Schatzie's Mama 
We are also constantly being accused of being "over-protective" but we could care less!!
We can't go out to dinner or anything else without worrying about Toto ... when she is "secure" in her X-pen, we worry less but we still try to make short work of our "outting" where we can get back home to her! Patrick is like a time keeper ... he will look at his watch and say "we have been gone and hour" ... we both panic!!
The soft crate in the car is great! You can't imagine how we feel those few times we haven't zipped her up and are only out of the car for 5 minutes ... come back and some stranger have their face at your car window looking at her!! The soft crates are also great when I fly with Toto ... because it will fold ... just tag it and check it with the other luggage and when I get to my destination ... put it in the rental and Toto has her little comforts!
Before we got Toto we didn't know anything about crates so we stopped on the way home ... bought a big nice one that is "rattan" covered ... looks really nice with our wicker bedroom furniture and sits there with the door open and contains a wee wee pad [in case Miss Prissy Paws doesn't want to go alllll the way to her pen to pee pee!] and a water bowl which Patrick keeps filled ... after all, we always have a bottle of water on our nightstand .... why should she have to go all the way down the hall to get a sip of water during the night!?!