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July Ruff Wear Featured Comment of the Month
From: Andrea Kaelin and Rescue
Location: Stafford, Virginia
What do you do with a dog that loves the snow but was born with short thin fur?
Get him a better coat!
- Rescue playing in his K9 Overcoat
Nature itself couldn’t keep my Dalmatian, Rescue, as warm as his K9 Overcoat II. I purchased it because, unlike most other coats that just have a strap around the abdomen to hold it on, this one covered his chest, and had a secure yet comfortable hold on him for all his running, sledding, jumping, climbing, skidding, and plowing through deep snow.
I love the fit, the reflective stripes, and that it launders easily. Wish I could find a similarly exceptional product for me!
Ruff Wear Demo Sale Raises Money for Local Off-Leash Recreation
Ruff Wear’s semi-annual Demo sale took place on Saturday, June 20. Used and irregular gear out of our sample closet was sold for 50 – 75% off MSRP, with proceeds to benefit local off-leash programs in Central Oregon.
The sale took place from 11am – 2pm at Healthy Paws in Bend, Oregon. It was a busy day of fitting dogs in gear for all their outdoor adventures.
While we enjoy the spectacle of fireworks—the lights, the sound, the colors—most dogs do not react well to the display. Some are scared and fearful, running away from their homes or hiding from the sound, and others are curious and chase, bark, and get too close to the action.
Ruff Wear Heads to Outdoor Retailer
Ruff Wear will be heading to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Trade Show in Salt Lake City, Utah, July 21 – 24. Outdoor Retailer provides us the opportunity to view the latest innovations in outdoor gear, meet with our retailers and touch base with our manufacturers. For those of you attending the show, be sure to stop by our booth, #32057.
Our company was recently named No. 38 of the 100 Best Green Companies in Oregon!
Ruff Wear continually strives to reduce our impact on the environment by:
- participating in a local renewable energy program
- riding bikes to work
- using recycled materials in our products whenever possible
- printing product catalogs on FSC certified paper
- reusing/recycling our resources
- supporting the Conservation Alliance to protect wild places in North America
Check out the complete list of the 100 Best Green Companies in Oregon.
July Dog Tale of the Month – Adventure Down the Grand Ronde Brings Back Memories and Creates New Ones
from: Will
location: Grand Ronde River, Eastern Oregon
On a recent multi-day trip on the Grand Ronde River in eastern Oregon, I remembered why I moved from the city to central Oregon and went to work for an outdoor recreation company. Like so many others, I was in search of what some have coined the work/life balance. For me, that balance results not from working less, but in a job that blends work and play.
Back in 2001, my pregnant wife and I packed up our belongings and loaded up a U-Haul with our two dogs, Dakota and Moose, by our sides. We headed to Bend, Oregon with a vision in mind of our ideal lifestyle, but the path wasn’t exactly clear. In hindsight, I liken the experience to running a river for the first time – anxious, but excited for what lies around the next corner.
Fortunately for me, shortly after moving to Bend, I came across a kindred spirit whose passion for whitewater recreation was equal to mine. He also happened to own a really cool company in Bend by the name of Ruff Wear. Patrick and I met on a paddling trip down Upper Quartzville Creek in the Cascade Mountains. We gained a respect and trust for each other on that first river trip and two weeks later I started working for Ruff Wear.
Our goal wasn’t to get rich, but to build products that facilitated outdoor adventures with our four legged companions – the type of adventures that feed the soul and strengthen the spirit. The ones that come from sharing group meals and laughter around the campfire, where the canopy of stars is your roof and the morning dawn light your alarm clock. For me, it’s on the river that the part of my brain that is constantly thinking slows down and I tune into the natural harmony of my surroundings.
- Grand Ronde River, Oregon
On the Grand Ronde, eight adults, eight kids, and Sally, our mindful Australian Shepherd, pushed off from the town of Minam with three rafts, a driftboat, and a slew of kayaks strapped to the rafts. We headed into the spring runoff with a goal of sharing the joys of a pristine river with our children.
We quickly settled into a routine of group meals, group parenting, and group exploring. We found a few snakes and lots of stone flies, we threw rocks into the river, and created miniature diversion dams for our foam boaters. We also paddled a few strokes with our kids and came across other rafting groups sharing the trip with their dogs. To my delight, most of them were geared up in Ruff Wear’s K-9 Float Coat.
After five days on the river, Sally was a little fatter from cleaning up camp scraps, the kids didn’t want to leave, and the grown-ups drove away with content souls, having nourished their inner river-rats. If this is your first time looking to experience an outdoor adventure with your dog or if you’re a seasoned professional, we welcome you into our community and look forward to hearing your stories of adventure for years to come.
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