Tesla's Dog Mode Is A Game Changer

For more than 15000 years we’ve connected with dogs in a way that is unchallenged by any other animal species. They’re our companions, our friends and oftentimes, our family. These days none of us seem to spend the time we want to with them either because life is so busy. As such, Elon Musk has heard the call for a solution and he’s given us a whole new feature that internal combustion propelled cars can’t match and it’s simply called “Dog Mode”.

Most companies go over months of consideration before enacting a plan to create a new feature, and even then, sometimes they don’t make it to the production vehicle. Tesla isn’t anything like their competition and they proved it again when it comes to this capability. In October of 2018, a Tesla owner sent a message to Elon via Twitter.  

Unlike those other companies, the CEO of the most modern of EV companies responded directly with a simple “Yes”. The feature debuted almost a year ago to the day and has totally changed the game for Tesla owners when it comes to their relationships with their pups.

When leaving the car drivers can select from three modes in climate control from clicking the small fan in the bottom right-hand corner. Off, On and “Dog” mode. Dog mode will allow you to set a specific temperature for your furry friends to enjoy until you return. In addition to their air-conditioned or heated environment to keep them comfy, the screen itself makes it clear to passers-by that their fears can be laid to rest with a message on it that says “My Owner Will Be Back Soon” and then will supplement that message with specifics about the temperature it’s set at.

It’s not just a simple climate control feature either. Should the battery drop below 20 percent the owner will get a notification on their personal device prompting them to return to their pet. In addition, they’ve updated the feature a few times over the year it’s been released fixing bugs and making little improvements such as increasing the size of the font on the screen, making it easier to see that the car is in dog mode for the unfamiliar. Tesla does admit that there are caveats where some states still don’t consider leaving your dog in the car legal even with this feature activated. Nevertheless, it’s certainly a safer alternative to no climate control at all.

We can see a future where Tesla could even play videos just for your pooch on the large screen while at the same time utilizing the “Sentry” defense system to monitor for when passers-by get close enough that the screen needs to go back to the message about how comfortable the pups are.

This is a true game-changer for all of us dog lovers. The feature allows for more time with our furry friends because now we have the opportunity to take them with us during our day out and about without worrying about their comfort when we can’t take them into each of our stops. It’s such a nice change of pace to see a major player in the automotive space thinking about the little things that make our lives better. Dogs have been our companions for millennia, and now they can continue to be a part of our daily journey more.

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Stephen Rivers

Stephen Rivers

Stephen Rivers is a 6'6 racing junkie who's owned 2 BMWs, 3 MINIs and still owns a Rallycross tuned WRX. His dream car is a TVR Cerbera, couple that with his history and he's clearly a masochist.

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