Does anyone know about a mosquitto compatible tracking device for use in cars and / or pets / kids?
You should rephrase the title to “MQTT”, mosquitto is just an MQTT client.
I’m using an old smartphone with owntracks in my car. The same would work for kids. I’m however still not sure about pets (dog would be interesting).
Btw. does anyone know of a better alternative to owntracks?
If you do not want to rely on a constant network connection (linked to monthly costs) and you are more interested in a location history this might be an option: http://jpmens.net/2016/04/16/a-tiny-esp8266-based-gps-tracker
In pets ? Ouch 
No - I, too, am using this combo and would have given the same answer if you hadn’t already.
Maybe there’s a fitness tracker device available somewhere out there capable of running full Android, but I haven’t heard of any to date. Not sure about the Pebble line of devices.
No, I don’t know of any alternative to owntracks.
A quick search on GitHub resulted in this one, but I can’t comment on its usefulness.
You could try using free WiFi coverage such as Freifunk. Unfortunately, WiFi eats battery.
Then again, a low-volume data flat is way more reliable, and available for 5€/month or less.
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Thanks. I Know about the project you mentioned above.
The solution is not rugged enough for my boys backpack though. 
Thanks for your suggestions.
I was thinking about kind of fitness tracker but I did not find one either.
The old smartphone in the car might be an option.
I had some connection issues with OwnTracks recently as well, so I will check out the github link as well.
How about stand alone smart watches with gps and 3G.
I guess one of those could be capable!?
https://www.smartgeekwrist.com/standalone-smartwatch-sim-card/
How to check whether it’s possible to run OwnTracks for android on these smartwatches?
Without looking any further, the easiest solution would be to ask at https://github.com/owntracks/android