When I traveled across country to do my travel nursing in California, my buddy, Satchmo rode in the car with me. He loved going in the car. He was such a good travel buddy; but he was small (101bs.) and had a delicate bone structure, so I had to take extra steps to ensure his safety in the car.
He had a booster seat that was soft and padded with railing and it also had a tether built into the seat. You just put the seat belt through the openings in the bottom of the seat and then he was good to go.He loved it because it set him up high enough to see out the window without having to stand up. He loved when a semi-truck would go by and he would bark at it. He never minded being put in
the seat and hooked up so he couldn't jump out. He seemed to understand that he was safe and settled down to enjoy his trip.
We traveled back and forth from California to Texas that way, stopping at nights to rest and walk around--he liked smelling all the new senses along our route. He was a fun dog and I miss him terribly.
There are many state laws that make it illegal to leave a pet unsupervised in a vehicle no matter what the temperature is outside. Do you know if your state is one of these states?
Here is an interesting article about pet safety in cars and explains the benefits and risks of traveling with unrestrained pets very clearly so you can readily understand what is at stake. We are not only talking about the safety of your pet, but your safety from driving distractions, other people's safety due to your distraction and the potential of your own liability should there be an accident.