November Dog Tale of the Month – Danger Trains to Become a Tracking Dog
from: Grayson and Danger, Outside K-9 Bloggers
location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Grayson Schaffer, a senior editor from Outside Magazine, has been testing Ruff Wear gear with his chocolate Lab, Danger. Check out this video with Danger sporting a Web Master Harness as part of his training “uniform”.
Thanks for putting our gear through the paces Danger!
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August 8, 2010 at 4:28 am
jazz4ev
I have a 12 year old, 90-lb reddish German Shepard named Bucky. He’s a rescue dog who failed his physical for the Sheriff’s canine unit due to mild elbow dysplasia. Up until about three weeks ago, we would enjoy daily 2-3 mi hikes along the beautiful American River.
When he began slipping and turning his hind legs under due to muscle atrophy, we took him for a second opinion. It turned out that his hips were fine and arthritis was mild. The diagnosis was degenerative myelopathy, a canine version of doggie multiple sclerosis that is most prevalent in GS.
He still enjoyed going out for short assisted walks but was occasionally turning his hind paws under. We were losing grip of the bath towel and large t-shirt we used to support his hind end. His unbalanced gait and falls caused bleeding toenails and cuts on top of his paws.
We went to REI and purchased grip trex and body harness with handle at the top for Bucky. At first he tried to shake off the boots but soon realized that he got to go out with them. We remove the shoes between his two short walks a day but keep the harness on to assist him as needed during the day. The shoes and harness allow him some dignity and joy to still be able to go still eat standing up at his raised food dish, to come rest on the backyard lawn when we’re puttering in the garden, and venture outside with us and take care of his needs. I was told that most dogs live at most 1 year after their diagnosis, but for now Bucky still has a quality life although a less active one thanks in part to your products.
I would recommend stitching the shoes with a tougher thread. After one week, we had to take the shoes in for reinforced stitching along the topside. I’ve washed them and agree that they wash well and dry quickly.