As fur parents we want the very very best for our fur babies which often means trips to the vet, heading out to the trails for hiking, and hitting the road for all kinds of adventures.

For many of our felines friends, they are safely put in their little carrier and ready to go. Often, people will travel with smaller dogs in kennels as well. But, what about the big dogs?

We have seen SO many dogs in harnesses strapped into the car seats. So. Many. Dogs. Did you know there are only THREE harnesses that are approved as crash test certified?! (Find them here.) Many others have been found to cause decapitation as well as other injuries.

So it’s fantastic there are some good choices for doggy seatbelts, but what about the for the multi dog home, or dogs with anxiety about being strapped in? Well, that’s our house.

So what were my safety concerns;

– Dog flying forward and out of the window in an accident

– Dogs distracting the driver

– Dogs sitting up front with airbag

Okay, I narrowed it down to a few dog car safety concerns when I was asking myself what I needed to address to travel with my dogs safely.

So I researched, and I researched and I found the most amazing solution. I decided I would put up a grate, but I needed a grate that I could move my seats around and also be flexible from my Subaru to my Ford F-150. I wanted one that was tough, quality and not just another halfway decent review in Amazon. So, I came across this GEM!

Enter “The Zoo Keeper”.



Okay, so I have now tried this thing for over a month with my four dogs, as well as foster dogs, rescue transport dogs and well – no human children of course. But, everyone has loved it and been respectful of it! It goes all the way down as you can see and so even the smallest of critters have not tried to “bust through” and it sets up and takes down in seconds! So, on that rare occasion I need my backseat for humans, I have it. Though they are still sitting on dirt, sand and whatever else my dogs have brought in the car!

I have to say, hands down this were one of the best products we have tried and I am so happy to be able to share it with you. Doggie seatbelts are a great idea, but not if they are going to cause harm to your dog in an accident. Car safety for dogs is a huge problem with how many are on the road with their people every day and it is our responsibility to help keep them safe. So if you want an easy, safe and amazing way to keep your pups safe – but a grate in your car!

Now, we are off on the trails!