D-Fa Puff Doggy (Dog) Jacket
October 30, 2011
[Geardog is not in any of these photos, by the way. These are photos courtesy of D-Fa and their professional photographer Fredrik Larssen, which is why they are really good photos and not the utter crap that happens when I pick up a camera.]
Most of you readers know by now that Geardog, my trained search and rescue/avalanche dog is my most trusted and important partner. We spend a ton of time working and training together, and since Geardog looks to me to make sure all his needs are met, I have the responsibility of making sure that he’s able to do his job at any time in all conditions.
There is a perception that search dogs and handlers go racing quickly into the scene to save the day. This is rarely true in the sense that most people think of it – “responding quickly” is done in an organized fashion that looks painfully slow to people used to made-for-TV drama and action movie scenes. No one goes sprinting into danger, especially when responding to avalanches where, though time is of the essence, there are many scene safety considerations that must be addressed before any responders can go to the scene to start searching. This is especially applicable in training, where there is absolutely no reason to take big risks. Therefore, training (and sometimes responding) can involve a lot of standing/sitting/lying around and waiting. If it’s wintertime, we’re talking about standing around in the deep cold and waiting. And waiting some more.
I don’t know about you, but I get cold standing around waiting, and so does Geardog and his compatriots. All the avalanche dogs around here have some form of coat to wear from what I’ve seen, but Geardog is lucky enough to have D-Fa as his sponsor (don’t get the name? Say it fast, D-Fa Dogs…try it with a Kiwi accent. Got it?) so he’s sporting the fab Puff Doggy when the action is slow. He’s got enough fur to compensate for all conditions but standing around in the bitter cold, and the Puff Doggy is just the ticket.
The Puff Doggy is like a down jacket for dogs, with attention to detail not usually found in doggy gear. Puffy coats for dogs are just not that common; manufacturers usually opting for fleece or something similar. The Puff Doggy is the real deal for the dog in the backcountry, with a water resistant Pertex outer layer and a strap system meant to keep the heat in. I like that the Puff Doggy extends over the chest and down over the dog’s elbows, trapping more heat and keeping important joints warm. When Geardog lies down, the coat forms a little tent over him to keep the drafts out. The Puff Doggy, like your down coat, stuffs down small so it’s relatively easy for me to keep it in my 24-hour SAR pack just in case my furry partner needs a helping hand staying warm someday.
D-Fa is not your typical line of dog clothing. It’s designed for big dogs to use in tough conditions. Many of D-Fa’s testers are ski patrol dogs, search dogs, and other working dogs who really do need good gear. This isn’t for the Sunday stroll kind of dog; it’s for the working dog, and in my experience the gear really does deliver.
D-Fa is not too easy to find on this side of the pond but you can buy it directly from the D-Fa USA store here.
D-Fa Moon Walker Dog Jacket
October 11, 2010
Rain. All the time. When are we done here again?
We took a trip from the Canadian southwest to the American northwest. Sounds pretty epic, eh? Believe it or not, the two regions are not that far apart. And despite my disappointment with a southwestern region that does not feature cow skulls, alien desert landings, and, most importantly, hot dry weather, we found some pretty fun stuff in the American northwest. But we also found lots of rain.
I’m not a rain fan.
I am also not a fan of how dark things get when it does nothing but rain. There’s no snow to reflect moon and star light, there are no northern lights to provide a helpful silhouette of the trees, and whatever light there is reflects in confusing ways on dark wet streets. It’s not a very safe situation for our canine friends. Geardog is good off leash but I had serious concerns about his safety.
Along came Geardog’s search and rescue sponsor, D-Fa (“D for Dog” in a Kiwi accent, get it?), to save the day! D-Fa provided this incredible rain jacket that is not only good for keeping your dog dry, but is extremely high visibility and reflective for dark and stormy conditions. Now, I’ve NEVER been one for putting clothes on my dog, and yes, I think you are an idiot if you do it, but spending time in the Canadian southwest has taught me that a rain jacket for your dog is not the same as clothes. Even if your dog – like most dogs – doesn’t care if it gets wet, you might potentially get tired of putting your soaking wet dog into your car for the umpteenth time. You might also get a little weary of the wet dog-print your tired pooch leaves in the carpet after he goes out for a long romp in the rain. A rain jacket for your dog can give you and your car a little break from the damp. The huge stripes of super reflective fabric on both sides and the top of this jacket are great touches for low light conditions.
I was concerned that high-energy Geardog would get too warm in a jacket, so while testing out this item I carefully monitored his body heat, putting my hand under the jacket to make sure there was no heat buildup. And there wasn’t! This thing breathes really well, so well that I hope D-Fa makes jackets for people someday. It kept Geardog really nice and dry, and as you can tell from the pic, very highly visible. Even in the daytime it would serve as a great safety tool if you live in an area with a big deer hunting season. If you live in the desert or in a snowy clime, you can get the Moon Walker in neon green as well. I chose the blaze orange, because it seems silly to put a green jacket on your dog for visibility if you’re in the green woods all the time. Incidentally, there is a SAR team in this region that uses green jackets as their official uniform. Does this completely not make sense to anyone else? Don’t you want to be seen if you’re doing search and rescue work?
Anyway, for wintertime in the American northwest/Canadian southwest, this is a vital piece of dog gear. Like I said, I’m not a rain fan, so I give D-Fa credit for perhaps saving my sanity with this jacket.
