A little help from my friends

I needed to get the new van set up with the crates and all my gear. It's not all done yet but it took a big step forward today. I had some canine help, naturally.

Theo was just interested in playing ball and the project took
longer than necessary because I had to make frequent stops to
throw the ball for him. 

 I let Theo out of the dog yard to be with me as I worked, along with Vince, Samantha, and Gigi. There were several others in the dog yard. This area is Vince's domain and he kept a close eye on what everyone was doing.

This is the back of the van with the seats removed. The problem
is that the hardware that holds the seats was not removeable and
it would interfere with my placement of the crates in this area.

Gigi and Vince watching, supervising?

This was my low-tech solution, boards that were higher than
the hardware to support a new "floor."

This became the new base for the two crates behind the front
seats. I discovered that the new van is several inches wider and
longer than the 2000 model I had been driving. 

The two crates fit with plenty of room to spare. The space
behind the crates will be covered with a rubber mat. 

Samantha hopped into the old van after I had
removed the crates. It has a distinct dog smell
that the new one lacks, although not for long.

Theo hopped into the new van with just a little encouragement.
The jump into the crates will be a little higher than it had been
because of the platform below the crates, but that shouldn't be an
issue for most of the dogs. I think the jump into the back end
is actually lower than in the old van.

One of the nice things about the van is that there are four air
conditioner vents in the back end to keep the dogs comfortable
without waiting or depending on air making it back from the front.
There are also lots of cup holders back there, but the dogs rarely use them.