Frequently Asked Questions

Buddy & Joy is a mum founded, family run business based in Australia.

The name Buddy & Joy comes from our dog, Buddy, and our daughter, Joy. The brand was born from our own experience of becoming parents and refusing to leave our dog behind.

We design premium products with baby and dog safety in mind, focused on quality, thoughtful design, and everyday practicality. Everything we create is shaped by real family life and refined through everyday use, to help make life a little easier.

By choosing Buddy & Joy, you are supporting a small business built with care and intention, and we genuinely appreciate being part of your family journey.

Buddy & Joy is a family adventure brand designed for life with both babies and dogs.
We create smart, high quality products that make it easier to get out on outdoor family adventures, without compromise.

Buddy & Joy products are designed for families who share life with both babies and dogs.

Our products are thoughtfully designed with baby and dog safety in mind at all times, using premium materials and considered details that support everyday family life.

Everything we create is made to be practical, durable, and easy to use, helping families move through their days with a little more ease and a lot more confidence.

Buddy & Joy is just getting started.

We are actively working on new product ideas inspired by real life with babies and dogs. Everyday moments, small frustrations, and those "there has to be a better way" situations that come up as family life evolves.

Not every idea makes it to market. Products are tested, refined, and only introduced when they genuinely add value and meet our safety, quality, and usability standards.

If you would like to stay in the loop as Buddy & Joy grows, you can sign up to our newsletter for early VIP access to new products, and follow us on social media to be part of the Buddy & Joy community.

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Buddy & Joy creates premium, mum-designed products built for real life with babies and dogs. We use high-quality, non toxic materials selected with baby and dog safety in mind, and every detail is thoughtfully designed in Australia, tested through everyday use, and refined to meet high safety and quality standards.

We are a small, family-run business and genuinely care about the products we create and the families who use them. Orders are shipped from Australia and typically dispatched within 48 hours of order confirmation.

We also stand behind our products. The Car Dog Hammock comes with a 90-day money back guarantee, and the Zest Collection comes with a 30-day sizing and fit guarantee. No questions asked. Just email us on hello@buddynjoy.co.

When you buy from Buddy & Joy, you are choosing considered design, trusted materials, and a brand built with care and intention.

Absolutely. We would love that.

Buddy & Joy is built around real-life experiences with babies and dogs, and some of our best ideas come from listening to families who live it every day. The small frustrations, the "why doesn't this exist?" moments, and the quiet what if there was a better way thoughts.

If there is something you struggle with, something that feels harder than it should, or an idea you wish existed, we genuinely want to hear about it. We use this feedback to guide our research, testing, and future product development, always with safety and practicality in mind.

You can share your thoughts with us anytime via our contact page, email, or by connecting with us on Instagram or Facebook. Being part of the Buddy & Joy community means helping shape what comes next.

Sorry about that. We have tried to cover as many questions as we could. Please email us at hello@buddynjoy.co and we will get back to you ASAP.

No. The Buddy & Joy Car Hammock is side specific.

It is available in two versions: a left-hand drive version and a right-hand drive version, each designed to suit how families typically set up their car when travelling with a baby and a dog.

Many families place their baby seat diagonally from the driver seat so the driver can easily see their baby. To support this setup safely, the hammock is designed for a specific side of the car.

• Left-hand drive version: suitable for US and most European vehicles
• Right-hand drive version: suitable for UK and Australian vehicles

If the hammock is used next to an adult passenger rather than a baby seat, placement becomes a personal preference and depends on where you would like your dog to sit.

When adding the hammock to your cart it is automatically set to select the right hand version for the Aussie market. If you like to buy the left hand version, we do have them in stock and please reach out by email to organise on hello@buddynjoy.co

Buddy & Joy is built for SUVs, wagons, 4WDs and dual cab Utes. If that's you, you're good to go.

Driving a hatchback or sedan? We'd strongly recommend measuring before ordering to avoid any disappointment. A quick measure now saves a return later.

What to measure:

• Seat width: 75cm, measure the section where the hammock will sit
• Full depth from seat back to footwell floor: 68cm
• Front panel height: 40cm / Rear panel height: 50cm
• Make sure your back seat has headrests on all four anchor points, including the middle seat
• Door cover length: 105cm from the driver-side corner of the seat. Fully removable if not needed.

Not the right fit once it arrives? You're covered by our 90-day money back guarantee, no stress.

In a hatchback or sedan? We're seeing a lot of interest in a smaller version. Let us know and we'll keep you posted on delivering a smaller version to the market.

Most Aussie families use the baby seat behind the front passenger seat, which means the hammock sits behind the driver's seat. This is the Right configuration and is what most Aussie families select.

There are two great reasons for this. First, it means your baby's door opens to the kerb away from traffic, making it safer and easier to get them in and out of the car. Second, you can keep an eye on your baby in the rear view mirror while driving without having to turn around.

If your baby seat is behind the driver's seat instead, the hammock would go on the other side. This is the Left configuration. You can select your preferred configuration directly on the product page before adding to cart.

No baby or toddler in the mix? If your back seat passenger is more of a big baby, think teenager or adult, you might actually prefer the Left configuration so you can keep an eye on your dog in the mirror instead! 😂

Not sure which one to pick? Email us at hello@buddynjoy.co and we'll help you work it out!

Safety comes first. Always.

The Buddy & Joy Car Hammock is designed to sit alongside your baby seat without interfering with its installation. It does not sit underneath the baby seat and does not change how your baby seat is installed in the car.

By giving your dog their own dedicated space, the hammock helps reduce movement, jumping, and distractions while driving.

We always recommend following your baby seat manufacturer's installation instructions and checking your setup carefully before every trip. For extra peace of mind, we recommend having your baby seat installed by a certified baby seat installer. If you're in Sydney, we recommend Bubba Snug (bubbasnug.com.au). The Buddy & Joy Car Hammock installation is approved by Bubba Snug.

The hammock is made using non toxic materials and a baby safe design, with zippers and loose ends positioned away from the baby side so they are not accessible.

The Buddy & Joy hammock features a fully integrated door cover designed to protect your car door while allowing easy, hands-free entry and exit for your dog.

The door cover slides securely into place as part of the hammock installation and sits inside the door frame, without interfering with the window mechanism. Your window can still open and close normally, and the cover does not rub, scratch, or damage the glass or window tint when used as intended.

If your car door shape or setup does not suit the door cover, it can be easily removed using the zipper, without affecting the rest of the hammock.

Buddy & Joy is the only Australian dog car hammock available with a fully integrated door cover designed for hands-free dog entry and exit. Unlike other hammocks that rely on separate flaps or zips that need to be opened and closed every time, the door cover stays in place. This allows you to keep holding your baby, manage bags, and make car trips easier and less stressful.

The Buddy & Joy hammock features a reinforced central barrier designed to create a clear separation between your dog and the baby seat (or passenger) next to them.

The barrier helps guide your dog into their own area, reducing movement, leaning, and attempts to cross the back seat. It is structured to hold its shape during everyday driving, including when dogs shift or place their paws against it.

The design intentionally allows airflow, access, and visibility from the front seat, so you can still see and check on both your baby and your dog while driving, without the back seat feeling closed off.

It is important to note that the barrier is not a rigid or fully enclosed divider. It is designed to strike a balance between separation, comfort, and access, making it more difficult for a dog to reach across while still allowing necessary space around a baby seat.

Yes. Buddy & Joy is designed to take up about two thirds of the back seat, which means the remaining seat stays free for a passenger.

An adult can comfortably sit next to the hammock while your dog stays safely in their own space. The seatbelt remains accessible and the built in barrier helps keep muddy paws, fur and excited noses on the dog's side of the seat.

Many families also use this space for other "big babies" too. A grandparent, partner or older child can sit there just as easily.

It is all part of the idea behind Buddy & Joy. Creating a back seat that works for real family life, not just the dog.

Real life gets messy. We designed it that way.

For everyday cleaning, shake off dirt, sand, and dog hair, then wipe down with a damp cloth.

For deeper cleans, the hammock can be machine washed on a gentle, cold cycle. Before washing, remove all support poles and internal plates. Air dry only. Do not tumble dry, bleach, or use fabric softeners.

Please note that, as with most waterproof fabrics, frequent machine washing may gradually impact the waterproof layer over time. Where possible, spot cleaning and wiping down will help extend the life of the waterproof coating.

Designed to handle muddy paws, dog hair, and everyday family life.

Yes. The hammock has a velcro opening that lets you pull the seatbelt through, so you can safely secure your dog to a car security lead while you drive.

The Zest Collection is Buddy & Joy's first dog walk range, a complete 5-piece set in our bold cobalt blue citrus print.

What's included:

• No-pull harness
• Hands-free lead
• Car security lead
• Collar
• Poo bag holder

Everything you need for the family walk, in one matched set.

Built for real family life:

• Wear the lead cross-body or around your waist, hands stay free
• Front clip harness stops pulling, with a grab handle for instant control
• Moveable parking buckle lets you clip your dog to a post while the kids play
• Car security lead pairs directly with the Buddy & Joy Car Dog Hammock for the complete setup

Buddy & Joy is on a mission to brighten up dog parks everywhere. No more boring colours. It's time to bring out your dog's personality.

The bold cobalt blue citrus print is fresh, vibrant and impossible to miss, just like the energy your dog brings to every walk. Zest is the perfect name for a collection built to stand out from the sea of black and grey dog products.

Because every dog deserves to show up with a bit of zest.

Yes, you absolutely can.

Every piece in the Zest Collection, the Hands-Free Lead, No-Pull Harness, Car Security Lead and Dog Collar, stands on its own two paws (pun very much intended).

Maybe your dog already has a harness they love and just needs a matching lead. Maybe the collar caught your eye and that's all you're after. Either way, buy exactly what you need, nothing more.

If you're the type who likes to go all in though, and honestly, who could blame you looking at this print, the full set works out better value than buying each piece separately. Check out our bundles and see which one suits your family best.

Measure all the way around your dog's chest and neck at the widest point, using the sizing diagram and charts below. If your dog falls between sizes, size up.

The harness sizing chart covers chest girth and neck girth for sizes XS to XL, and the collar sizing chart covers neck girth for sizes M to XL

The whole set is built for real life, so care is straightforward.

Harness and collar: hand wash cold with a mild detergent and air dry. For everyday muddy paws and general life, a wipe down with a damp cloth is usually enough.

Lead and car security lead: wipe clean, air dry.

Poo bag holder: wipe clean.

Nothing in the set goes in the machine or the dryer. Treat it well and it'll last.

That's exactly what the 30-day fit guarantee is there for. We know sizing online can feel like a gamble, especially for a harness.

If the fit isn't right for your dog, just get in touch at hello@buddynjoy.co within 30 days of receiving your order and we'll sort it out. No hoops, no drama. We want every dog to get the right fit, full stop.

You can read the full details in our Refund & Return Policy.

More prints are planned, and when they come they'll be every bit as happy, bold and fun as cobalt citrus. We're not doing boring.

We don't have a timeline to share just yet, but if you have ideas or suggestions for what you'd love to see next, we'd genuinely love to hear them. Drop us a line at hello@buddynjoy.co.

And if you want to be first to know when something new drops, including VIP early access and a discount, get on the newsletter.

We currently ship Australia wide from our Australian warehouses.

We are working currently on international shipment to be available on the website for ordering and will update when this is ready.

If you're located outside Australia and can't wait, email us at hello@buddynjoy.co and we'll see what options are available for your location.

We dispatch all orders within 48 hours of order confirmation.

Metro areas typically receive their order within 2 to 3 business days. Regional areas usually take 3 to 5 business days. If you are in remote Australia, it can take a little longer.

You'll receive tracking details as soon as your order leaves our warehouse to keep track on the delivery.

We're a small Australian business, and once an order comes through, we move quickly.

Because we dispatch within 48 hours of order confirmation, it can be difficult to catch us before your order ships. If you need to make a change, please email us as soon as possible at hello@buddynjoy.co and we'll see what's possible.

If your order has already been dispatched, you're still covered by our 90 day money back guarantee. If it's not the right fit for your car or dog, you can return it within 90 days of receiving it.

For full details, please refer to our Shipping Policy and Refund Policy.

Buddy & Joy offers two guarantees depending on the product.

The Car Dog Hammock is covered by our 90 Day Money Back Guarantee. If it's not the right fit for your car, or your family, you shouldn't have to keep it. 100% risk free.

The Zest Collection 5-Piece Walking Set (including individual pieces and as part of the EOFY Bundle) is covered by our 30 Day Sizing and Fit Guarantee. If the harness or collar sizing isn't right for your dog, get in touch within 30 days and we'll sort it.

To organise a return, please email us at hello@buddynjoy.co before sending anything back. We're unable to accept returns that arrive without prior approval.

Once we receive your email, we'll guide you through the simple return process. All returned items must be in good condition with no excessive wear beyond a reasonable trial.

For full details, please refer to our Refund Policy.

We stand by the quality of every Buddy & Joy Hammock, and if something isn't right, we'll make it right. If your hammock arrives genuinely damaged or with a manufacturing fault, contact us at hello@buddynjoy.co within 7 days of receiving it. Please include a photo of the issue and your order number, and we'll sort it fast, whether that means a replacement, repair, or refund.

We're not here to make it hard, we're here to build a brand you can trust.