The Dog Box (Solvit Tagalong Booster Seat)

Transporting a little dog in a car can be very dangerous: if you stop suddenly, there is an enormous risk that braking will cause the dog to be flung forward off its seat. Best case is that it just falls off, worst that it is propelled through the windscreen. Either way is Not Good.

Although P Bad, and now Lettice, are very good car travellers – they don’t try to escape, or move around, because they are so little and can easily be turned into canine missiles I do worry about their safety. I also drive a two-seater so they can’t be kept safely in the back, and it doesn’t help that it’s a convertible, so there’s always a risk of a break for freedom by Letty over the sides when the roof is down, as her body is so long that she can stretch herself quite far (think gazelle action.)

And, of course, they are always much, much happier when they have a bed to snuggle into.

My sister read about the dog box (not it’s real name) in a Dachshunds forum online and, although they are quite expensive – £40, we went for it, and I am absolutely thrilled. It’s very stable, (I have to admit that it isn’t installed properly in the photos – the loose strap secures it at the bottom around the back of the seat, and the box sides should be held upright by the fully adjustable seat straps), there is a clip inside for the dog’s collar, and both sausages fit in it, in a pinch. (Although it is really just for one dog.)

When my sister is in the car too, it fits perfectly on her knees, with both sausages in it, so it’s a practical way of getting all 4 of us in a 2 seater for short journeys.

One of the great side benefits, is that we now always have a collapsible bed for them to bring one into someone’s house or a pub when we are out and about – dogs settle much more quickly when they are in a bed and, of course, it’s not very nice to just plonk your dogs on someone else’s upholstery, especially in a bar or dog-friendly restaurant.

Oh and the faux sheepskin cover attaches on velcro so it can just be slung in the wash each week.

We got ours on Amazon here.