I recently bought the ZOMISIA Dog Car Seat for Small Dogs, and after a bit of a bumpy start, I’m officially a fan.
At $29.99, the price was hard to beat, and right out of the box the outer covering felt well-made — rugged, durable, strong stitching, and not at all cheap-feeling. My only hiccup: the listing says the cushions need 24-72 hours to fully fluff up after being vacuum-packed, but mine just weren’t puffing up no matter how long I waited. I decided to take a chance and exchange it for a new one. Amazon customer service was great as usual. I had a new booster the day after I requested it.
Best decision ever. The replacement arrived and the cushions started fluffing up almost immediately — a totally different experience from the first one. So glad I gave it a second shot! I will say a review I read said to put the cushions in the booster when they have started plumping up, but not gotten to full size to make it easier, and that was really helpful when putting it together.
Size-wise, this thing is not small, but it will be great for Stan to have a little stretch room. It takes up the entire passenger seat, which is perfectly fine when it’s just me and Stan riding together. Now that the cushions have puffed up properly, it’s incredibly plush and looks so cozy.
One thing I really dug into before buying: safety. I’ve learned there are very few dog car seats on the market that are actually crash/safety tested (I found exactly one), so for this purchase I mostly had to go with my gut — and I really like how this one attaches. There are three points of attachment: canvas straps on the back of the booster for the seatbelt to run through, a strap that loops around the headrest and buckles back to the booster, and another strap that clips to two rings on the back of the booster and wraps around the back of the seat. There’s also a buckle inside the seat that clips right to Stanley’s harness, so he stays secured in his little bed even once he’s settled in.
I love that the two exterior straps have an easy-release buckle in the middle, which makes it simple to attach each side to the booster and then clip it behind the car seat or headrest. The buckles also make it easy to cinch the straps snug so everything stays put.
Installation was genuinely fast — about 3 minutes. I set it in place, buckled the two straps around the back, and ran the seatbelt through the loops on the booster. Done.
Oh, and I almost forgot — there’s a giant pocket on the front that’s perfect for stashing a leash, treats, and other essentials. It also has two handles so that it could be used as a pet carrier.
Stanley is trying it out for the first time tonight, so I’ll be back to update once I see how he takes to it. He had a booster seat as a tiny puppy, but once he outgrew it, he’s mostly just ridden in my lap or on a blanket on the passenger seat. He’s a pretty good passenger already, but if this booster is a hit — and we start taking more road trips — it’ll be great for him to have his own safe, cozy spot in the car.
Super excited to see how tonight goes!