Saratoga K9 Kooling Coat

There are several cooling coats on the market and they seem to work in a few different ways.  Some, you soak and the evaporation cools the dogs, others are a light color and reflect the sun away.  For those that haven't noticed, Hudson is mostly black.  In the summer, and on bright winter days, his black coat will be warm or hot to the touch.  He spends most of the summer hiding in the shade and for such an active dog, it just didn't seem fair.  I struggled for probably close to a year on what cooling coat I wanted to get, but finally settled on the Saratoga K9 Kooling Coat.  Part of it was the cost, and part of it is that Hudson is a smallish dog and I was worried the coats that needed soaking would be too heavy for him.

The K9 Kooling coat works mainly by reflecting the suns rays away from the dog so that the dog's fur doesn't absorb the heat.  I know that I can tell a difference between the temperature under the coat and the top of his head.  He also seems much more comfortable outside when wearing it.

The coat fits on the dog with a velcro belly band and a buckle across the chest.  I think I got Hudson's a size too small, so it's a little snug on him and doesn't cover all the way to his tail, but it doesn't slide around and stays put.  Obviously, you can't use it with a normal harness underneath, but the front is open enough that if you use a front clip harness without any issue.  I use an Easy-Walk harness when I need to use a front clip.   I haven't tried it, but I bet harnesses styled like the Brillian K9 Harness or the EzyDog Quick Fit would fit over the coat, depending on where their chest strap fits in relation to the buckled on the coat.

I love this coat and now that the weather is getting warm again, I look forward to taking it out on more adventures.

Saratoga K9 Kool Coat

Metal Mementos

I come across the best things from suggestions from friends.  A few people I know have gotten custom dog tags from Metal Mementos and I just had to have one.  The price was right, and they did custom etching.  I did a lot of private messaging through FB on this design and the owner of the store was a total gem to work with.  I sent a few photos of what I was thinking, these were pictures from various websites. I didn't have to do any of my own drawing thank goodness!  Then I got a sketch of what it would look like and it was perfect.  

Hudson's registered name is Green Mountain Angels in Gotham, which is  play off of a Doctor Who episode Angels take Manhattan. I won't go into the details of the episode, but it has Weeping Angels. I have love/hate relationship with Weeping Angels. They are awesome and yet terrifying. Or maybe it's really his guardian angel hiding.....

Either way, the tag came quickly.  It's heavy and has a very well-made feel to it.  I do have a large clip on it, so it hangs lower than I would like, but I could fix that easy with a smaller clip.  Hudson has worn the tag a lot over the last few months and it has held up great. Another thing I really like is that the tag has the custom etching on one side, and Hudson's name with my phone number on the other.  I like to hope and pray that he'll never get lost, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  

When it's time to get another dog, another Metal Mementos tag will definitely be something I get. Or maybe I'll just come up with a reason that Hudson needs another.

Metal Mementos FB page

Eco by Lupine

In July of 2014 we were getting ready to head out for vacation.  That year we were heading to a house in West Virginia on the banks of the Potomac River and I was looking for a harness that would hold up to the river grit & grime, but was inexpensive enough that if I needed to toss it after vacation it wouldn't hurt the wallet too much.   I ended up with a Tropical Sea colored Eco harness by Lupine.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Lupine, all of their products are guaranteed, even if chewed, and they will replace anything.  I looked through a lot of their harnesses and at the different designs, but eventually settled on the Eco because they are made from recycled plastic bottles.  What can I say, I'm a bit of a sucker for things made out of recycled products

Being made out of recycled plastic bottles, you would think that the harness would be stiff; it isn't. It feels very similar to a medium weight, nylon harness.  The color is nice and bright.  As you would expect from a Lupine product, it feels like a quality made product all around.  I got the step-in style harness, it has 3 places to adjust the fit.  Hudson is around 37 lbs, and wears the 20"-30" girth harness. Everything is sized about in the middle, but at almost 3 years old, I don't see him growing much more.

This harness took on the mighty Potomac River with ease and has quickly become my go-to harness for hiking, or any event I think he'll get gross and dirty.  If your dog is a big of a puller, like Hudson, the harness won't prevent the pulling, and if your dog pulls off to one side or another, the harness will slip a little to the left or right, but I have not had Hudson slip out of it, and don't see that as an issue.

As a side note, I also clip the poop-bag holder to the d-rings on the back and make Hudson carry his own poop bags.  Now, I do carry the full bags (lucky me!), but maybe one day I'll get something with bags to make him carry his own poop too.  

Some reviews have noted that these are hard on the edges and cause rubbing or coat breakage.  I haven't noted either of these on Hudson.  Since we use this harness on hikes, he is usually wearing it for an hour, or longer, at a time and I have not noticed any issue.  

Amazon - Eco by Lupine

Lupine's Store