blog for active outdoor dogs

Mad Scientist – a specimen of the human variety. Typically seen hunched over a microscope donning a lab coat, glasses, and an unruly, yet elegantly disheveled haircut.

Dog Scientist – a specimen of the canine variety. Typically seen working with Conservation Canines with a nose to the ground, tail in the air and searching for scat.

Since 1997, the Center for Conservation Biology in Washington has been utilizing canines for scat detection all over the world. Initially, two questions pop into our minds: What is scat and why do we need to detect it?

What: Scat is… (you guessed it!) a term that describes the fecal-based hormone that is left behind by wildlife.

Why: Scat is an extremely accessible wildlife product that contains tremendous amounts of genetic, physiological, and dietary information. Conservation Canines uses the detection of Scat to build a comprehensive profile for endangered species around the word. As it turns out, a ball-obsessed canine is the perfect four-legged scat detector.

Scat samples!

Now that we’re all caught up on what Conservation Canines is all about, we’d like to share some photos of their hard work:

Grizzly Bear tracking in Montana

Finding a swimming hole during a Jaguar Study in Mexico. Not bad eh?

Mad scientists and Dog Scientists at work during a study of the Northern Spotted Owl in California.

When not hard at work, these dogs are loved and trained at a state-of-the-art training facility located on 4,300 acres at the University of Washington in Eatonville, WA. The site is perfect for training, playing, and real-life conditions. We say WOOF!

In the end, we’re happy to introduce the first of our spring highlights of proud Ruffwear Ambassadors – The Conservation Canines. Without the product testing help from this team, getting our gear put through the most extreme real life conditions wouldn’t be possible.

To read more on this team or to donate, click here.  To like them on Facebook, click here.

Who would have thought that the key to happiness was to generate morning smiles through the long legged jumped of our four-legged friends?

This contest cracked us up! Hilarious shots of our best friends in their truest form – pure. leaping. joy.

As you can imagine, picking a winner wasn’t the easiest task however someone’s got to do it

This amazing shot by Zack Jones takes the cake!

Zack will get to outfit his dog in a Ruffwear product of his choice!

Thank you again for all the amazing entries! The air between the ground and four paws never looked so good!

Leap [leep]

Noun

1. To spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump: to leap over a ditch.

For most people, Leap Year denotes the rogue day in February that only occurs once every four years. As the calendar days of 2012 rush past us, the last day of February sheds a different light here at the Ruffwear headquarters.

Reflecting forward, February 29th evokes a playful visual of running, jumping, or even better yet, leaping into March. So in the spirit of leaping, who knows better than our canine companions as all four paws enter the great airy abyss. It’s no surprise that our dogs inspire us, drive us, and encourage us to get outside and take the leap into spring adventures.

From mud puddle wallowing to snow bound powder hounds, this between-season can offer endless opportunities for all paws to take flight and land somewhere unexpected. Find your flight, find your air and the moment where lift off occurs, rejoice in adventure-filled freedom!

Was your dog born on a Leap Year? Or do they just love leaping?

By Layla, Mud Puddle Connoisseur

Transcribed by Angelina Oberdan 

E. E. Cummings wrote that “the world is mud-licious and puddle-wonderful,” and I’m pretty sure he was a dog despite what my mama says. Rainy days are stupid, but the days after rainy days, those are the best days, the mud puddle days.

Now some dog-parents don’t let their pups get near mud puddles, which is why I decided to write this. My parents let me play in the mud as much as I want, but if you only have a few seconds before your mom or dad drags you out of the puddle to take you home and hose you off, then you should be prepared. You have to know how to pick your mud puddle and the top three muddle moves; you might not get a second shot at this.

Safety Tips:

• If the mud puddle looks deep, wear a life jacket.
• Make sure it’s all mud: no rocks to conk your head on and no snakes. Snakes suck.
• If you have any cuts or sores, make sure you lick them clean afterwards. One time I forgot to clean the mud out of a scratch between my toes, and my foot swelled up to the size of a club, and I didn’t get to play for a week!
• Close your eyes if you put your head under-mud.
• Stinky mud is fine to play in. It’s not moldy; it’s aged.

Picking Your Mud Puddle:

• Like I said, just like wine and cheese, the stinky-er the mud, the better.
• Consider your size and weight. The mud puddle should be bigger than you. A Great Dane playing in a little mud puddle is just ridiculous.
• The mud puddle should be just deep enough that if you lay down in it, your tummy, legs, and a good bit of your chest is covered. This is the prefect depth for rolling.
• If you like to slide, choose a longer mud puddle.
• I like to splash and roll and give myself a mud facial so I like a round, deep mud puddle, preferably with a patch of soggy soil leading up to it so I can slide in, like when I slide across the linoleum into the kitchen where people drop food.

Always share your mud puddle.

Puddle Wonderful!

Top 3 Mud Puddle Moves:

• The Hunker-on-Down- This is better if you’re not so quick or if you have a hip injury. Saunter up to the mud puddle, act nonchalant, and then plop your belly down. Now wallow like a pig and hunker-on-down.
• The Slippery Roll- This is for when you know you’re going to be in big trouble for getting in the mud, like after the car’s been vacuumed. Lie down in that mud puddle, and as your parent runs over, cussing about how they just vacuumed the car, roll. One of two things will happen: you’ll be in as much trouble as you were when you laid down, only happily muddier or your parent will huff and puff, give up, and let you lounge. If your parent tries to pull you out of the mud puddle; you’ll be slippery enough that you can slip out of their imposable thumbs. (Then your dad or mom be covered in mud too, which is healthy, even if the person never admits it.)
• The Home-Run- This is ideal when there’s a soggy patch surrounding the mud puddle. Run and slide, feet first, ear cocked, eyes closed. Wait for the wave of mud that arcs over your back; that’s the best part.

Sometimes the best mud puddle you find is a little one; enjoy it anyway.

***A Note About the Author: Layla has tested the mud in at least 10 states, including Louisiana, which is by far the muddiest. On average she rolls in at least one new, unexplored mud puddle per week (except in the dry months like August); that’s at least fifty-two mud puddles per year. She wears her Ruff Wear life jacket if the mud puddles are deep, and while she knows the command “Tub,” she has wonderful parents who are willing to bathe her whenever she needs it or stands next to the tub, stamps her paw, and demands it).