Buying a car is an important decision and one that tends to be based on the answers to a multitude of questions. But the most important question you should always remember to ask yourself is, how well does this vehicle suit the needs of my entire family, including pets?
That's where we can help. Paws on Wheels is a new car review platform from the pet owner perspective. The partnership was formed between Bumper2Bumper TV, an established car review blog and TV channel with over twenty years of experience, and Petopia, an online web platform and resource guide for pet owners. As pet owners and pet enthusiasts, the founders of Paws on Wheels understand the challenges of buying a car suitable for you, your family, other passengers, pets, and luggage. We have established five categories that will help ease your decision and the information provided will answer those questions that you may not have initially considered. What size dog can fit into the back seat or cargo space? Will I be able to fit both my cat carrier and dog in the car together without being seated next to each other? Will I be able to tow my horse trailer?
Once these pet considerations are taken into account, the answers to your more standard questions can also be answered through our forum. Each review includes a video or article that provides you with the complete overview of the car features, performance, design, and more! In this review, Paws on Wheels presents the 2017 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition where practicality, space, and power are paired with a sleek and modern design.
1. DESIGN AND PET ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES
The truck bed is 32" (81 cm) from the ground. A pet ramp may be essential for older or smaller dogs who want access instead of having them jump up into the bed and potentially hurt themselves. On the other hand, the cabin sill is 12" (30 cm) from the ground and easily accessible for most dogs. Lastly, the window in the second row provides additional ventilation, luminosity, and allows for dogs to feel the wind blowing in their face.
2. PET CABIN CAPACITY:
The truck cabin is spacious enough to accommodate small to extra large breed dogs. The rear seats also fold up offering 50 m3 of free space, which is enough for small and medium pet carriers to fit inside on the floor. 
3. HAIR/ STAIN REMOVAL, & SCRATCH RESISTANCE:
The interior black on black color scheme helps hide traces of mud stains and pet hair. The standard seat covering provided is easy to clean vinyl. Leather covering can be purchased as an option, but is harder to clean and more expensive to repair if damaged.
4. HANDLING & SAFETY FEATURES:
The truck handles well, and the all-wheel drive system allows the truck to remain stable while driving off-road. The vehicle is equipped with premium level driver safety assist features such as blind spot monitoring.
5. PERFORMANCE & TOWING CAPABILITIES:
The truck has a V6 Engine; 280 HP; 262 lbf and towing capacity of 5000 lbs. (2,272 kg) which is beneficial for transporting horse trailers. Also the improved fuel economy allows a city and highway combined total of 21 mpg (9 km/l).
The perfect paws on wheels rating is 25 out of 25. Overall the Honda Ridgeline Black Edition received a score of 24/25 which results in a 5 Paw-Friendly rating. One of the benefits of buying a truck instead of a car or SUV means that you have ample space in the truck bed for putting luggage, pet cages, strollers, and more. Also the fact that extra large dogs can rest comfortably in the back seat and still enjoy the feel of the wind blowing on their face is a major plus. However since this is not an SUV or hatchback where the cargo space is inside the vehicle, it is understandable that the interior cabin capacity has 50 m3 of space but only with the seats folded up. Multiple passengers, extra-large pets, and carriers cannot all fit comfortably inside the cabin simultaneously, and for this reason we deducted 1 Paw in the Pet Cabin Capacity category.
Final score of 24/25 results in a 5 Paw-Friendly rating
According to Bumper2Bumper, the Honda Ridgeline truck got a much needed redesign for 2017 including a new trim level. Buyers should remember that the Honda Ridgeline is first and foremost a truck and meant for transporting all kinds of "stuff". So with the "purr...chase" of this vehicle, you can rest assured that you will have no problems hauling your pets plus their food, cages, agility equipment, cat trees, hamster wheels, and riding saddles from point A to point B.