Carriers - what size, and when do they stop growing?
 

I am looking at getting a carrier and since all the nice ones are pretty expensive, I don't really want to have to purchase two of them. I know I could wait but I am impatient and want to get him used to being carried around ASAP! He rides in my messenger bag but it is a little smaller than I would like width-wise and he can't see out, just sticks his nose out.

Currently he is 2 pounds exactly, his parents are each 5 pounds, and he just turned 12 weeks old on Saturday. When will he stop growing, in case I decide to wait until then to pick a carrier?

The Juicy and Guess carriers are what I like best; they are 12.5"L x 9"H x 6.5"W and I've seen some Guess carriers about 15"L x 10.5"H.

Now, would I be in good shape going ahead and getting the Juicy carrier? Do you think that when he is fully grown he has a good chance of still fitting inside of it comfortably? I want to know everyone's opinions, or suggestions of other small carriers. I am really only interested in carriers that look like regular purses a much as possible.

This is just my 2 cents worth. I would forget the carrier. I have 2 and after Millie reached a certain weight (around 4 lbs) it was quite inconvenient to tote her around. Especially, when she wanted out of the bag to explore everything and everyone.

My recommendation: Get a stroller. For the same price or less than many carriers, you can get a stroller and it is more convenient, it contains them better (they are zippered in, but can see everything), leaves your hands free to do stuff and fits them at any size with plenty of room to spare. I think its good to get them used to it when they are younger, so now would be the perfect time to get one for yours.

Are there certain strollers for dogs or just regular ones? Any you recommend?

I rarely use my carrier. I am planning on getting a stroller.

There are specific strollers for pets. Here are a few sites:

http://justpetstrollers.com/pet_stro...25_pounds.html

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...All&Nty=1&pc=1

and: http://www.petedge.com/shopping/brow...yword=stroller

I got the Happy Trails stroller from petedge. I love it. There are some critiques of some strollers on this site. you need to go to "Search" and plug in words like: Stroller or pet stroller or happy trails stoller.

Do people make fun of you for walking a dog in a stroller? It looks so strange to me (and I mean that in the nicest way possible). :animal36

I love our Stroller, Princess is always with me, I take her
everywhere in it. It's Pink, everyone we stop to talk with,
think its a great idea. :)

lexi wouldnt even think about getting into a bad now... no way... i wouldnt
even try.... as for a stroller, i wouldnt dare put her in one either, i would
be laughed at to no end... i never see puppies in strollers where i live..
i thought about it though, cant do it..

My yorkie is almost 5 months old and weighs 2 lbs. I have thought about getting the stroller,but it doesn't seem to be as convenient to me as the purse because,If I'm out somewhere and (usually have her with me) and I need to run in really fast to a store that does not allow pets, and only if I have to, I can just put her in her pet purse,that looks just like a regular purse,rather than taking the chance of leaving her in the car by herself for someone to steal. I would think a pet stroller would be a dead giveaway. What are alot of places you can you take your baby in a pet stroller? I would think only out for a walk, fleamarkets or petstores. They just dont seem like I would get my moneys worth out of them? Does anyone have any input on this? :confused:

I can't believe my eyes that these actually exist.... sorry ;)

What's wrong with walking?? :confused:

I have bought 4 carriers and 1 stroller which has a carrier attached to it and can be taken off, it has a long sling and 2 handles. I also bought 2 stroll along carriers which i use, but i prefer the carrier that's attached to the stroller, it holds both my girls comfortably and can be used as a carseat.

I bought the stroller from: www.ibiyaya.com

I just got my Juicy carrier yesterday and I love it! Trixie does too! She is 5mo and I thought she would fit but after I zipped it up she layed right down and when I re opened it she didn't want to get out! The pad they lay on are soo soft. Plus when we are out I like to let her walk around but it is nice to have it for when I need to run into a store but dont want to carry her. Wouldn't want to leave her in the car. :eek:

same way I feel. the need the exercise anyway. whatever happened to a harness and leash? lol , thats all I will use.

I don't want to upset anyone but i'm just being honest. I love seeing Smudger when I let him off his lead in the park and he runs so fast his ears and hair is swept back in the wind. :D

He would go crazy if I tried to put him in one of them, He could walk for hours and hours :) :animal-pa :animal-pa

This is pretty much how I feel. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for yours and where did you get it? How big is your puppy? Did you get the 12" or 15" bag? I love them, even though I have a little boy to put inside... :rolleyes:

I got a really good steal on EBay because the person posted the listing in "other" instead of carriers or pets or anything related to pet carrier LOL It is new and she said I paid a lot less than what she paid for it but her dog is way to big for it.
I paid $55.00 including the shipping. :eek: It is an all black one. I wanted a pink or some variation but beggers cant be to picky if ya know what i mean. ;) I did look for about 2 months though. So patients pays off. Also living on your computer helps. :D It is the 12" and Trixie is 5 1/2 mo and weighs 2.6-2.8lbs (if she just ate). It is a bit bigger than I thought but I am use to not carrying a purse at all but great to bring in the store or put in the shopping cart without anyone bugging you. She has plenty of room to turn around in it and lay out flat. :)
Best of luck. I know the average ending price the last month or so is 75-95 sometimes you can get a great deal including shipping.
Let me know how it goes!

That's awesome, I'm hoping to pay around $50 with shipping. I wanted an all black one, too! I should get a pink one, and trade with you lol :cool: but I am sure Ness is comfortable enough in his masculinity to ride around in a pink and black bag.

1st let me state that the stroller does NOT replace taking your dog for a walk or talking it to the park to run free. That simply is not the purpose for it. Or at least not the function I use it for.

2nd, I too was a little apprehensive to take Millie out in the stroller in the begining, because I too thought that I would be made fun of. But to my suprise and to my hubands astonishment (he was extremely embrassed by the whole idea) people are more than receptive! They love it. I get asked all the time where did I get it, people stop me to look at it and ask all kinds of questions. In general people think it's a great idea! I even have had men come up and tell me they like the whole idea of it.

3rd, Millie did great in a carrier when she was 3 - 6 months old. After she got older around 8 -9 months old, it was impossible to take her anywhere, incognito, because she made a general nuisance of herself. She wanted out of the bag! She would push her head out from under the zippered area and whine and bark, etc.

4th, I take Millie to Lowe's, Home Depot, pet stores, Farmer's market, Garden Shows and in the Mall. I won't take her to Grocery stores, restaurants or Wal-mart, because I was not able to do that even when I had her in a carrier after she got 8-9 months old because I could not hide her anymore, she refused!

I just find a stroller to be much more convenient when you are shopping or looking around, because you can do it at your leisure without the heavy weight of a shoulder bag on your arm and without the little bugger squirming around all the time. I am not trying to hide Millie so even though the stroller is much more visable, that just is not an issue.

Oh yes, Strollers are not at all common in this little town of Chattanooga. When I go out, I am the only one with a stroller and dog in it. But it no longer concerns me.

Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to show you the bigger picture.

I suppose I just don't feel the need to take my dog "everywhere" with me. He isn't a baby

He gets walked everyday and loves it but I would never even consider taking him to the shops or anything like that :(

Lady Lavender summed it up for me. I have all kinds of carriers; I prefer the stroller when I'm going to be out all day. For quick trips to the store, we either do leash and harness or carry. I find most of my dogs after the age of four or five months preferred the stroller rather than the carrier bag.

That being said, I still look every night for a Juicy bag I can buy. Husband said if I sold my camera (extra) and some of the existing carriers we now have, I could have the Juicy Bag.

i have 2 bags for bunjee, one purse-like bag and one messenger-style bag. although i like to walk bunjee as much as possible, it's sometimes easier having him in a carrier and a stroller is just too big in my opinion.

i take the bus a lot and although dogs are allowed on buses, they have to be muzzled, even a 7lb little one like mine. and when the bus is packed, i run the risk of having someone step on my poor little bunjee. rather than putting bunjee in that kind of risk or having him muzzled, i'd rather have him in the carrier.

i also go downtown sometimes where foot traffic is busy. there's parks downtown where i can walk him and stores i can walk him into, but to get to them, there's a lot of foot traffic i need to pass through... again rather than risking someone not seeing him and stepping on him, a carrier is much easier.

having him in a carrier even at a pet friendly store also reduces the possibility of a potty accident. i've even taken him with me to a spa once while i was getting waxed. my wax lady was really nice and understood why i didn't want to leave him in the car for an hour and was totally fine with him being there so long as he stays in his carrier.

my carrier also doubles as a car seat for him when i'm driving and on the go. and when i'm on an airplane, a carrier is a must in order to take him in cabin with me. now bunjee doesn't necessarily like being in the carrier and will struggle a bit until i zip the carrier shut. but he's perfectly quiet and well behaved when he's in his carrier. no one even knows i have him in the carrier until i take him out of the carrier and start to walk him. :)

i guessimated his adult size when he was 12 weeks old and bought a larger size if he was in between sizes. i think it's more comfortable for him with more space. i just stuffed the carrier with extra towels and blankets to make it smaller until he was ready for more space.

I would caution you to wait and see how big your baby is going to get before buying an expensive bag.

I bought a Pucci for Dublin when I thought he was going to be under 7lbs (as I was promised and charged more for :p ). At a whopping 12lbs, he doesn't come close to fitting in it now!

That's why I had to get Widget, so I wouldn't waste the expensive bag! :D

hey, that's a good one! i wonder if i can use it on hubby to get another yorkie? :D