the change — a loose dog in a crash becomes a serious secondary impact risk, for her and for anyone in the car. My recommendation is the Gunner Kennel G1 in Large. It's one of the very few dog crates that has been independently crash-tested to automotive standards — it's rated at a 5-star crash test result by the Center for Pet Safety in the US, and that credentialing is genuine. The G1 Large suits a 25 kg Dalmatian well: enough room to stand, turn, and settle without so much space that she slides around. The double-walled roto-moulded shell is what gives it the structural integrity, and the recessed tie-down points are designed to be anchored to your boot floor or the cargo loops in the XC60. It's not cheap — expect to pay around £500–£600 — but it's the only crate in this category where the safety claim is backed by real test data. The Variocage is a European alternative worth knowing about if you want a seatbelt-style mount that integrates differently, but for outright crash protection the Gunner is the clearest answer.

Yes, Gunner sell their own tie-down strap kit designed to work with the G1's anchor points, and you'll want to use it rather than improvised straps — the anchor geometry matters in a crash. In the XC60 boot you're typically threading through the cargo hooks and floor loops; it takes about ten minutes to set up properly the first time. The crate itself is heavy (around 20 kg empty) so it's not something you'll be taking in and out daily, which is fine for a weekly travel setup. If you search 'Gunner Kennel G1 Large' on Amazon UK you'll find it listed — availability shifts but it does come up, and Gunner's own site ships to the UK directly if not.

Good decision — it's the honest answer for this situation. Once it's set up in the XC60, give her a few short trips to settle into it before a motorway run, just so she associates it with normal journeys. Safe travels to both of you.