Carrying your own dog is a personal decision. Carrying three of somebody else's is a professional one, and the standard is higher because the consequences land on other people.
Two things go wrong in this category. One is a collision, which is rare and catastrophic. The other is heat, which is common and also catastrophic, and it is the one people underestimate.
Heat first, because it is the likely one
A vehicle parked in Australian sun climbs far faster than intuition suggests, and it keeps climbing. Windows cracked open make very little difference. Shade helps and moves.
If your work involves a dog ever being in a stationary vehicle, even briefly, fit a temperature alarm that sends an alert to your phone. They are inexpensive, they are common in the working dog and dog sport world, and there is no good argument against one.
Then behave as though you do not have it. The alarm is the backstop, not the plan.
Ventilation while moving matters too. A cargo area with no airflow is a hot box even at speed. Vents, a fan, or a barrier that lets the cabin air conditioning reach the back.
Restraint, honestly
A cargo barrier stops a dog becoming a projectile into the cabin, and that is genuinely valuable. In Australia, Milford is the established name and has been making them for decades with a lifetime warranty behind them. MSA also sells into this market.
What a barrier does not do is stop two dogs interacting with each other. If you carry more than one dog and they are not from the same household, a barrier is not enough.
Individual crates are the professional answer. Each dog has its own space, they cannot reach each other, and a crate is a far better structure in a crash than an unrestrained dog behind a barrier.
The crate itself must be secured. An unrestrained crate in a collision is a heavy box moving at speed. Tie-down points, ratchet straps, a proper mounting.
Harness restraints clip to a seat belt and are the right answer for one dog in a car. Quality varies enormously and most are untested. Buy one that has been crash tested and says so.
Ute trays. Alloy dog boxes and canopies are a whole Australian industry and the products are good. What they do not do by themselves is manage heat, because a metal box in the sun is an oven. Insulation, ventilation and shade are not optional on a ute, and the tray surface itself will burn feet.
Fixed or collapsible
Collapsible fabric crates are light, cheap and easy to store, and a determined dog gets out of one. Fine for a calm dog you know. Not for a new dog on its first day.
Fixed metal or moulded plastic crates are heavier, harder to store and vastly more secure. If you carry unfamiliar dogs, this is what you want.
DK Stainless is one of the Australian makers of purpose-built pet transport crates, and Willshire does dog barriers and cages designed to fit specific vehicles. A crate built for your model of vehicle uses the space far better than a generic one.
The floor
Rubber matting or a fitted boot liner with a lip. Two reasons: grip, so a dog is not sliding on every corner, and containment, because a dog that is car sick or has an accident should not put liquid into your vehicle's carpet and sub-floor.
Clean it between dogs. It is the same biosecurity logic as bedding, and a vehicle is a small shared space.
The paperwork side
Check your insurance actually covers carrying client animals. A lot of standard vehicle policies do not, and a public liability policy for the business may not extend to the vehicle.
Check the road rules for your state on animals in vehicles. They are not identical, particularly on utes and on dogs on laps.
And keep a record of which dog was in which crate on which run. When something goes wrong, the timeline matters.
What we would not do
We would not carry a dog loose in a boot with a barrier and call it restrained. It is better than nothing and it is not the standard.
We would not use a soft crate for a new or anxious dog.
We would not rely on a cracked window. It does almost nothing.
And we would not leave a dog in the vehicle at any temperature that would make you uncomfortable sitting in it in a coat.
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