[Dailydrool] Backseat hammocks

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

We bought the Deluxe Backseat Hammock from Duluth Trading Company  
several years ago. The direct URL is http://www.duluthtrading.com/ 
store/departments/truck-car/seat-protection/seat-protection.aspx? 
feature=P8892-C75307-L2&processor=content. If that doesn't work, then  
go to http://www.duluthtrading.com, click on the "Truck & Car" tab,  
and you'll see a box that says "The Solution to Muddy Paws." That'll  
take you to a page of back seat hammock options.

We use the hammock in a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota RAV-4 in  
conjunction with a harness and tether that attaches to the seat belt.  
But our Elsinore and young Charlie still have enough room with the  
tether to get thrown into the foot well without the hammock. The  
hammock is fairly good sized, and I've found that even in the larger  
RAV-4 the hammock is still long enough to create a small dip in the  
space between the seats. So what I do when we travel is stuff  
whatever soft-sided totes I've packed into the foot wells before  
putting the hammock up. That way, if we have to stop suddenly and the  
dogs are jarred, the hammock and the totes work together to keep the  
dogs on pretty much the same level as the seat. It's also nice in  
that the dogs have more room to stretch out toward the front seats  
with the totes and hammocks providing combined support.

I like the hammock because it's a tough, water-repellent fabric that  
keeps the back seat's cloth upholstery clean. I also like being able  
to pack things in the foot wells and know that the hammock will help  
them stay in place while giving the dogs a better stretching-out  
experience without the dogs getting the things I've packed all  
slobbery or muddy. And, of course, it's nice to know that if the dogs  
should get thrown in a sudden stop, they aren't going to end up down  
in the depths of the foot wells but, minus the totes, only several  
inches below the seat level and well cradled by sturdy fabric.

Elizabeth