I had a Dodge Dakota set up like that....
Most truck boxes are set up for the option to build a deck into the box, They have slots for 2X4 to run east/west in the with of the box.
I ran mine with a topper with flip open doors on the side... The deck that I built was just 3 feet or so with a 2X2 on the edge to keep stuff from falling off of it into the floor of the truck box... I had one of those plastic dog kennels on the deck set in a east/west position so I could just reach in and open and let the dog loose out the back of the truck... He loved riding in there... my shell vest and dead birds would lay just inside the door and the cased shotgun would ride along the side of the dog kennel... Tire chains and tow straps and all the truck stuff was stuffed under the deck...
It was a cool set up and kept the truck can clean and free of dog hair and snotty windows...
Now that I am older, I could care less about dog hair and snotty windows... So, now, I have an old Toyota Tundra the dog rides shotgun in and hair all over his side of the truck.... don't matter... nobody else is gonna ride over there...
I've not had a dog in a decade (work meant 10-14 hour days and I'll not do that to a dog) but now I work from home and a dog may be in the future. Someday. I like the sound of your set up.
