You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Water Activities' category.
December Ruff Wear Featured Comment of the Month
From: Molly
Location: Suffolk, United Kingdom
Click on the image for a larger view.
October Dog Tale of the Month – Jane Trades Snow Skis for Water Skis
from: Ali and Jane - Ruff Wear Ambassadors from the Aspen/Snowmass Avalanche Rescue Team
location: Aspen, CO
Just before her 4th birthday, Jane got to go on her first ever raft trip! Thank goodness for all of the Ruff Wear gear that made her experience so wonderful.
- Jane – River Dog
Jane’s days on the river began with some yummy kibble breakfast out of her Go Between Cinch Top bowl and some fresh water out of her Quencher. Luckily (mostly for me), Jane had her very own Mt. Bachelor Pad bed to sleep on giving her the good night’s sleep she needed for a big day on the river.
After breakfast it was time to get on the raft, but not without her Big Eddy Float Coat to keep her floating through the whitewater, even at day’s end when she was exhausted.
- Ali with Jane on the Raft
Jane had so much fun on her first-ever overnight raft trip thanks to the comfort, safety, fun, and warmth of all of her Ruff Wear gear!
Thanks, Ali
September Ruff Wear Featured Comment of the Month
From: Otto
Location: Snow Hill, MD
My name is Otto and I am a 13.5 year old Boston Terrier who just went on his first Ruff Wear adventure! My parents took me to the Lower Eastern Maryland Shore in Snow Hill, MD for a little five day R&R trip. The big thing for me was the canoe trip we took on the Pocomoke River upon which Snow Hill rests. As you can see from the pictures, I wore your Ruff Wear K-9 Float Coat to protect me in case the canoe tipped (it didn’t). It was a nice day for a canoe trip on the slow running Pocomoke River. I felt very protected with your Float Coat snug around me. Not sure when we are going to do a little boating again where I can command the boat wearing my Float Coat, but I know Ruff Wear has me covered when we do! Thanks Ruff Wear!
- Otto in his Float Coat
August Dog Tale of the Month – Derby, The Jack Russell that Could
from: Brad Duncan
location: Prospect, Kentucky
Hello…I am writing to you and attaching a couple of pictures of “0ur Girl” Derby, an 11 year old Jack Russell. We named her Derby because my wife got her for our 10th Anniversary, back at the end of April ’98, which was a couple of days before the Kentucky Derby here in Louisville. When she and our daughters surprised me with her, she was small enough to fit on a hot dog bun. Even though I wanted a big “Man-dog”, like a Golden or a Lab, Derby quickly became a part of our family. Turning into an eight to ten pound Mighty Mite.
Five years later we bought a runabout and a houseboat with a good friend and his family. I wanted to make sure I got the best and safest lifejacket around, so I ordered one from Ruff Wear. This quickly grew into one of the things Derby loved most; riding in our boat and swimming with her Ruff Wear life vest on. As always was the case, we would say to Derby; “Wanna go to the lake?” Her head would tilt sideways with curiosity and excitement, knowing full well what that meant. One of the easiest conveniences of her life vest was we could pluck out of the water with the handle on the back of her life vest. Better yet, carry her around like a “six-pack” when needed while we would be at a dock.
- Derby the Water Dog
Unfortunately, Derby died suddenly this past Friday on July 17, 2009, of a tumor that burst on her spleen, which caused internal bleeding that killed her quickly. She passed away so quickly I couldn’t even get her to our vet to try to save her. Ultimately, this turned out to be for the best for her, as our vet explained to my wife and I after performing an autopsy, telling us that if not now, then it was bound to happen sometime in the near future. With very few options or quality of life for her, if we were lucky enough to catch it. So, from that standpoint, it was a blessing that Derb did not suffer long.
Ironically, I had been gone on business for 10 days and the night before, I arrived home to our usual “Lovefest” with her full of licks and receiving kisses and belly scratches from me. And the fact that she did not pass away until the next morning, truly makes me feel like she was waiting for me to return home, so I could be here for her. Since she knew I was her pack leader and Daddy, having trained her as a pup.
The heartbreaking fact to us is even at 11 years old, she was still packed full of vitality and charisma. Being a Jack Russell, and thinking she was the size of a camel, Derby was ready to greet and if necessary, challenge most anyone and/or anything. Except like most dogs; thunderstorms, when she would shake like a $10 TV under our bed.
Regardless, when it came to the lake, Derby was her usual fearless self. As she loved riding in our boat, letting the wind flap her ears back, making her look like a bat dog. All the while, sniffing as much air as she could possibly take in. When stationary, if there was a tennis ball within eyeshot, she was quick to let everyone know it’s time to throw the ball, and I mean NOW, with her barking, as a constant reminder. Then, once again without fear, she would go flying off the boat in search of her quest. Never having any regard for a couple of friends’ Labradors that would deep-six her on occasion. She was going to get that ball..!!
All the while we knew Derb was as safe as could be with her Ruff Wear lifejacket on. So much so, one time we were stopped in the middle of the lake with friends in our boat, while we were taking all our kids’ inner tubing. And instead of squatting right there in our runabout, she calmly weaves her way through a maze of feet and legs to jump off the back swim platform. Derby was on a mission, as she swims over 300 yards to the shoreline to take care of her business. Our friends were howling (no pun intended) at the sight of all this. Yet once again, we were not worried about her safety or her ability to get to the shore. Once she was done, back in the water she came, swimming the 300 yards back to us…(I know I should’ve moved our boat closer to her, but confidence was high she would make it). Once Derby was back at our runabout, we grabbed her by her handle and she immediately shook off, and looked at all of us as if to say; what’s the big deal and where’s that ball…??
The other humorous part was being able to take Derby to the shoreline on a wave runner at night from our houseboat. Here it is pitch black, tied up in a cove on the water, with no light around whatsoever, other than what was coming from the houseboat itself. So, we would turn on her little beacon light on her lifejacket and there was no mistaking being able to watch where she was going to take care of business in the dark.
It has been my intent to send you a note of gratitude for years. Now I feel as if I owe it to her, being a child with fur of ours, as she has often been referred to since she passed away. Needless to say, it is with a heavy heart and a tear in my eye, (one of a thousand I’ve had) that I write this to you in honor and memory of “Our Girl – Derby”. She is all gone, but she will always remain in our hearts and our memories. Thank you for bringing some of the best memories to us a dog owner could ever have through your wonderful product(s). Memories that we will always keep close to us…!!
As the mercury rises, a dog’s tolerance to heat lessens, forcing them to find shade, lie down, and pant the heat away. Keeping your dog active in high temperatures is a challenge, and can even be dangerous to their health.
One solution is the Ruff Wear Swamp Cooler™ cooling vest. Whether in the desert, on the beach, boating in open water, or playing in the sun, the Swamp Cooler acts as an air conditioner to keep your dog cool.
How does it work?
The Swamp Cooler uses evaporative technology to help pull heat up and away from the dog. Just soak the coat with water, ring out, and place on the dog. As the water on the coat evaporates, heat is displaced, thereby chilling the dog, much like an actual swamp cooler does for a house.
In addition to providing a cooling sensation, the Swamp Cooler also reflects incoming rays, and acts as a SPF blocker against UV rays.
Bark at Us: What other solutions have you found for keeping your dog cool and active in the summer heat?
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.
Neighborhood Barks (Recent Comments)