My dog, Charlie, hates water and mud. But he always seems to find a way into them, whether he鈥檚 chasing other dogs or accidentally falling in. Our trips聽to the dog park usually end with me quarantining him in the back seat of the car and then spraying him with a hose in the yard before letting him inside the house. This system works well, but it鈥檚 not great for my car seats. That鈥檚 why I bought the聽听($80).
The Dirt Bag聽has a simple design that fits in cars of any size. Two buckles fasten the approximately five-by-five-foot cover to the rear headrests, and it drapes over the backseat. Small flaps protect the sides of the seats when Charlie is entering and exiting the car. The cover stays in place, despite Charlie鈥檚 incessant nesting and digging to get comfortable, thanks to a rubber聽backing that covers the whole underside and grips to聽cloth聽and leather seats.
You can also attach it to the front headrests to create聽a hammock-like setup (see the photo) and add聽a bit more protection.聽I prefer this configuration because it creates a two-foot-tall barrier that stops Charlie from jumping聽into the front seat. It also protects my car floor聽from dirty paws and gives me better access to the seat cover鈥檚聽zippered pocket,聽on the lower-left聽section, where I聽store poop bags, a water bowl, and extra treats.
Slotted holes keep the seat buckles free so I can have a backseat passenger without removing the cover.聽The fabric is a waterproof nylon that鈥檚 proved resistant to claws and can easily be cleaned. The cover is聽machine washable, though I prefer to hose it off and hang it to dry on the clothesline. The entire thing聽stuffs into its zippered pocket鈥攁bout the size of a notebook鈥攕o it鈥檚 easy to stash in my trunk when I don鈥檛 need it.
When I bought a new car this year, I was worried about keeping it clean while still being able to play聽with Charlie outside. Adventuring requires being OK with a little dirt anyway, but this cover means I never have to choose between an adventure and my dog.