It started with a dog who needed a better way down.
Born in a veterinary practice.
Dog&Drive began at the veterinary practice Dr Karin Kamlage opened in Odenthal, Germany, in 2000, and which she runs with her husband, Karl-Heinz. Day after day they saw the same thing: loved, healthy dogs struggling to get in and out of cars.
One arrival stayed with Karl-Heinz. An owner spent around twenty minutes helping a dog with sore joints out of the boot. Karl-Heinz, an inventor and engineer by nature, started working on an answer: steps that stay with the car and unfold only when they are needed.
Why it matters
Landing from boot height sends significant force through a dog’s front legs. In a 2018 study, the tallest height tested produced forces of around three times body weight. Dog Steps provide a permanent, controlled way in and out.
Good for your dog. Right for your car.
We believe caring properly for your dog should not mean compromising on anything else. The way you travel, the car you chose, the way you live. So every Dog&Drive system is designed to do two things at once: look after your dog’s joints every time they get in and out, and sit in your car as though it was always meant to be there.
Good design should make everyday life easier. For us, that means helping dogs get in and out comfortably, with a system that feels like part of the car.
Karl-Heinz Kamlage, founder
Otto.
Otto, Karl-Heinz’s Australian Shepherd, was ten when he became our first tester. He used the steps every day, on every walk, through every stage of development. Watching an older dog step down calmly, in his own time, told us more than any lab test could.
Years in the making.
The systems available today are the result of years of development and many design iterations, each one refined until it met our standard. The result is steps light enough to lift with one hand, strong enough for a dog of up to 70 kg, and quiet enough to belong in the finest cars.
Patent applications for the design are pending in the UK, EU and US.
Hand finishing a carbon fibre section in our Odenthal workshop.
Why carbon fibre.
Carbon fibre is expensive and demanding to manufacture. We use it because nothing else offers the same strength for so little weight. Easy for you to handle, completely solid for your dog.
Designed around your car.
We have 3D scanned a large number of cars and SUVs, so every system is engineered around the real shape of the boot it fits. It attaches to the car’s existing lashing points, with no drilling and no changes to the vehicle, and can be removed without tools.
Built in Odenthal.
Every system is manufactured at our workshop in Odenthal. Each one is built with premium materials and checked before it leaves, designed to last for your dog’s lifetime.
Our workshop in Odenthal, Germany.
See what fits your car.
Select the make, model and year and the configurator will show the systems, widths and options available for it.