Anyone got a life jacket for their doxie? Over the 4th, we are having a "quadathon family relay" race at the beach, some are walking, some are rowing little boats, some are jogging and some are biking. Hallie and I are going in the little boats she loves being on the water (but not in it) and it's in a canal that has still water. But I want her to have a life jacket. I just got the kyjen outward hound one I ordered in the mail but it's pretty stiff and she's not that comfortable in it. I am going to take her to petsmart and petco tomorrow and see if we can try some on her there but if someone has a brand they really like I'd love to hear what it is.
Also anyone have ideas how I can make a lightweight lighthouse to afix to the top of Hallie's stroller, we are going in a parade at Long Beach too, with relatives that live there who run the lighthouse realty so we need to make it look like she's riding along in a lighthouse. Would poster paper work?? I am thinking of renting a horse costume and making my nephews pull her stroller like it's a wagon. :thumb:
It seems like we have several on here who use life jackets. Your idea of going to Petco and Petsmart is good, especially since you can get the fit right by taking her.
As for making the lighthouse, you could also try some of the foam board. You can cut it out and it is much more stiff than poster board and still lightweight. You can also draw on posterboard and attach it to the foam board.
We got Porky's life jacket from Petco. He has used it for 5 years now. It is velcro and the has straps to adjust for a tighter or looser fit. Plus it has reflective tape and is bright orange so he can be spotted. It also has some clips on it so you can attach a leash to it. I can't think of the brand name right now, but I think it is made by "guardian gear." I'll check and let you know.
Life Jacket?
You mean like this
(http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/JetEd73/Boat.jpg)
all the top quailituy life jackets are a little stiff cause they use a more durable material. Getting the right fit is important, too loose and the jacket tends to ride up and you don't float as high in the water as you should. to a point, the tighter the better. so yeah fit is important. and even a cheap lifejacket is better than no jacket ususally
life jackets can be hot, heat stroke is deadly, just stick there arse in the water and keep them wet weither they like it or not....make sure your jacket has a handle to grab so you can fish them out when you have too...also make dipping them in the lake easlier
KEEP THEM COOL ...its easy to do.
Lucy and Wilson use one of these...expensive but top quality matierial and effective in the water.
http://www.ruffwear.com/Portage-Float-Coat?sc=2&category=7879
I have to go near there tomorrow so will take her in and "fit" her if they have good brands at either store. That is a great idea about the foam core, I was going to try and make it 3D (shaped like a lighthouse) but I could much more easily cut it out flat, I could print a large print out on my printer and glue it to the front. Great idea thanks Teresa! Or...I could make a huge lighthouse on top of her stroller like a big wedding cake, we'd see how long that would last a wiener dawg would be turned around snarfing on it all thru the parade! :wink:
I'd love to hear what brand Porky has. Has he used it much, does he swim? This is the one I have here that doesn't fit her, http://www.dogsupplies.com/products/Kyjen-Designer-II-Dog-Life-Jacket.html check out the video (scroll down a little) this guy is throwing a ball for his doxie who swims out and retrieves it. Very cute. I'm sure Hallie won't swim, and she will be in my lap I just want to be extra safe in case she were to go overboard accidentally.
That is GREAT picture JetED! (how cute wearing that!). I had looked at the ruffwear portage jacket and really liked them but since I will rarely use one and don't expect Hallie to even get wet :grin: I thought maybe the cheaper one would do just for emergencies? If you think this one would be better even for rare use and the Kyjen is too flimsy I would spend the $$ of course. The one I was thinking of going to that I hoped Petsmart may have is the Paws Aboard brand.
http://www.pawsaboard.com/dog-lifejacket-pet-life-jacket.asp
It has mesh under their belly to dry out faster and keep them cooler. No worries about keeping Hallie cool enough, I always come overly prepared for her and we are in the high 50s to low 60s right now, unless it changes drastically we'll probably be too cold! :doah: Good advice on the fit, the one I got in the mail today is definitely too small for her (even though I went by all the measurements) the straps under her belly don't even reach to hook. She loved trying it on though that girl does love new clothes.
Thanks so much for the great advice it's hard to know which to buy without seeing them and trying them out.
Dee, do you have a Dollar Store? Our Dollar Store has the cutest $1 lighthouses. Very light weight. Lighthouses are Mark's thing to collect, so we have a nice collection of 'em. Maybe I could sneak one to you. He wouldn't miss it. :grin:
Yes we do just around the corner I didn't even think of that! Oh my we better not sneak one from Mark LOL we could get in big trubble! :wink: What are they made out of, we need a big one like 3 feet tall?
Porky does swim. He loves it, but since his allergies have gotten so bad we limit his lake time. I did forget to mention his has a handle on it too. The only negative thing is the neck part that velcroes (is that a word?) around his neck is a bit bulky for his little neck. But, he doesn't seem to be upset by this at all. The brand is "Outward hound." Another idea that i did was write Porky's name on his with a sharpie, with our telephone number. He's never out of my sight, I'm just paranoid, but it made me feel more at peace knowing his has very visible id on his life jacket.
Good luck on your quest for finding a great life jacket for Hallie!! I do know that Cabela's sells dog life jackects too. (at least they used to) :dontknow:
Parker also has a life jacket. It is stiff and we only put it on him if we have a lot of people over. We have an inground pool and sometimes a little doxie can get accidently knocked in the pool if there are a lot of kids no adults paying attention to him. It has a handle on it so we can scoop him out very quickly.
I also find it very bulky, and a little warm on a hot day.
He also has a "cool" coat that withdraws the overheating from his body
on an extremely hot day. It's like a shammy material and you soak it in water before you put it on him. We don't have to worry about heat exhaustion which can happen very quickly on a small dog in extreme weather. It's thin and he finds it very comfortable. When he wear it in the community I have a lot of animal lover question the coat but they calm down after I show them what it does and let them touch it so they can see for themselves Parker is NOT being mistreated.
I have four life jackets at my house-I haven't had opportunity to use them yet, but my dad has a little fishing boat, and I want to take the doggies all out on the water, so I got them as a precaution. I think the girls jackets have a Hawaiian print, too-they're so cute. It's absolutely necessary for Murphy, because he panics in water, freezes and SINKS like a stone. I've never seen a dog without any instincts to save their own life before him, but he has none. It's weird.
You know I don't see much difference in the design of the three jackets. Ruff Wear has gone up in prices too, thats a lot of money for something you'd use once or twice a year. My jackets get used most weekends. The mesh belly is really nice and something I wish the ruff wear jackets had, it would be easier on their little tummies when Lifting them in and out of the water.
but really in your case considering your not a big water fan and the only real difference is the materials used in construction. I'd suggest going with the jackets you get from petco, not nearly as expensive and just as effective at keeping Hallie safe on the water.
Without the jackets my crew swims like rocks, it's all they can do to keep their heads out of the water. With jackets they look much more comfortable. Ms. Lucy loves to fetch the frisbee from the water, you gotta keep an eye on her, she'll flip the frisbee off the dock and I find her swimming around on her own. not good at all if you ask me. Some times she'll let you hold on to her tail and she'll tow me around the swim area at the lake house.
Ms. Lucy is really fond of swimming after that frisbee.
(http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/JetEd73/lake0110.jpg)
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:book1: AHEM . . .
Uncle Ed:
How about those gunboats you keep docked next to the couch? :thinik:
Very funny, Beau, those are Uncle ED's sandals! :verdict:
Oh, sorry, Auntie Karen, my bad. I should have realized that, seeing as you have what we call the "Hening Hooves!" :chairfall:
To the moon, Alice, TO THE MOON!!! :cussing:
That is so fun Porky liking to swim! My last girl, Jessie, loved to swim too although back then I didn't even know doggie life jackets existed so she just did it on her own on a long leash so I could tow her back in if needed. Hallie sez her hair might frizz if she gets damp so unless there is some conditioner and a hair dryer handy she'd rather not thanks. Outward Hound is the brand I have that just came in the mail that is too small for her, it wasn't big enough to hook the front but I could tell it would be stiff like you said, she won't need to wear it other than in my lap on the boat though I'll take it off when we aren't actually on the water so I think it will be fine! Thanks for checking and letting me know I'll see what we find today. That is a great idea about the sharpie too she does always wear a collar with an ID tag but that would be double security.
We do have a lot of life jacket wearers here, yeay Parker, does he like to swim? Those cool coats are great Hallie has a wardrobe of them, we also get the people saying isn't it too hot for a coat and I have them touch it to feel how cool it is. We don't get real hot weather here normally, but we do use the cool coats every summer at some point. (and the battery fan, frozen water bottles, a swamp cooler that runs off the cigarette lighter in the car, a cool "mister", her special summer ice cubes) :thumb: I pretty much fill up our mini van with Hallie stuff good thing I don't have (hooman) kids there would be no where for them to sit!
Lucy is amazing! Love that shot she is a real water dog! I wish Hallie would enjoy swimming like that. Lucy looks so happy with her frisbee. You need some video of that. The jacket looks like it does a great job. Glad to hear the cheaper one will work OK that was my main concern that it would do the job in the rare case it would be needed. Who knows though maybe I'll dip her in the water and she'll like it! Hmmm...well who am I kidding LOL. She did walk into a stream on her own once when we had a rare 100 degree day a few years ago maybe the water temp just has to hit an optimum range for her. :) I do want to go kayaking more to take photographs of birds and what not and I'll love to have Hallie along if this all works.
Dr. Leaky....start looking for an agent for your Mom and put me down for the first copy of that book! LOL!!
We found one that was befitting a Princess, it's the same one we have now that is too small but with a design I hadn't seen. She doesn't plan on getting wet but will look snazzy in the boat. :thumb: I tried it on her at the store and she stood very proud, once it was on she turned around and sat on my ankles (I was sitting on the floor with her) and squinted her eyes almost shut.
We had quite the spree we found three new blankets and some Hawaiian accessories that will be used later in the summer, plus a bunch of 4th of July things for the parade all really cheap! Score!
The caption should read "I'm really not spoilt".
Angus was our water baby, and was a very good swimmer his love was going up the river jumping in and letting the current take him. Ollie does if I go in and is quite a strong swimmer............................Madam "not on your Nelly Duff mum" ( Gail will probably get that one).
Roberta
I can just see your face as Angus was swimming with the current! Funny how some of them love it and some "wouldn't" for anything. Hallie would be sitting on the side lines with Amy going "Not on your Nelly Duff lady". That is my new phrase of the day lol (even though I have no idea what it mean. :grin:)
Hope this explains it
A listener asks for the origin of the expression "Not on your nelly!" - which is simply a very emphatic way of saying no...
As rhyming slang "not on your nelly" is short for "not on your nelly duff."
...This expression appears to have been around since the late 1930s - and "not on your nelly" actually means: "not on your life" (another familiar, emphatic, way of saying "No!")
As rhyming slang "not on your nelly" is short for "not on your nelly duff."
The next step is to explain that "nelly duff" was also rhyming slang for "puff" meaning "your breath" or in other words "the breath life."
Which is how "not on your nelly duff" could mean "not on your life."
However, this raises the question: who was Nelly Duff?
To this there appears to be no answer. In fact, exhaustive research (or, at least, fairly exhausting research by yours truly) suggests that "Nelly Duff" was a fiction, a made-up person - invented purely for the purposes of rhyming slang.
Sssshh! Don't tell my guys. They still think they would melt if they got wet. Dachshund means "earth" dog...not water! If dachshunds were meant to swim, they'd be called Zeehunds, wouldn't they?
LOL Roberta I think we should put all that on a t shirt! I had never heard that expression before. Quite interesting actually. I've added it to my repertoire though! :thumb: Funny how sayings get started.
I don't blame the Z's David! I think it very well could be true that dachshunds could melt in the water. Maybe we should separate the doxies that like water and those that don't into two different varieties. :thumb: The Dachshunds and the Zeehunds...something tells me the Dachshund group would be larger.
Quote from: Madderoos Mom on June 17, 2010, 09:53:26 PM
Dee, do you have a Dollar Store? Our Dollar Store has the cutest $1 lighthouses. Very light weight. Lighthouses are Mark's thing to collect, so we have a nice collection of 'em. Maybe I could sneak one to you. He wouldn't miss it. :grin:
I had no idea I wasn't the only lighthouse collector around here! I even have a tote bag with lighthouses! (Probably not as many as Mark, because I'd miss mine if one was sent to someone else!)
Woohoo, Roberta - I love Cockney rhyming slang. I have a children's book called "The Mystery of the Dead Man's Riddle" - from a seires called Alfred Hitchcock: The Three Investigators, and it's chockful of Cockney rhyming slang. I'll have to dig it out - hopefully next year's class will be into chapter books! Thanks for reminding me!
That lifejacket looks great!!! When I took Porky to get his all they had was neon yellow or bright orange. I'll have to go pick up a new "cuter" one now. :2funny:
Finnegans is an Outward Hound too. He LOVES swimming, i have a video of him launching himself off the shore into the lake and its soooo funny. I should find it to post it on youtube. I think i wrote a post here last summer about how we discovered he liked swiming. Funny little boy.
Hallie you look fabulous by the way. Its too bad they dont make life jackets with rinestones and lace on them.