Best car crate for Shih Tzu vet trips

Travel crates have very specific requirements depending on whether your dog is going by car, flying in the cabin, or travelling in a plane's hold — and airline regulations vary so much between carriers that getting it wrong can mean your dog simply can't board. For car travel the priorities are different again: secure fitment, size relative to boot space, and ease of getting a dog in and out. To point you to the right thing, can you tell me your dog's breed and approximate weight, how you'll be travelling, and — if flying — which airline?

Perfect, that's a very manageable setup. A 6kg Shih Tzu is a compact dog, so you don't need anything bulky. For monthly vet trips in a small hatchback boot, the key things are: internal dimensions that give her enough room to stand and turn without wasting space, a door that opens easily so you're not wrestling with it at the vet car park, and handles that make it straightforward to carry her in. Is she generally calm in the car, or does she tend to get anxious on journeys?

That's helpful — and important. For an older dog with some stiffness, a front-opening door at a low height is much kinder than a top-loading crate. Given your boot size, her weight, and the fact that she's calm, I'd recommend the Ferplast Atlas 10 Classic. It's a hard-shell plastic carrier with a front-opening wire door, and the internal dimensions — roughly 48cm long by 32cm wide by 32cm high — are a good fit for a 6kg Shih Tzu. It won't swamp a small hatchback boot, it has a sturdy handle for carrying into the surgery, and the raised rim means there's no gap for her to feel unstable on bends. It's also widely available on Amazon UK and straightforward to clean, which matters with regular vet trips. One thing worth doing: loop a boot cargo net or a short seatbelt-style strap around it to stop it shifting in an emergency stop.

Yes — the Atlas 10 uses a simple wire door with a basic clip latch rather than a fiddly twist mechanism. Most people find it one-handed once you've used it a couple of times. If you want an even easier experience, leave the door partially clipped so it needs minimal force to open at the vet end. It's not the most high-tech closure, but for a calm dog that's not trying to escape, that simplicity is actually an advantage. You won't be fighting with it in a car park.

You're welcome. Search 'Ferplast Atlas 10 Classic' on Amazon UK — it usually comes up in the first few results. It's worth putting a small non-slip mat or a folded towel inside to cushion the hard base for her joints on the drive. Good luck with the next vet trip.