Packing for A Summer Road Trip with My Dog

One year ago I posted on Facebook that I "really really want to take Boca to BlogPaws next year." Talk about manifesting my reality! Here it is just one sleep away from #bocasbigadventure, where we'll visit some old friends, make new ones, and learn more about this wonderful medium that has truly changed my life. Our trip is being generously sponsored by Open Farm - a perfect partnership since they are the first certified humane kibble and we share a concern for animal welfare. This is my first road trip with Boca, and the longest I've been on the road with a dog! I wanted to share my packing tips as we venture through the southwest during an extreme heatwave.

Ruby Reviews: Dressed to the K9s Custom Leash + Giveaway

Little did I know that when I admired my blogger friend Lia's leash in a Facebook picture that she had made it herself and was starting her own business, Dressed to the K9s. I was beyond thrilled when she offered to make one for Boca and one for a lucky reader! Not only does Lia craft gorgeous custom macrame leashes, but she also hand beads stunning collars that are seriously works of art. I've been a fan of her blog Identity V + E for a while now, in awe of her dedication to her beautiful Elli and her challenging new Malinois, Riko, and am so happy to support the grand opening of her business.

Dressed to the K9s' leashes are unique in that they are woven by hand and fully customizable. You can choose up to four colors of cord and add a bag-carrier loop. I got to see some pictures of the progress on Boca's leash on the Dressed to the K9s Facebook page, and was so tickled by the name she gave it: Bahamian Rhapsody! I was still unprepared for how beautiful it would be in person, and I literally squealed and jumped around like a little kid when I opened the package. The colors were so bright and reminded me of a seaside carnival. 

The 6 foot leash is as functional as it is beautiful - I can see it lasting forever, the hardware and handle are sturdy, and one of my favorite things about the leash is how comfortable it is to hold at any point. Although Boca already has an enviable collection of collars, I couldn't help ordering a Dia de los Muertos collar for her to match her folkloric new leash!

One lucky blog reader will win a Dressed to the K9s leash of their own, in the lovely Sandalwood color scheme. Even though I chose the tropically technicolor leash for Boca, I'm just a little jealous of whoever wins the other one, too. Entrants must be U.S. residents and reply to the winner notification email within 72 hours to claim their prize:

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Disclaimer: Dressed to the K9s provided the giveaway leash and one for review in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions expressed are my own and I only publish reviews for products I feel comfortable using in the day to day life of my pets.

Snowy Days

The Ginger Sisters had a nice holiday visiting their dog cousins and eating lots of left-over turkey. Boca particularly loved my human cousin, and they did wonderfully meeting everyone. They were excited on the morning drive, but by the time we headed home that afternoon, they were curled up asleep in the back seat. I must confess that I did not get them any gifts - they get so many things on a regular basis and had just gotten a box of goodies that we won from His Muddy Paw Prints. I also wanted some more time to budget and think of what they really need, and in the next week or so Ruby will get a new tug and Boca some booties. 

We did have a white Christmas, which is actually fairly uncommon, with snow moving in during the late afternoon. Before having a reactive dog, I have never been so excited about snow storms and cold temperatures, but I knew it meant we could romp in the nearby open space! Normally it is busy with cyclists, soccer games and other dogs, but we were able to walk on the mountain bike paths and run through the fields without a care. Boca thought we were a little crazy, and Ruby couldn't get enough running and digging. Both dogs wore the rubber Pawz booties, but they got pretty torn up on our expeditions so I want to get something more heavy-duty for Boca. Does anyone have recommendations? Ruby has adapted well to the winter and her feet aren't nearly as sensitive.

On Sunday, Ruby tried the 16 foot long-line in the field and had such fun! I got her to run in a circle around me - much like lunging a horse, and I was glad for my experience doing just that. I'm thrilled to have this in the toolbox for her to enjoy a little more freedom. Boca also had a turn on the long-line and wouldn't even go to the end of it! I tried to get her to run around and she looked at me like I was loony. I think she had her fill of freedom as a street dog in The Bahamas. 

Now some extreme cold has set in - yesterday only reached the teens and today's high is all of three degrees with record lows expected tonight. We ventured out very briefly in the afternoon and will do the same today. Yesterday was my birthday and I had a lovely relaxing day cuddling with my girls, watching movies and baking cupcakes. We are ready for 2015!

Dashing Through the Snow with Ruffwear

I'm fairly new to the world of dog outerwear, since my previous dogs - a Norwegian elkhound and a Chow/GSD mix - were built for the snow with thick, double coats. Ruby shivered through her first snowstorm and I quickly acquainted myself with winter clothes for dogs. 

Since Boca came from a tropical island in The Bahamas, I knew that a coat would be an absolute necessity for her first Colorado winter. Already having several of Ruffwear's products - including my favorite leash for Ruby - I was very excited to try out their K-9 Overcoat.

Following the sizing guide, I measured Boca and ordered size small in the Cinder Cone Red color. We were still having unseasonably warm weather by the time the coat arrived, but yesterday gave us a great opportunity to put the coat to the test as snow fell from morning to night. 

I love the color, the reflective piping, and the durable material of the K-9 Overcoat. It is very easy to take on and off since you can unbuckle both sides and slip it over the dog's head. Boca started wagging her tail as soon as the coat was on - she seemed to know we were off on an adventure!

One of the issues I've had with Boca's other coat is that it starts to come off if she is very active. We gave the Ruffwear coat a thorough trial by racing all around on the snow-covered lawn. The coat did not slip at all and Boca was able to run, jump and play comfortably.

The outer material repelled the falling snow and kept Boca dry during two wintry walks. The coat is lined with a soft fleece which offers added warmth for my potcake's ultra short fur. The coat could easily be layered over a sweater in extremely cold temperatures. I'm very pleased with this coat overall and think it will help Boca get accustomed to her new climate. I'm sure we will be getting a lot of use out of it in the coming months!

Disclaimer: I was provided a Ruffwear K-9 Overcoat in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and I only publish reviews for products I feel comfortable using in the day to day life of my pets.

A Ballpark Playdate & Harnessing Happiness

No fooling here - it's Ruby Tuesday! Ruby and I had a lovely, if too-short weekend - aren't they always? Our biggest news, aside from my fostering announcement that I made yesterday, is that thanks to Jessica of My Imperfect Dog, I've finally found a harness that I'm pleased with for Ruby. I've spent a small fortune trying nearly every variety there is: front clip, no-pull, easy-walk, etc. and maybe it's from my background in horses, where fit and function of equipment is of the utmost importance, or maybe I'm just extremely picky, but I was disappointed in each and every one. The front-clip are a nice idea in theory, but unless the leash has a very tiny (worryingly flimsy) clip, it's banging on the dog's chest, and the leash ends up between the dog's legs more often than not. Additionally, I found that Ruby seemed very uncomfortable with the chest strap always constricting her shoulder span, and she walked in a twisted sideways manner. Some front-clip harnesses are easily escapable so I needed to jury-rig them to her collar with a carabiner, thereby inhibiting the side-pull mechanism and putting stress back on her neck which defeats the purpose. More traditional harnesses would fit around the barrel but not across the chest, and I felt they were always riding up on her shoulder blades. When Jessica expressed those same woes in finding a harness for Silas, and we compared notes on our quirky dog-twins, I decided to give her recommendation - the Lupine Roman Harness - a try.

 

Despite Ruby's skeptical side-eye, I am thrilled to report that this harness is perfect. It's extremely adjustable, fits snugly across her chest and appropriately around her barrel, is easy to get on and off, doesn't choke her, and I think it is secure enough that it doesn't need to be attached to her collar. In fact, I've ordered an adorable matching ID tag for the harness itself.  The orange is...unmissable, and brighter than I'd like, but it was the best color to match my new favorite leash, the Alite Boa Lite. I put together several of the rejected harnesses and donated them to a local shelter, though I kept the Sense-ible (her first harness) and the Freedom that sort of fit.  Ruby's leash-walking manners leave much to be desired, so I did take her on a little refresher jaunt back in her Halti, something I plan to do once in a while. It does make a big difference, but feels like cheating. I've started being very conscious of keeping slack in the leash by changing direction or simply stopping until she checks in with me, and I am noticing some improvement. The swarms of rabbits that inhabit my complex don't help one bit. 

On Sunday, Ruby met her chug chum at our usual ball field; however, there were already about six other dogs there. Several large, rowdy ones, including a chocolate lab that was acting pretty aggressively through the fence, and what appeared to be two Shar-Pei puppies but what I think were actually Shar-Pei/Pug mixes. I didn't like the energy and could tell that Ruby was going to get overwhelmed immediately by the big dogs so we left in search of a quieter setting. We were able to find another empty ball field nearby, and although there were a few gaps in the fencing I thought as long as the dogs were focused on playing it wouldn't be an issue. Ruby ran laps with her flying disc in her mouth before giving it up for some fetching. She doesn't catch it mid-air, instead waiting for it to stop moving before she goes after it, reminding me of my non-athletic self in grade-school P.E.  She and Cosmo even played tug briefly, although Cosmo is not big on toy-sharing. Ruby's energy is boundless and I think she would have been happy to stay there for another hour, but I had a brunch date downtown.

April should be a lively month with more and more beautiful weather and the arrival of our foster potcake dog! We are also looking forward to trying yet another subscription box, courtesy of a Bugsy's Box giveaway from Lapdog Creations. I'm excited to see all of the creative posts from those of you taking part in the A to Z Blogging Challenge, and hearing about your springtime adventures!