I love traveling with my dogs, but I hate the hair, mud and saliva that gets all over my car. In my old car, I did not mind these things as much, but after purchasing a new car, I wanted to find something that would keep the hair and mud to a minimum while also allowing me to take my canine companions along for car rides. I found the Deluxe Quilted Rear Seat Hammock to cover my car seats and provide safety for my puppy who tends to jump into the front seat while I am driving.
I purchased the Deluxe Quilted Rear Seat Hammock at the Drs. Foster and Smith website for $58.00 on sale. It is regularly priced at $77.99. You can purchase this item in either double (which I did) which covers the entire back seat or in single which provides coverage for part of the seat, allowing people to sit on the other side of the hammock. The single hammock goes for $34.99 regularly priced and about $26 on sale.
The Deluxe Quilted Rear Seat Hammock comes in a variety of styles and colors, so you can coordinate the dog hammock to match your car’s interior. Charcoal, denim and tan colors come in suede material with doggie footprints on the suede sides. The suede is made of Microsoft which is ideal for use with pets as it is easily cleaned. Driftwood (brown), grey and wine colors come in a textured fabric. The textured material is made of 100% polyester material which resists stain, soil and fading. The bottom of the Deluxe Quilted Rear Seat Hammock is very cushiony to provide comfort for your dog as she travels with you and is made of imitation lambs wool. The Deluxe Quilted Rear Seat Hammock is fully washable, so you can simply remove it from your car, place it in your washer and dryer and replace it back in the car for your next dog’s car ride.
The Deluxe Quilted Rear Seat Hammock is supposed to discourage jumping from the back seat to the front where the driver is, and to prevent hair from going on the seats of your cars. This sets this product apart from other seat covers which tend to provide coverage for only the actual seat the dog sits on and the backseat, leaving the backs of the front seat which also get dog hair on them when your dog rides with you in the car, bare.
This dog hammock has adjustable nylon straps which are made to hitch onto the backs of the headrests in the car on both the front and back, rear top straps or rear seatbelt anchors.
If your vehicle does not have back headrests, you can loop the adjustable straps to top strap anchors, typically used for child safety restraints or through rear seatbelt loops. The product comes with easy to follow instructions, although the instructions are really not necessary as it is quite easy to install and self explanatory. Simply lay the hammock down on the seat with the suede or textured fabric lying on the sides and loop the adjustable straps around each headrest, and adjust to make it fit appropriately.
I found the Deluxe Quilted Rear Hammock extremely easy to install but I found that the adjustable straps tend to loosen up over time and have to be tightened. It seems that the straps need to be shorter or have less adjusting movement to them to keep them in place in my car. Perhaps for cars with larger headrests this is not a problem.
The Deluxe Quilted Rear Hammock is easy to clean, and I have been able to spot clean it easily using some pet spot cleaner and a rag. Even mud has been quick and easy to clean. As far as protecting hair from the car seats, this product works very well. It keeps the hair off the bottom of the seat as well as all the backs of my seats which I very much appreciate. It does a decent job of keeping my puppy from entering the front of the car while I am driving, but not as good as I had hoped. My puppy can get over the top of the hammock and I find when she begins to jump over it, I have to put my arm up and drape it on the back of the passenger head rest. I think if she was a little bigger, the Deluxe Quilted Rear Hammock would work better for this reason. It has a lot of cushion to it and my dogs seem to be very comfortable on it, so it is great for even older dogs who need a little more cushioning. I also like the fact that it provides covering above the floor of the backseat so this prevents my puppy from exploring the floor and anything I keep on the floor is safe from her.
Overall I think this product is a good investment, but I think it works best with larger dogs or dogs who are not as active and jumpy. This would decrease the movement of the adjustable straps as well as any jumping into the front seat. The hammock also does not have holes in it for a doggie seat belt, so you have to choose between using the two, or cut holes into the hammock so that the dog straps can go through it. In addition, the other issue I have with the Deluxe Quilted Rear Hammock is that it moves around more than I would like, and you have to hold down the edges when your dog is entering the car, lest their paws go under the material and onto your seat, mud and all. You also need to watch that they jump onto the seat and not onto the area that is above the floor. I would suggest if you purchase the Deluxe Quilted Rear Seat Hammock that you buy it on sale and not when it is full price, that you tighten the straps to the fullest extent and check them periodically for fit, and that you provide assistance to your dog while they are getting used to their new seat so their paws do not go underneath it and so they don’t fall onto the part that hovers over the floor. I think if this product had additional straps on the side, it would keep the hammock down more sturdily.
