# Honda Element Doggy Truck.



## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

https://vimeo.com/41785160

A lot of working dog people have asked me about my honda element, so I put together a little video.


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## Jackie Lockard (Oct 20, 2009)

Wireless thermometer...definitely going to pick one up. Great idea.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

I also have 3 crates (two large, one medium of the plastic two door crates) in a similar configuration in my Element, though the medium is not lifted up. I can keep most of my training gear like sleeves and such on top of the crates. I likewise like the wireless thermometer idea. I keep my 3 tiered supply box and drug lock box in the little space behind the passenger front seat and next to one of the crates. Besides hauling dogs, I have to make sure the medications and injectables and such don't get too warm, so this will be a cool thing to have.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> I also have 3 crates (two large, one medium of the plastic two door crates) in a similar configuration in my Element, though the medium is not lifted up. I can keep most of my training gear like sleeves and such on top of the crates. I likewise like the wireless thermometer idea. I keep my 3 tiered supply box and drug lock box in the little space behind the passenger front seat and next to one of the crates. Besides hauling dogs, I have to make sure the medications and injectables and such don't get too warm, so this will be a cool thing to have.


Great. I'll be getting a hot dog alert system soon.
Also storage on the top of the truck also. The crate use up a LOT of space.


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## Gerald Dunn (Sep 24, 2011)

would a 6'6" person fit in this "truck", looks more like a van to me


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Gerald, yes, it has tons of head room. I have plastic crates and not wire, but no problem having visibility out the back unless I really start stacking stuff high. My husband is 6'3" and has a good number of inches to spare. He likes riding in it. It drives kind of like a cross between a more standard SUV (like a Ford Explorer) and a sedan.


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## Gerald Dunn (Sep 24, 2011)

what kind of gas mileage does it get?? can it pull a camping trailer?


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

I have the 4WD (or AWD?) and it supposedly gets 19/24 mpg, which is probably about right. The tank is pretty small though, so I have to fill up pretty frequently. I think it was rated to pull up to 1500 lbs?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Which thermometer works for you? I have a remote thermometer from the camper shell to the cab of my truck which has value when I am driving to make sure they are not getting to hot on the road, but I would like to find a good one I can yreliable take into a building or, in my case, a command trailer.

When I park, I have enough history to know they won't get any hotter than what it is outside while they are in the camper.


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## Marta Wajngarten (Jul 30, 2006)

nice set up! Is that lip at the top of the crates an option from Zinger or some thing you rigged up yourself?


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Which thermometer works for you? I have a remote thermometer from the camper shell to the cab of my truck which has value when I am driving to make sure they are not getting to hot on the road, but I would like to find a good one I can yreliable take into a building or, in my case, a command trailer.
> 
> When I park, I have enough history to know they won't get any hotter than what it is outside while they are in the camper.


I got a lacrosse model. I don't like it because the range is limited...
So I will be upgrading to a hot dog alert system soon.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Marta Wajngarten said:


> nice set up! Is that lip at the top of the crates an option from Zinger or some thing you rigged up yourself?


Zinger had them custom made for me at the time.
When I ordered the crates, I asked for cargo rails for the top of the crate. They were like... "what, we don't sell those."

So I told them to watch the videos they post on the website, and in one of the videos, they have those rails.

To which they said... yeah, I guess those were a prototype. 
So they ending up making me some which was nice of them, as they didn't have any in stock.

They would be very easy to make, I just didn't have time. If I had the time I would buy some aluminum angle and chop it up into four pieces and bolt them on. Easy breezy.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

nice crates and nice setup but WTF thinks a Honda Element is a "TRUCK"?


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

How to double the value of a 96 Mercury Villager?
Add two Zinger Aluminum Dog crates ;-)
Damn the crates are nice, BUT Expensive


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Hey Ted - Long time no talk to. You are making me feel guilty and old fashioned. I throw crates and bungie chord them down in the back of the pickup. If I need to park for a while I find a shade tree. I don't need any locks. A dog thief would have to kill them first if he wanted to get them out of the crate.


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## Lisa Brazeau (May 6, 2010)

Your dog wagon rocks!


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## Melissa Thom (Jun 21, 2011)

Agreed, I love the dog wagon. I am looking at making a crate canopy for my truck soon and this has given me some great ideas.


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## Edward Egan (Mar 4, 2009)

Thomas Barriano said:


> How to double the value of a 96 Mercury Villager?
> Add two Zinger Aluminum Dog crates ;-)


Or you could trick it out with some bitchen 20's!


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Edward Egan said:


> Or you could trick it out with some bitchen 20's!


It would be different for sure. You don't see a lot of Villager mini vans with 20 inch rims ;-)


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## Kara Fitzpatrick (Dec 2, 2009)

cool, i'm thinking about geting one for my next car. 


i thought that was explosions in the sky.... love them.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

since i just "upgraded" to a nine year old honda stepwagon i got from a sailor on base, i'm jealous of everything in that picture and wish i'd never clicked on the link 
....thanks for posting :twisted::twisted::twisted:


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Love it! I really like the Honda Element and have been wanting one for ages. We're looking at upgrading our Ford Explorer right now. Thanks for the share.

Can you please link to where you got your thermometer device? I would like one also.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Lee H Sternberg said:


> Hey Ted - Long time no talk to. You are making me feel guilty and old fashioned. I throw crates and bungie chord them down in the back of the pickup. If I need to park for a while I find a shade tree. I don't need any locks. A dog thief would have to kill them first if he wanted to get them out of the crate.


hahaha, yeah my truck jumps about 2 inch off the ground when any buddy passes by it. For good reason... gotta love having a Mal.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Thomas Barriano said:


> nice crates and nice setup but WTF thinks a Honda Element is a "TRUCK"?


I know, Canadians are weird.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Thomas Barriano said:


> How to double the value of a 96 Mercury Villager?
> Add two Zinger Aluminum Dog crates ;-)
> Damn the crates are nice, BUT Expensive


I train a lot of aggressive dogs, so it's more of a MUST have then an option to have good crates. Just incase a dog I am training breaks out of a plastic crate and kills one of my dogs while I'm at taco bell. hahaha

Zinger wingers all the way.
I really love the quality, considering they are not welded aluminum, they are really built to last. And very light weight also.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Ted Efthymiadis said:


> hahaha, yeah my truck jumps about 2 inch off the ground when any buddy passes by it. For good reason... gotta love having a Mal.


Okay Ted, you might understand what I'm talking about. It isn't just a simple matter of crate aggressive. It is serious shit if they if anyone screws with them in the crate. I had these guys in Costa Rica and trained them that way with a expert trainer. Certain areas of CR are dangerous places. No one lets them out of the crate but ME. My female Dutchie thinks anyone outside of family needs a lesson in respect. My male is social until fuked with.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Lee H Sternberg said:


> Okay Ted, you might understand what I'm talking about. It isn't just a simple matter of crate aggressive. It is serious shit if they if anyone screws with them in the crate. I had these guys in Costa Rica and trained them that way with a expert trainer. Certain areas of CR are dangerous places. No one lets them out of the crate but ME. My female Dutchie thinks anyone outside of family needs a lesson in respect. My male is social until fuked with.



Yeah, I remember you posted years ago when a guy tried to steal your truck in CR and your dutchie busted out of the crate and ran after him right? I think that was you.

Mine are not like that. They just bark and the truck jumps around, I like a barking dog in my house and in my truck when people come to the door if my wife is home alone. 

But some of the meat head's I train are crazy when I first get them, 140lb bull mastiffs with serious aggression issues. So I need good crates, and the zinger wingers have yet to let me down. Fingers crossed.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Ted Efthymiadis said:


> Yeah, I remember you posted years ago when a guy tried to steal your truck in CR and your dutchie busted out of the crate and ran after him right? I think that was you.
> 
> Mine are not like that. They just bark and the truck jumps around, I like a barking dog in my house and in my truck when people come to the door if my wife is home alone.
> 
> But some of the meat head's I train are crazy when I first get them, 140lb bull mastiffs with serious aggression issues. So I need good crates, and the zinger wingers have yet to let me down. Fingers crossed.


The guy didn't try to steal the truck but something out of the truck bed. Yeah, that was me.


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## Marta Wajngarten (Jul 30, 2006)

Ted Efthymiadis said:


> But some of the meat head's I train are crazy when I first get them, 140lb bull mastiffs with serious aggression issues. So I need good crates, and the zinger wingers have yet to let me down. Fingers crossed.


you're fitting a 140lb bm into one of those crates???


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Marta Wajngarten said:


> you're fitting a 140lb bm into one of those crates???


Ted must buy vaseline by the case?


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Marta Wajngarten said:


> you're fitting a 140lb bm into one of those crates???


Yes, I got this guy in no problem. 
Here he is next to my 76 lb Mal.


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