My dog Scooter makes a great traveling companion, but for his safety and our sanity, he's always "crated" whenever we're in a strange hotel room or leaving him at a friend's house while we go out and play. We had been using a steel-and-plastic training kennel, the one we got when he was a pup, but it's heavy and awkward to tote around, and he's pretty much outgrown it.

So for the last year or so I've been looking for a dog kennel that is conducive to road trips. That means it has to be light, easy to pack, and large enough that we don't feel too bad leaving him in it for a few hours.

We tried a new kennel over the Thanksgiving break, but frankly it sucked. It was "portable," but it wasn't very light and was still quite long when collapsed, which made it awkward to carry with either Scooter, or other luggage, in hand. The biggest problem, however, was its poor construction. The zippers were very flimsy; one broke off in my hand the second night we used it. Needless to say, I returned it when we got back home.

I've tried to find a replacement, but nothing was quite right. Then, the other day, I came across a Travel Kennel at Target. (Of all places.) It's better made than the other one, at least in terms of durability, and collapses to a much smaller size. Better yet, it was 1/4 the price of the crappy one. Sweet. (And it's even less expensive if you order it online.)

The "large" size is perfect for Scooter (Yes, he's a dachshund, not a great dane. But he's a standard doxie which means he's short, but long. Over 24" long, which makes him too big for the usual "small dog" accessories.). I've got it set up in my office and he's been using it off-and-on, so I think it's time for an initiatory road trip. Who wants to go?