I always find interesting things piled up on the curbs in front of people’s houses. Today, it is a standard pet carrier. I didn’t examine it closely, but it looked to be in pretty good shape. Pet carriers are indispensable to pet owners. They make it a lot easier to transport pets back and forth to the veterinarian or when traveling on vacation or moving. I used to have a cat that loved sitting in the front seat, sometimes putting her paws up on the dashboard to look out when I drove from Texas to Oklahoma to visit family. I didn’t need a pet carrier for her. Just put her cat bed in the front seat to elevate her a bit. I also had a friend who had a car seat for her dog. The pet products available are amazing. The first carrier I had for my cat someone loaned me and was a simple cardboard one that folded up. It had flaps that fit into slots holding it together. The next carrier had a zip top. If she sensed I might be taking her somewhere in the car, she often hid under the bed. So, I had to be very strategic and close all the bedroom doors, making sure she was not in one of them. Had to be very quick in picking her up & putting her in the carrier, so I could zip up the top without too much struggle. It wasn’t easy. Pets have a mind of their own sometimes. Let’s find out more about pet carriers.
According to Wikipedia, pet carriers are small portable boxes, crates or cages used to transport small animals such as cats, lap dogs, miniature pigs, ferrets, chickens, guinea pigs, etc. from one location to another.
The two main types are the front openers (these are generally tough plastic boxes with a metal door, such as dog crates) and top openers (these are generally more like cages with a hinged roof), although there are other types. A carrier usually has a handle on top, although some are easier to carry in one's arms rather than using the handle.
Styles
There are different types and styles of pet carriers available, according to one's specific needs, such as for when traveling by airplane or car and for a pet's species, weight and size.
Airline pet carriers
When traveling by plane, each airline has its own specifications and requirements to make sure that the pet and other passengers travel safely and comfortably. Some airlines allow travelers to bring their pet on board, if they are comfortably accommodated in an airline-approved pet carrier. Even then, usually only small dogs and cats can go in the cabin; otherwise, they have to be in the cargo hold, in specially designed crates such as dog crates.
For pets in the cabin, the general rule is that the carrier must fit underneath the seat in the front of the owner and it must have a waterproof bottom. Also, the carrier must be big enough for the pet to turn around, stand up and lie down. Furthermore, the kennel has to be ventilated on at least three sides. Crates or kennels that are used in cargo travel must have a metal door that is strong enough to prevent the pet bending it in any way and must have attached the name of the owner and address and also a "Live Animal This Side Up" notice.
Backpack pet carriers are suitable for smaller pets when walking. They are also convenient for hiking, shopping, road trips or appointments at the veterinarian. They feature a well-ventilated, comfortable compartment for the pet for safe and enjoyable travel. Some backpack pet carrier models are airline-approved, so they can be safely used while traveling by plane.
Backpack pet carriers are available in different sizes, colors, materials and designs. Some have extra pockets which can be used for extra storage. Most of these pet carriers are designed for pets that do not weigh more than 10 lbs. They have ventilation sides and zippered sides for easy use. Some backpack carriers come with wheels which makes it possible to convert a backpack carrier into a roll-along one.
Pet car-seat carriers
Used when traveling by car, these are also called car seats for pets. They provide safety of the pet, and they come in various sizes, colors and designs to fit on the seat of a car. Different sizes can accommodate smaller or larger pets of up to 25 lbs. They can also often be used as pet beds at home or in a hotel. Car seats are normally made of fleece and are filled with foam for comfort.
For increased safety, and for larger pets, sturdy crates are used.
There are modern variations of crates such as the Carrie made by Seoul, Korea-based company NOWWe Co. Ltd. Unlike cages, they have a safety net, which keeps pet's travel stress-free. It also comes with an easy open gate to help an owner to communicate with a pet during the ride. The Carrie model costs $297.
Netherlands-based L'élianne® supplies luxurious dog car seats for a more pleasant and safe trip during long or short car rides. Anxiety, stress and car sickness are common problems that dogs experience from unfamiliar situations and locations. When using an elevated dog travel bed such problems can be eliminated.
This house-on-the-go creates a comfortable place to sleep whether going on a small trip, excursions or a visit to a hotel/restaurant. The travel bed has a booster seat that allows dogs to look out of the window and keep an eye on their surroundings, while being secured with two safety belts.
The dog car seat in the photo above is priced at 150 euros or $180.
Soft-sided pet carriers
According to the Feb. 25, 2019 PetMD Editorial “What Type of Dog Carrier Do You Need?” at petmd.com, soft dog carrier bags are more often used for small to medium-sized dogs and are best used with a dog that is a known good traveler. Nervous travelers or dogs that will try to escape by digging or chewing should not be put in soft-sided dog carriers.
“These have more casual uses — [going] around town, [to a] restaurant, out and about, and shorter distances,” said dog trainer Russell Hartstein. Soft-sided dog carriers are easier to carry than hard carriers and are much more portable and convenient. They’re perfect for traveling when you’ll be in arms reach of your dog at all times.
Purse pet carriers
According to Wikipedia, these are designed for pets that do not weigh more than 10 pounds and come in a variety of sizes, designs and colors. They typically have a reinforced floor for the safety of the pet. They are equipped with ventilation holes and a roll-down mesh window.
Trendy pet carriers
According to Liza Corsillo’s July 29, 2019 article “What Dog Bag Should I Use to Look Like I’m Carrying a Dogfluencer?” in the Strategist section of New York magazine, over the past few years, the rise of dog influencers on Instagram and people’s apparent willingness to splurge on accessories for their pets has birthed a new market of elaborate and stylish bags that you can use to tote around smaller dogs. Functionally, the best ones are durable, easy to clean and comfortable for both owner and pup, the latter even more important for owners who commute with their dog or use the bag as a prop for Instagram posts. But aesthetically, determining which of these day-to-day dog carriers will actually make you look like the parent of dogfluencer can be a little harder. Parisa Fowles-Pazdro, the founder and owner of luxury dog-gear store Maxbone, describes the type of bag most of her customers seek as a “super-simple bag that fits into their everyday lifestyle, like a dog tote. They want it to hold their dog safely, but they also want something stylish they won’t be embarrassed to be seen holding.” We talked to her and nine other stylish dog owners, including folks behind some of Instagram’s coolest dogs, to get their picks for the best-looking — and still functional — doggie bags. Read on for their suggestions.
Love Thy Beast Canvas Pet Tote
The closest thing to a status dog tote that we found is this bag by New York City–based brand Love Thy Beast, which came recommended by four of our cool dog people, who say these are the ones they see most often at trendy dog haunts around the city and on Instagram. Logan Mikhly, the co-owner of Manhattan’s only off-leash dog café — Boris and Horton, says “the most popular pet tote we see in the café is the Love Thy Beast tote. People like that it’s super comfortable, and that it comes in a lot of fun colors so you can match it to your personal style.”
Emily Wang, whose Instagram focuses on life with her two dogs, carries her Pembroke corgi, Chibi, in a Love Thy Beast tote, and says that it is “the most popular” among her dog-owner friends. She also specified that the tote works better for her corgi than a backpack, because those are uncomfortable on the dog’s back. The Love Thy Beast tote is also beloved by Kathy Grayson, owner of Bertie the Pomeranian, whose Instagram boasts 385,000 followers. Grayson, who runs The Hole Gallery in NYC, says, “I only use Love Thy Beast bags. They’re made locally, so they’re expensive, but honestly they are perfect.” And Candy Godoy, owner of a pug named Boogie who has nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram, agrees that the Love Thy Beast tote is the “It” dog bag for “when you’re on the go.”
Wagwear Boat Canvas Carrier
Candy Godoy and Logan Mikhly also mentioned Wagwear dog totes as one of the most popular brands they see, and Perry Betts, the owner of a miniature dachshund named Thor, told us that she did a ton of research before settling on the WagWear Boat Canvas Carrier. She says, “It’s sold at all of the best fancy dog stores in town, and I’ve seen it among cool dog owners who want to avoid looking overly bougie with the Louis Vuitton carrier. It’s also super-rugged and almost chew-proof, and there’s a lanyard inside to attach a collar or harness. It looks exactly like a great casual tote but has a cutout for your little friend to see the city.” One likely reason these totes are slightly less popular than Love Thy Beast’s right now is that, even though Wagwear is an older company — it debuted in 1998; Love Thy Beast launched in 2012 — it came out before Instagram or dogfluencers were a thing, and therefore has stayed slightly more under the radar.
But the look of both Wagwear’s and Love Thy Beast’s totes recall that of the classic L.L. Bean Boat and Tote, which Mindy Montney — the owner of Dog & Co., a style-focused dog-gear shop in a tunnel within the Columbus Circle subway station — says is what dog owners carried their pets in before the niche pet-carrier industry blew up. “Classic tote shapes are the most popular dog bags in the city,” she says, and since dog owners were already using L.L. Bean and similar canvas totes to carry their pets on the subway, it made sense for designers to customize that style of bag with “a U-shaped cutout where the pup’s head can hang out.” As further proof of this look’s popularity, Montney told us she’s launching a new version of her own dog tote bag, which has a similar aesthetic.
K9 Sport Sack Dog Carrier Backpack
If you prefer to carry Fido on your back, Emily Wang, Candy Godoy, Logan Mikhly and Mindy Montney all said that the K9 Sport Sack is the dog-backpack style they see most around the city and on cool-dog Instagram. Wang’s other dog, Kokoro, prefers it to tote-style bags. “A lot of people I know use the K9 Sport Sack. My American Eskimo likes the backpack style by K9 Sport Sack best. Her proportions fit comfortably, so that she can sit upright and put her paws on our back as we carry her.” And Godoy uses it when she needs to be truly hands-free and while hiking or biking. “We travel a lot and are very active, so we use the K9 Sport Sack a lot.” Mikhly says this backpack is “the one that I end up talking to customers about the most because it’s kind of striking — it looks really cute, like the dog is giving its owner a hug from behind, with its head on the owner’s shoulders.”
Love Thy Beast Nylon Pet Carrier
Kathy Grayson, owner of Instagram star Bertie the Pomeranian, likes this twist on the classic Love Thy Beast tote, which the brand designed specifically for use on Amtrak trains and New York City buses, where dog bags are required to be fully closed. She calls it “Bertie’s secret bag,” saying that it has also helped her “sneak him into so many places.”
Wild One Canvas Dog Carrier
Yena Kim, the owner of Bodhi — a Shiba Inu known to the world as Menswear Dog who has an Instagram following of 377,000 — agrees that “most small dogs are in L.L.Bean–style totes or something like this bag from Wild One.” Kim doesn’t own this bag — she says Bodhi is too big for it — but says it checks the box of “a dog bag that doesn’t scream ‘DOG BAG’ and can be integrated seamlessly into your everyday commute.”
TopZoo Oval Bed Bag in Denim
Two of our cool dog people also like to carry dog totes with extra-cushy soft padding, with Mindy Montney saying that this one, from TopZoo, has been her dog’s “personal favorite for years.” On top of it coming from France, Montney says “it’s a super-soft, less-structured tote option that rolls down into a little bed for your pup.” For another cozy option, Jenn Lee, the owner of a chocolate Pomeranian named Oak who has more than 27,000 Instagram followers, recommends the carriers from Korean brand Monchouchou.
Sherpa on Wheels Pet Carrier
Kind of like a rolling suitcase for dogs, this wheeled bag isn’t necessarily the nicest looking, but both Ian Patterson — owner of a famous rescue Chiweenie named Tuna who has 2.1 million Instagram followers — and Yena Kim say the Sherpa is a solid option for transporting dogs that are too heavy to comfortably carry around in a tote or a backpack. Kim says she used the bag — which is actually designed for airplane travel with pets — to cart her Shiba Inu Bodhi around when he was smaller, and Patterson agrees it’s as beloved by dogs as it is by humans. “We tend to cart Tuna around in this wheeled airplane bag from Sherpa and he loves it. It’s like his little man cave.”
Land’s End Canvas Tote Pet Carrier
L.L.Bean doesn’t make a dog-specific tote bag, but the brand’s spiritual cousin, Land’s End, does. It costs a fraction of what you’ll pay for one of the more similar-looking statusy brands — and you can have it monogrammed, which is why we felt it worth including, even though none of our cool dog people specifically mentioned it. The only drawback with this bag is that it’s one size fits all, while most of the others on our list offer multiple sizes.
Celebrities and Designer Pet Totes
According to Lucy Watson Prendergast’s Oct. 29, 2020 article “Throwback Thursday: Designer Doggy Bags” at purseblog.com, when I think of handbag trends of the past, I tend to think solely of the big it-bags. Think the Fendi Spy bag, Marc Jacobs Stam and Louis Vuitton's Multicolore line. Those pieces were iconic and known for their coveted status at the height of their popularity. However, there's one it-bag trend that I often bypass in handbag history. The designer dog bag trend — cute dogs being photographed in expensive carriers with their celebrity owners, often being toted around L.A. to lunch.
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