My Petmate Extra Large Vari Kennel (also known as Vari 500) is probably the single best thing I have bought for my Alaskan Malamute. I am a huge supporter of crate training dogs. It makes housetraining easier, gives the dog a den of their own, and gives me a safe place to put him while I am out. I particularly like the Vari Kennels. They are the plastic ones that you can use on airplanes. I haven't ever used them for that purpose, but it tells you how sturdy they must be.  Petmate Vari Kennels are durable, easy to put together, easy to clean, and it's not easy for the dog to escape. I think they are safer than wire crates because the metal grates are closer together so they are less likely to stick something through and get it stuck. The door can be put on to open either left or right. It is easy for me to open, but impossible for my dog to open. The floor has groves around the edges so if the dog spills water or has an accident the liquid will be channeled away from the body.  They come in many different sizes. For my Malamute I have the Extra Large (or 500) size. It is 40"x27"x30"H and weights 26 lbs empty, which is less than most metal wire crates of the same size, some by a considerable amount. The only real disadvantage of a Vari kennel is it doesn't fold flat. Traveling with it isn't easy. You can seperate it into two pieces (top and bottom), but when you have a crate this big it is still very bulky.

j9j

San Antonio, TX