We just returned from our first trip with our 80 lbs German Shepherd and we're very pleased with how well he traveled in our new Prius. He had no problem standing and moving around the cargo area. For safety he wears a harness and is connected to one of the rear anchors. We configured the cargo area as follows ~ seat backs lowered covered seat backs with the factory carpeted cargo mat rubber side up installed the factory all weather cargo mat installed a 72X36 rubber floor runner to protect the liftgate opening and rear bumper It seems odd that no single piece rubber cover is available to protect the entire cargo area with the seat backs down but I couldn't find one.
You might want to adapt a filter for the rear HV battery vent. You do NOT want dog fur being sucked in there as it will, over time, reduce the efficiency of the cooling fan which will eventually lead to overheating and failure. I believe there are a few articles on this subject if you wish to look into it further.
I bought a pet hammock for the back seat because my dog is a bit too tall to stand up when the seats are folded. I also didn't want her painting the rear hatch with her nose. I only have to clean the small side windows. The hair is mainly contained in the hammock that I carefully remove and shake outside. I also need to fashion some type of hair screen for the cooling vent.
Another option would be to just tether them on the rear drivers side with a short enough tether to keep them away from the HV battery vent. I'm assuming we aren't worry about random airborne fur drifting in front of the vent. Oh and I've read discussions about hearing the HV vent fan. I've never heard it in my 2005, maybe it just doesn't get hot enough in my car? Assuming you are in a moderate to cooler clime you might not have as much exposure to that risk.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ur-dirt-causing-major-battery-problems-3.html Have a quick look at the following - including the pictures.
My 55lb labradoodle rides in the hatch area behind the back seat, except on rare occasions when I have the rear seatback flipped down. She loves it back there, mostly snoozes but sometimes pokes her hear between the rear headrests to see where we're going or looks out the rear windows. She's ridden shotgun a few times but seems less comfy there. There's enough room back there for her dog bed if we're going to be away over night. And no worries about fur in the battery cooling intake. Three mods: - a Weathertech cargo mat - a black plastic Toyota stick-on pad to protect the rear bumper - Huper Optik tint on the hatch to (a) keep her cooler on a sunny day and (b) protect the defogging grid when I'm cleaning dogslobber off the inside of the rear hatch window.
This is the total amount of information provided in the owners manual about the air vent ~ Hybrid battery air vent There is an air intake vent on the side of the rear right seatback for the purpose of cooling the hybrid battery (traction battery). If the vent becomes blocked, the hybrid battery may overheat, leading to a reduction in hybrid battery output. Why wouldn't the factory provide a warning about possible debris buildup in a fan and an owner serviceable method of checking and cleaning it? Fortunately, our German Shepherd receives regular "FURminator" treatments and has little shedding. There wasn't a lot of hair to vacuum up after the trip.
Yes, I use a FURminator on my dog and it really cuts down on her shedding. Which reminds me, she needs another treatment right now, we're going on a trip tomorrow.
