Harnesses and Coats and Vests, oh my.....

Mookie started out life in the United States with a harness!!  Why, you ask?  Well, when you pick up a black puppy at night from the cargo area of O'Hare airport in Chicago, you don't want to lose him!  Friends lent me a puppy harness and the first one was slipped on him along with a Whistle GPS tracker as he came out of the crate he traveled in.  Apparently it was pretty comfortable because it didn't hinder his sleep in his new home in the states at all!  

  

Next he graduated to a slightly larger red harness that was similar to the original one.  That lasted for a bit but then I bought him an orange harness with more hooks that ended up being my favorite so much so that when that got too small I bought the next size up that he still wears as an adult today!

And then there was water to deal with... swimming and rain!  He still doesn't realize (at 9 months old) that swimming will make him really happy when he can do dock diving!  Regardless, he didn't mind the life jacket!  The rain jacket... he didn't understand it and hasn't used it much because he didn't need it in the summer because, really, it's summer and he could just get wet!! It does have a handy lining I can use with it so anticipate using it as the weather cools down. 

  

The walks...  oh yes.. the walks!  Going down the road, it was important to be seen so orange with reflective stripes it is on this cape, which incidentally was used on my larger dogs during hunting season!  For walks around the 3 acre yard on the trails, pulling is ok so he could use the red harness that is good for him doing that.  Now, he uses NO harness around the yard and crashes through the woods as I walk on the trails!

 

The holidays!!  Can't forget that he has to look spiffy at training at the dog club!  And he is SO wicked cute so I had to get him the Halloween fleece in his color, orange!  With Christmas a month away and cold weather here, a Santa sweater was a necessity for parties!!  And he ignores the fact that he has anything on him and just does what he normally does! Of course, all his photos look like hostage shots because he is simply waiting for the pose to be over so he can get a treat!

And the favorite vest that we use for out and about and scent work training and trials is the one with his name on.  There are 2 labels for it:  one says his name and the other says "In Training".  It lets people know that he shouldn't be petted without asking so I can decide whether that person petting him would be a learning experience or not!  Most people ignore him when we are in public.  If someone asks about it, I tell them he is in training to be a good dog!

 

I discovered Brita's Anxiety Wrap which I thought for sure would be too big but by tightening the cords and making the wrap around the middle smaller, it will be totally acceptable for him to wear!  The first shot is the before shot and the second is the after shot is tighter around his middle the way it's supposed to be.  The last photo is just cause he is SO darn cute!

Because I am a fan of Ceramic therapy clothing as a cost-effective and powerful solution for rehab, recovery, and preventative maintenance, when I saw this coat I couldn't resist it especially since it was on sale! The ceramic fibers in these coats reflect heat back into the body as far infrared rays (FIR). FIR expands blood vessels and increases circulation, allowing the body to fuel working muscles and repair damage more efficiently. (yes that's technical and I got the wording from the website!  lol)

And now, cold weather is coming and I found 2 of  Jake's coats...  yes... they clearly are too big!  However, they weren't just Jake's but rather go back to the early 2000's when 4 German Shepherds each had 2 coats, one for when it was waterproof one for when it's snowing and the other just to stay warm, bought from a horsey catalog (Schneiders) and they are made like horse blankets!  I loved them then and love them now and know how LONG they can last so I thought Mookie should have his own!  And what color should he have...  well, apparently, ORANGE is his color!! 

  

And then the temperature with wind chill when down to 10 degrees in November and I thought to run around the yard he needed FLEECE (again from Schneiders) so he now has one just for warmth and still has another (the orange one) that is also waterproof!  I hesitate to let him run in the woods with the orange one because it could easily get caught on a branch but that is less likely with this one!  Also there are times in the van when I'm sure he will appreciate having a warm wrap around him!

And finally, in anticipation of hot weather next year I ordered a Kurgo cooling vest which was $15 off in November!  These get great reviews and I look forward to keeping this black dog cool!

So that's it!  A coat or vest for any occasion! Warm weather, cool weather, anxiety or aches, we now have it covered!  Each one serves a purpose in my mind and I think he gets it also because he seems to like wearing whatever I put on him!