Four wheels good, four legs better: The real passenger princesses are our dogs
The race to provide unprecedented levels of luxury for our canine friends shows no signs of slowing down.
Perhaps it is because I own a cat, but I am starting to wonder if we are over-indulging our dogs. It’s understandable. Can you really put a price on love? Apparently if you were going to put a price on love (love for our dogs), it would be about £10 billion per year. Dogs now have their own shepherd’s huts. They have their own architecture competition at Goodwood (‘Barkitecture’, in case you were wondering). Some might say they live better than we do.
Is the world of cars insulated from the madness? It is not. Arguably, it is more effected than anywhere else. Manufacturers have gone to great lengths to make sure that people’s dogs are as comfortable and included in any road trip as they possibly can be. Nothing is too extreme. May I remind you that Rolls-Royce once built a bespoke Spectre for a labrador called Bailey.
Now the Spectre Bailey is an extreme (and very stylish, I would add) example, but accessories for our dogs is something that has become ubiquitous, especially at the higher end of the market. Aston Martin produces a ‘Pet Pack’ for its DBX, featuring a 36-inch dog lead (leather), a dog-food carrier and dog bag (leather), a portable washer, dog partition and bumper protector.
Bentley offer something similar for the Bentayga, with a bespoke dog guard and luggage divider, quilted load-space liner and a rear-facing camera that allows you to keep an eye on your pets while on the move. It should also be noted that it’s not just dogs Bentley will provide for; back in 2017 Mulliner, Bentley’s in-house coachbuilders, produced a falconry pack, for the distinguished birders among us.
The Bentley Bentayga offers plenty of customisation for dogs.
Skoda, Land Rover, you name it, they've put a dog in it. Stellantis, the group behind Citroën, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Peugot and others, seems to have a keen fascination with dogs that might be as unhealthy as the rest of us. They recently announced the Citroën ‘Pawlingo’, a customised Berlingo for dog walkers, in partnership with the Blue Cross. Some features include, but are not limited to, air-conditioned kennels in the boot (with cameras), a dedicated washing zone, harness storage and treat table. There also appears to be a foldable ladder for our more geriatric pooches.
The Citroën Pawlingo is based on the Berlingo, Britain's best-selling small van.
All of that pales in comparison to the Peugeot E-5008 Dog Edition, which they claim was basically designed by a dog. The cabin is inspired by canine vision, non-slip materials throughout, a modular mattress in the boot and a special headrest for the window. It’s barely worth mentioning the portable pet dryer and integrated bowls.
It’s easy enough to say that our dogs are no longer just pets, but rather members of the family. I’d argue that for many owners, they might be more important than that. And as long as we remain a nation of dog obsessives, we will continue to see some more strange solutions on how to drive them around. Oh how the other half live.
The Peugeot E-5008 was built by dogs, for dogs, according to the manufacturer.
