JOEJOY Booster Seat Review: Months of Daily Car Rides With a Small Dog

Pico starts shaking before I have the Forester out of the driveway. He is an 8-year-old Chihuahua mix, nine pounds soaking wet, and new places make him nervous. For the first year I tried the usual things. A towel on the back seat. A harness that clipped into the seat belt and left him staring at the back of my head. None of it gave him the one thing he wanted, which was a view. Ten months ago I bought the JOEJOY Deluxe Dog Booster Seat, mostly because it was small enough to leave in the car and the listing said it held dogs up to 20 pounds. Pico is well under that. I put it on the rear passenger-side seat, strapped it in, and gave it a week before I decided whether it was worth the space.

I am not going to call this a safety device in the way a car seat is a safety device. JOEJOY does not advertise a crash test, and I am not an engineer. What I can tell you is what changed in the car. Pico stopped fighting the ride. He climbs in on his own now, turns around twice, and settles. That is worth more to me than a page of jargon. The boost seat has limits, and I will get to those. But for a small dog who wants to see out and a driver who wants him contained, it has earned its spot.

How I've Used It

The seat has been in the 2019 Forester for ten months. It sits on the rear passenger-side seat, never the front, and I buckle it in with the seat's own adjustable straps. I take it out maybe once a month to wipe it down or when I need the whole back seat for groceries. Reinstall takes a couple of minutes. I thread the strap, pull it snug, and check that the seat does not slide more than an inch when I push it. The internal metal frame is the reason it does not collapse when Pico steps on the edge. He is not a heavy dog, but he is a busy one.

The dimensions matter more than they sound. JOEJOY lists it at 16 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 9 inches high, and 3.11 pounds. In the Forester, that leaves plenty of room for a passenger. In a smaller coupe, I would measure first. Pico is nine pounds and he has room to turn around, lie down, and sit up. A 20-pound dog is the stated ceiling, and I would take that seriously. If your dog is long from chest to tail, this is not a wide seat. It is a small-dog seat.

A normal week for us is two or three short drives around Tucson plus one longer run to a trailhead or a state park. A few times a year I drive up to Colorado, and that is where the seat matters most. I keep a folded towel under the cushion on long days because Pico likes to dig a nest. The storage pockets hold a roll of bags and his leash. The seat is not a bed, and it is not a crate. It is a place for him to ride.

The First Week: What Changed With Pico

The first drive was a test. I put the seat in, lifted Pico in, and clipped the safety leash to his padded harness. He stood for a minute, looked out the window, and sat down. That may not sound like much. For a dog who used to shake for 30 minutes, it was a change. By the end of the first week he was shaking for about 10 minutes instead of 30, and most of that was the first two blocks. The height did it. He could see the trees and the other cars instead of the back of the seat.

He did not love the leash at first. The seat comes with a safety leash inside, and I keep it short enough that he cannot climb out. He can stand, turn, and lie down, but he cannot launch himself at the window. I tried it once with the leash longer and he put a paw on the door panel. That was enough. The leash is not a harness replacement. It clips to his harness, not his collar, and I check the clip every time. If you have a dog who backs out of harnesses, tighten the fit before you trust any leash.

The other change was how he got in. For the first few days I lifted him. Then he started putting his front paws on the seat and asking. Now he jumps in on his own, which is not something I expected from a dog who used to plant his feet on the driveway. The seat sits 9 inches high, so it is a low step for a dog his size. A dog with back problems should be lifted, not left to jump. I am not a vet, and I am not going to tell you what your dog can handle. I can tell you that Pico's jump is short and controlled, and I still put a hand under him on cold mornings.

Living With It: Cleaning, Straps, and Small Annoyances

The cover is Oxford cloth, and JOEJOY says to wipe it clean. That is what I do. A damp cloth takes off dust, road grit, and the occasional drool mark. I do not put it in the washing machine, because the frame and the straps are not made for that. On a longer trip I bring a spare towel and shake it out at rest stops. The cushion is thick enough that Pico does not bottom out, but it is not a memory foam bed. If your dog is a digger, add a small blanket you can wash.

The straps are adjustable, and they need to be checked. I check the buckle and the tension every time I load Pico, the same way I check my own seat belt. The seat has never come loose on me, but I have had to snug it after a week of bumpy dirt roads. The metal frame is what gives it shape. I can push down on the rim and it holds. That matters when a dog steps on the edge getting in. It is also why the seat does not fold flat. It is portable, not packable. It takes up real space in the back seat.

The storage pockets are useful, not huge. I keep a roll of bags in one and a folded leash in the other. A water bottle does not fit well, and I would not put one there anyway. The seat is 3.11 pounds, so moving it from the car to a motel room is easy. I do not leave it in the sun all day if I can help it, because the Oxford cloth gets hot and Pico has a thin coat. In Tucson that is a real issue from May through September. I park with a sunshade and put a light towel over the seat if we are going to be inside for a while.

Where It Earns Its Space on Long Drives

On the drive up to Colorado, the booster does three jobs. It lifts Pico so he can see, it keeps him in one place, and it gives him a consistent spot at every rest stop. When I set him in the seat, he knows we are driving. When I take him out, he knows we are stopping. That sounds small until you have spent a day with a dog who does not know what is happening next.

The view is the main event. At 9 inches high, he can look out the side window without standing on the door panel. He watches the road, the cattle, the occasional semi. He still shakes when we first start, but it is a short shake now. I put the seat on the passenger side so I can reach back and touch his chest at a red light. He rides in the back, never the front. The seat does not put him in the front, and I would not use it that way.

The safety leash inside the seat is the reason I trust it for containment. It is not a crash rating. It is a way to keep him from climbing into the front or out an open window. When I use the COOYOO tether, it is on the short drives when the booster is out being cleaned, or in my sister's car. I never use both at once. The booster's leash holds him in the booster. That is enough for our normal drives. On the highway, I still drive like I have a dog in the car, because I do.

Where It Falls Short

The biggest limitation is the one JOEJOY does not hide. This is not a crash-tested car seat. It is a booster with a metal frame and a safety leash. If you want a product that has been through federal crash testing, this is not that product, and I would not pretend otherwise. I use it because it keeps Pico contained and calm. I do not use it as a substitute for driving carefully.

The size limit is real. JOEJOY says up to 20 pounds. Pico is nine, and he fills maybe half the seat. A 20-pound dog would be at the top of the range, and a dog who likes to sprawl may not fit the 16 by 13 footprint. The seat is also not wide. If your dog is a breed that lies flat like a pancake, measure before you buy. The cushion is thick, but it is not orthopedic. Older dogs with sore joints may want a folded blanket on top.

The other annoyance is the install. It is not hard, but it is not a one-second click. You have to thread the adjustable strap and pull it snug, and you have to recheck it. If you move the seat from car to car often, that gets old. The frame means it does not fold flat, so it takes up space in a small car. And the Oxford cloth, while easy to wipe, is not soft like a plush bed. Pico does not seem to care. I notice it when I put my hand on the seat after a long day in the sun.

Pico still shakes when the engine turns over. He just stops in about ten minutes now instead of thirty. That is the whole review in one sentence.

Who This Is For

This is for the owner of a dog under 20 pounds who rides in the back seat several times a week and wants the dog up where the window works. It is for the dog who plants his feet at the door, or shakes for the first mile, or tries to climb into the front. The JOEJOY gives that dog a place. It is also for someone who wants a seat they can wipe clean and move from car to car without a toolbox.

It fits a daily driver, a weekend car, or a road trip vehicle. It fits a dog who likes to sit up and watch. It fits an owner who understands that a booster is not a crash seat and drives accordingly. If you have a 9-pound Chihuahua mix and a mid-size SUV, you are in the center of the target. Pico is eight, he is set in his ways, and he took to it in a week. That tells me the design is simple enough for a nervous dog.

Who Should Skip It

Skip it if your dog is over 20 pounds, or close to it and long in the body. A bigger dog will be cramped, and I would not push the limit. Skip it if you want a crash-tested car seat with a harness system that has been through federal testing. This is not that. Skip it if your dog chews straps. The adjustable straps and the safety leash are not chew toys, and a determined puppy could do damage.

Skip it if you need something that folds flat in a suitcase. The metal frame is the reason the seat holds its shape, and it is also the reason the seat does not collapse. Skip it if you have a dog with serious joint pain who cannot step up 9 inches. Lift the dog or choose a low bed instead. And skip it if you are looking for a bed for a motel room. Pico has a travel bed for the floor. The booster stays in the car.