$99.00 [Found My Animal Rope Leashes]

Leash upgrade!

Blew the remainder of my January pet budget on new leashes for Betelgeuse and Lulu.  Their old leashes were frayed and nasty because we like to "drop the leash" and let the dogs run free at parks and on back streets and the India Street pier at night.  So for 2012 (and thereafter), I invested in two seriously awesome durable leashes made right here in Brooklyn.

The Found My Animal leashes are made out of all-weather, UV-resistant marine-grade rope (the rope is handmade by professional New England rope-makers).  The ropes are hand-spliced to withstand thousands of pounds of pull -- in case I need to walk a GIANT Pomeranain -- and, for added durability, the ends are "whipped" (an old nautical term) -- i.e., NO MORE FRAYING!  The metal hardware is all marine-grade as well, and the leashes are hand- and machine-washable.

Found My Animal makes both a standard and adjustable version of its rope leash.  I like the adjustable leash, which has two solid brass o-rings and two solid bronze clips.  The adjustable leash is more expensive than the standard one but offers a lot of versatility.  You can change the length of it when using it as a hand-held leash, meaning one leash does the job of two:  make it short for walks on narrow NYC sidewalks or long for strolls through the woods.  You can also hook it around your waist, over your shoulder, or across your chest, so on cold nights, you can keep your hands in your pockets or around your hot cocoa.  Running into a coffee shop?  Quickly clip your pup to a fence, tree or post, and don't worry about the security of your knot or untying the knot with a coffee cup in your hand.  You can even clip your dogs to each other (a great joke).

The leashes come in a variety of thicknesses from S (1/4") to XL (1/2"), which you select from based on the weight of your pooch.  I like the look of the thick rope leashes, but that would be too much leash for Betel and Lu.

For Betel, the Adjustable, Hand-Spliced Rope Leash (solid brass + natural rope), 7 ft., size S (1/4" rope diameter), $56, purchased from Unleash Brooklyn during an all-day Saturday stroll around Greenpoint and Williamsburg -- it's been so unseasonably warm this winter, and we've been taking advantage of it.

For Lulu, the Adjustable, Hand-Spliced, 100% Recycled P.E.T. Rope Leash (solid blass + black rope), 7 ft., size S (1/4" rope diameter), $43, purchased from PS9 Pet Supplies on the same stroll.  The recycled P.E.T. rope is lighter than the natural rope for the smaller pup, although the brass hardware is still a bit heavy for such a petite creature.

These leashes seem a bit pricey, but they also seem like they will last.  We've gone through quite a few cheaper standard nylon leashes -- they end up frayed, knotted, and filthy.  My 2012 philosophy: pay more, but buy it just once.  These leashes are beautiful, high-quality, and locally made and purchased.  If that's not enough:  Found My Animal does so much for rescued animals.  And lest you forget who was rescued...

Oh man.  Lulu.

$54.47 [Happy Halloween!]

Happy Belated Día de Muertos from the Clan!  The 2011 Halloween Costume Watch has come to an end:  The dogs were flowers, and I was the sun.

We had a great time on Saturday at the 2011 District Dog Halloween Parade, Adoption Day, and Costume Contest in McGolrick Park.  We didn't win (winners here, as blogged by a local stuffed rabbit, no kidding), but it turns out that it didn't really matter.  It was the perfect Halloween celebration and just what I needed after an emotionally draining October.  We spent the day making the costumes and hanging out with like a hundred awesome dogs, most of them in impossibly cute costumes.  Of course, not as impossibly cute as our dogs in costumes.

$15.00 [Bag with a Dog-Head Hole]

I have that thing that a lot of women have -- I really like bags.  I own purses, tote bags, reusable shopping bags, briefcases, suitcases, casual bags, fancy bags, backpacks, rucksacks, etc.  So what luck to have two tiny dogs who fit in bags.  The perfect reason to expand my bag arsenal.

Betelgeuse actually likes being in a bag.  She's cute and calm and never struggles to get out.  And she really likes being in a bag when she doesn't want to walk.  This happens in the summertime.  After walking a few miles on hot Brooklyn sidewalks, she will just stop and sit and look at you.  [Note: She may also stop walking when it's cold but only if the sidewalks are slushy or icy and her paws freeze.  She stops and sits like a squirrel, holding her front paws near her chest.]  When it comes to that, we're never prepared with an actual dog bag, so we just carry her or throw her in whatever bag we have on us to get her home.

It may be a backpack...

Or a reusable shopping bag...

Or a sling made out of a picnic blanket.  Or whatever.  She's basically fine in them, but since they are not made for dogs, she has trouble positioning herself so that body is in bag and head is out of bag.

To be better prepared for these every-now-and-again bouts of walk-refusal (and for those moments when you need to toss 'em in a bag for a short subway ride or to run into a store), I was in the pet products market for a lightweight, collapsible bag with a dog-head hole that I could carry in my purse or bag just in case she needed it.  So began the search that continues to this day.

I found the tote bag pictured below on Etsy.  It's a simple canvas tote bag with a dog-head hole.  Cheap, lightweight, collapsible, no ugly bone pattern, and not too girly (so that my more masculine half can carry her without feeling weird).  Plus the seller was super nice.  Perfecto!  Lu was sort of jealous of Betel's new whip.

Unfortunately (which is why I am not linking to the super nice Etsy seller), after the first washing, the stitching in several parts of the bag came undone, and now it has a bunch of holes in it.  $15.00 thrown in the animal money pit.

So I am still in the pet products market for a lightweight, collapsible bag with a dog-head hole -- handmade would be awesome, as long as it will last.  Non-handmade is OK, too, as long as it's not ugly.  It's surprisingly difficult to find a bag that fits my criteria.  I have my eye on this Wagwear Shopping Bag Carrier, but $104.00?  C'mon, really?



So I will keep looking until I find the right bag.  Until then, I can just use all the bags I already own, I guess.  But if you're a talented, crafty person reading this who can realize my vision on your sewing machine, email me and let me commission you to create the bag with a dog-head hole of my dreams.

$36.00 [Thundershirt]

Lulu is scared of thunderstorms.  At the first flash of lightning or crack of thunder, she becomes the most pathetic creature.  She just stands there -- ears-down, tail-down -- and shakes.  Sometimes I can ease her tension by putting a blanket over her head, but not always.  She doesn't stop shaking until the storm has passed.  And then she's fine.

You might think this is another post about impending Hurricane Irene, but it's probably not.  Hurricanes bring strong winds and rain, but rarely do they bring lightning (although some do).  The science of it seems to be that most hurricanes lack the vertical wind churning that forms the electrical fields that cause lightning.  Lulu is by no means a fan of rain or wind, but it's the thunder and lightning that really make her freak out.  And we've had a dark and stormy August here in New York, folks -- countless thunderstorms and record-setting rainfall -- and Irene probably won't be the last to pass through.  Poor Lu!

Which brings me to my question:  Does Lulu need a Thundershirt?  Which probably brings you to your question:  What is a Thundershirt? 

Well, for lack of a better description, it's a shirt for thunder -- you know, a thundershirt.

From the website:  "Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited. Based on surveys completed by over two thousand customers, over 80% of dogs show significant improvement in symptoms when using Thundershirt. Thundershirt is already helping tens of thousands of dogs around the world, and is recommended by thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers." 

You just wrap 'em up in it.  And then commence tranquility.

The Thundershirt's original purpose was to help calm down pups with dog storm phobia (hence the name Thundershirt) but it turns out that it's been helpful in treating a variety of dog anxieties, including leash issues (ahem, Betel).

$36.00 for a size XS Thundershirt.  With the 45-day money back guarantee on every Thundershirt (along with the absolute guarantee that we are in for some more late summer storms), it seems like a good pet investment:  Lulu can wear it during storms, and Betel can wear it on walks, and I get to say "thundershirt" some more.  Win-win-win.

$103.95 [OllyDog Hugger]

OllyDog Hugger (in hunter green)

One of the many (many) carriers in our arsenal.  We purchased this carrier - designed by Ollydog Inc., a small company in Berkeley, California - for our cross-country roadtrip with Betelgeuse to bypass the "no dogs on trails" rule of many of our country's amazing national parks.  It comes in orange (pictured below) and green (which is the one we purchased from our local pet boutique).

This thing is great, and I have not found another carrier like it on the market.  Throwing a dog in a tote bag or sling for a subway ride or part of a hike is one thing, but hiking for miles with an 11 lbs. dog on your back is quite another.  That's where the support and comfort offered by the chest straps and wide shoulder straps on this carrier really stand out.  The hard bottom also seemed to be more stable and comfortable for Betelgeuse than some of our other bags that hug her body and can make her hot.  Bonus:  the dimensions are 15" x 7" x 17", which also make it carry-on friendly on most major airlines.

Only two complaints:  (1) for all the reasons that make this a great carrier when you must carry your dog (e.g., on a no-dogs-allowed hiking trail or in the airport), it is not the most convenient carrier to bring with you just in case you might want to carry your dog - it's just too big and bulky to carry while the pup walks on the ground; a collapsible tote bag is going to win that battle every time - and (2) I had some trouble making the straps tight enough for my smaller frame.  This second complaint was not one shared by my better half, who carried Betelgeuse in our OllyDog Hugger for most of our hot desert trek to the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.

She was a great park citizen to ride in this backpack all day.  To make it up to her, we also took her to Dead Horse Point State Park, which is a dog-friendly state park right down the road, where she could run up and down the trails and drink out of craters to her heart's content.

The OllyDog Hugger is $103.95 on sale at the linked online retailer, and even to the author of a blog called (over)budget pet, this is no small sum.  On a cost-per-use basis, we're not getting a great deal with this carrier, which we rarely use because the pups prefer to hit the trails with their paws, but when we did need it, it was a stand out.  It's extremely high quality for a pet product (which unfortunately are often made like crap), and I like supporting small businesses making quality products like OllyDog.

$10.00 [The Great Outdoors]

Parking at Stokes State Forest on July 4, 2011 for a day of mostly dog-friendly hiking along the Kittatinny Mountain ridge.

I say "mostly dog-friendly" because the bugs were in no short supply, but I'm not sure these two really cared:

Betelgeuse is an excellent hiker, no matter what the terrain.  She is reminiscent of a little mountain goat, often climbing up and down rocks along the side of the trail just for the sake of climbing. 

Lulu holds her own, but she tires easily and is quite clumsy, so we throw her in Betelgeuse's old puppy sling every now and then (Outward Hound Pet Sling, $15.00) when she starts slowing down or when the terrain gets difficult.

$10.00 for a full day of fun and two dogs tired enough to sleep through the next twenty-four hours (including Independence Day fireworks).  Worth the money and the bugs.

$29.00 [Wiggles Wags & Whiskers Harness]

Wiggles Wags & Whiskers Freedom No Pull Training Harness.

After a year and a half in pink and grey, Betelgeuse is on her second Wiggles Wags & Whiskers harness in orange and brown. Her first harness didn't break or wear out, it just got a little ratty, and (duh) I love buying presents for the animals.  [Update:  I re-gifted Beeb's old harness to Cheska.]

This is the best harness around. It's got two options for attaching the leash, a top ring and a front ring. When Betel is being a good little walker, we use the top ring. When she's pulling us toward to dog park to play fetch, we use the front ring. (If she pulls on the front ring, she ends up turned around facing us. Mwahahah.) It has a velvet strap on the underside, which prevents rubbing or irritation under her legs. And it comes in tons of colors.

Betelgeuse is too fluffy to see her harness when she's wearing it, but this dog is wearing it well:

Only downside is that Lulu is too small for even the smallest size. But I'm in the market for a reflective harness for her anyway since we almost lost her in the dark when we were camping.

$29.00 for a cute and long-lasting harness that keeps pulling at bay. More expensive than some other harnesses on the market, but totally worth it.