Honda Once Made A Crossover Customized Specifically For Dog Owners

There’s joy in sharing the experience of a special car, especially with four-legged friends. After all, many dogs love the wind in their ears, and a car lets you crack the sunroof and catch a crisp breeze without the threat of sudden squirrel-driven egress. However, how do you keep your furry friends safe when they’re in the car with you? Well, it turns out that Honda was ahead of the curve with a dealer-installed dog-focused option package that launched right around peak recession.

Back in 2009, a year that’s disgusting to think of as fifteen years ago, Honda revealed an accessory package for the exceedingly blocky Element crossover. The name? Does what it says on the tin, the Dog Friendly package. In it came just about everything the average dog owner needed to keep their pooch safe and cared for on car trips.

It started with a ramp for access into the cargo hold, which is especially important with certain breeds and ages of dogs. For example, dachshunds are vulnerable to intervertebral disc disease due to their long spines, and older dogs, especially of larger breeds, may be at an increased risk of hip dysplasia, so a folding ramp is a great idea to mitigate risk.

Once inside, a dog weighing up to 80 pounds could lie down in a nifty deployable rear kennel with a padded dog bed. While possibly not quite as safe as a Center for Pet Safety-certified crash-tested harness, it certainly beats an old-school dog grate, and it doesn’t have the same risk of moving around during emergency maneuvers as just placing a standard kennel in the cargo hold. Oh, and if you want an amusing look at how things have changed in the past 15 years or so, there’s a line in the press release that states “The car kennel was designed and is being constructed by Takata Corporation, one of the world’s leading automotive safety systems suppliers.” While Takata’s airbag track record is iffy, its safety harnesses are used by racers all over the globe, so this kennel likely isn’t all bad news.

A spill-resistant water bowl, a kennel organizer, and a dedicated cargo compartment electric fan round out the list of canine-focused components for the car, but that certainly isn’t where the Dog Friendly package stops. Human passengers get treated to dog bone-themed seat covers and rubber floor mats, while three Dog Friendly badges signal to the world that you are a pet owner. Honda even threw in a grab bag of extras including a bag dispenser, a leash and collar, a dog tag, and even a tote bag itself, although I’d hazard a guess that most dog owners already have all those things.

Admittedly, the Dog Friendly package wasn’t cheap, retailing for $995, but it was certainly comprehensive. Plus, it’s the sort of thing I could see doing better today, with thirty-something millennial couples having dogs in the home and often showing greater levels of consideration than what perhaps would’ve been the norm in the past. Still, it’s cool that Honda offered this package on the Element, and it’s the sort of thing that brings joy to a cursory used car classified ad search.

(Photo credits: Honda)

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

• Here’s How Modern Convertibles Use Special Pigment So Their Leather Seats Don’t Burn Your Butt

• Here’s How Range Rover’s Solving Satin Paint Problems Using Plastic

• Volkswagen Used To Have The Best Sunroof Switch And Now I’m Sad It’s Gone

• The Genius Way BMW Solved Frozen Door Locks

• Dodge’s ‘Chill Zone’ Beverage Compartment Was Actually Genius, Even If It Sometimes Functioned As An Explosion Chamber

Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.