For years now we’ve been looking for a better way to keep our dogs safe and cool while traveling, and when camped for the night in our truck. Custom made dog window screens for trucks and cars, made by BreezeGuard, proved to be the solution that we’ve been looking for.
What are BreezeGuard Pet Window Screens For and How Do They Work?
BreezeGuard pet window screens are tough metal window covers that fit just behind the glass in your rear car or truck windows. They allow for cross ventilation and keep your pet from escaping out the window when the glass is rolled down. With this type of dog window screen in your vehicle, you can still roll the rear windows up and down, and they’re still waterproof. Each is custom made for various vehicles.
Never Leave Pets Unattended – First off, let’s get this one out of the way. Never leave your dogs unattended in your vehicle. While BreezeGuards may meet your state requirements for leaving pets in a vehicle (when installed in pairs as instructed) they still may not keep your vehicle cool enough for your dogs. Here in Austin, where it was 109 degrees last week, it was too hot for humans or dogs to be sitting in a vehicle out in the midday sun, even with BreezeGuards installed.
We Use BreezeGuard Dog Window Screens When Camping
We do most of our camping on public land, where it’s sometimes hard to find shade to park under. We sleep in a rooftop tent and the dogs have their own bed in the backseat (we removed the seat) of our double cab truck. With two BreezeGuard pet window screens installed, and with a couple of small rechargeable fans (shown in the photo above) we can keep the back seat nice and cool at night while we sleep “upstairs” in the rooftop tent.
We have a rear sliding window on the truck, which we can access from the tent to check on the dogs, and to give them another source of air. With the front two windows cracked about three inches and the two rear ones all the way down – with BreezeGuard pet window screens on, they stay comfortable, even when camping on warm summer nights.
We Can Still Roll Windows Up and Down With BreezeGuard Dog Window Screens
The photo above shows what BreezeGuard window screens look like when the window is rolled up. Because of the flexible Velcro band, the window may not go fully up into the top of the track, but it’s still waterproof. At first we noticed a slight whistling sound, but we found that by loosening it a bit it allowed the windows to roll up enough so that there was no noise when driving down the highway.
Pros and Cons of BreezeGuard Screens
BreezeGuard dog window screens, as we mentioned above, may satisfy your state and city laws regarding pets inside your vehicle, but that doesn’t mean you should use them for the purpose of leaving your dogs in a vehicle unattended – especially in hot places.
For our climate here in Texas, they’re still not enough to keep our dogs cool in the truck with no AC running during the day, which is why we never leave our pets unattended. Below is a chart showing just how hot a closed vehicle can get in a few minutes. This chart ends at 95 degrees, so just imagine how much hotter a vehicle could be in just a few minutes at 109 degrees! With BreezeGuards installed and the rear windows open, your vehicle wouldn’t get as hot, but the point at which dogs can start getting very sick from heat exposure is around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Also, these pet window screens aren’t meant to be security devices. Thieves could still cut the Velcro strap and flip the dog window screen out of the way and enter the vehicle when the window is rolled down. A plus is that when the window is rolled up, these metal screens add another layer of protection against break-ins, creating one more layer that a would be thief has to remove.
BreezeGuard dog window screens aren’t designed to keep out insects. When camping in mosquito infested places like the Gulf Coast, we place a layer of screen over the larger metal mesh to keep bugs out. This works, but does cut down on air flow.
Using Rechargeable Fans With BreezeGuard Screens
For our trip to Utah last year, we bought a couple little $30 LED light/Rechargeable camping fans to help us stay cool. We use a third up in the rooftop tent, and two hung on each BreezeGuard screen. (The model above does not have a hook, but we improvised a solution with tie-wraps, since it was the only model with a large enough battery to last all night.)
Using the two rechargeable fans, with one blowing in one window, and the other pulling air out the other, the back seat stays nice and cool for the dogs when we’re camping on warm nights. On the low setting these little fans will run for about 8 hours, so they normally last the night.
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Final Thoughts – BreezeGuard dog window screens are a high-quality product that should last for years. Being made of tough, coated metal wire, we have peace of mind knowing our dog’s won’t scratch or chew their way through them. They don’t come cheap, however. We paid around $400, including tax, for the two screens for our Ford F-150. For us, the price was still worth it. We now have a way of keeping our dog safe when camping, and when driving down the road. You can order them on BreezeGuard’s website, the only place that we’ve seen them for sale.
P.S. – If you drive down the road with your windows open and your pet unrestrained, they can – and often do – jump out. Unfortunately, many dogs are hurt and killed each year in this manner, so please don’t do this!
Related Post – How to Keep Your Dogs From Getting Lost While Traveling
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