Dogs

Keeping Your Dog Safe During Boating and Open Water Swimming

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Labor Day weekend is often a time for family water fun. Even with all my kids gone, I'm able to enjoy a boating adventure with Tanner. He's eager to try out his new Doggles Flotation vest provided to us by my new friends, Kamila and Anna, at Pure Pup Shop.

Although our lake is largely free of gators and other hazards, you just never know what danger may lurk below the surface. And then there's the What If Tanner were to jump or fall overboard? Yikes!

There are a number of reasons I chose this particular vest over others I have seen on the market. When considering the possibility of a dog overboard, I realized that more may be needed that just a vest to keep him at the surface. A chin support on this model is particularly special as it offers flotation for the dog's head if he loses consciousness during a fall. Genious!

We let Tanner test the vest with and without the chin support to see what would happen. He seemed completely oblivious to it's presence either way, so leaving it in place would seem like your safest option. However, it's nice to have the choice to remove it. It zips on and off, assuring a secure position, and also has a Velcro adjustment.

On top of all that, the chest adjustment includes velcro and a webbing strap, much like those on water safety vests for humans. The vest itself is thick and made of heavy nylon fabric. When I compared it to our family's PFD III's, the Coast Guard's required safe rating for boating vests, I felt like Tanner had all the bells and whistles on this baby. Here's more...

Having a long body, I expected that the vest would only come half way down his length, maybe covering his rib cage if I was lucky. Surprisingly, the vest is longer, nearly reaching his tailbone on top, and slightly shorter for male dog comfort in the tummy area.

I've seen the quick lift handle on many little dog vests before, but was surprised to see one on a water safety vest, especially for a 70 lb. dog. We did test it out by lifting Tanner from the lake to the swim platform at the back of the boat, and found it quite sturdy, as it is stitched well and connected to reinforced webbing that creates the strapping around the body.

The straps that secure at the belly area have excellent adjustments that don't slip. It may take a couple of extra minutes to fit the vest to your dog securely, but that is time well spent. I was extremely impressed by the stomach overlap, to assure less water resistance during swimming.

Another safety feature I was impressed with was the extra-flat clasps, less likely to get broken when Fido is climbing in or out of your boat. The belly area often scrapes along the gunnel or swim platform, and I have known them to crack during this maneuver; I feel these flatter clasps will be less apt to catch on these surfaces, causing them to break.

Let's talk a little bit about Pure Pup Shop. This adorable website boasts a nice assortment of dog supplies in a clean, easy to shop format. I'm not a big brick-and-mortar shopper; I love the Internet for its lack of crowds and gas savings. When you visit here, you'll notice some special features that I fell in love with:

Being a fan of all things blog, I always notice when an online retailer's blog is more than just another way to promote their products. It was good to see reader's dogs and other fun stuff there. Check it out at Pure Pup Blog.
Wish Lists are simple to create after you register, and make a wonderful way to let your friends and family know what's important to you. Use their search function to seek out what you're looking for, or read on...
What can you put on a Wish List? Pure Pup Shop carries all sorts of goodies for your furry friends such as clothing, harnesses, leashes, collars, beds, bowls, storage, grooming items, travel needs, a Kitty Korner and problem solvers. We can all use a few of these.
Small businesses often earn kudos from me, as they are the largest growing segment of our economy. What is sometimes lacking is an Internet presence through social media. Not so much with Pure Pup Shop. They seem to 'get it' and have got a Facebook page, Twitter handle, and the blog all actively rolling along. To me, that's a signal that Pure Pup Shop will be with us for the long haul. Way to go Kamila and Anna! Let's see if we can give these ladies a boost.

Now that I've shared some of my favorite things about this new site I've discovered, Pure Pup Shop has offered a free Flotation Vest by Doggles, just like you see on Tanner, for your pup. I'll run this giveaway through midnight on Thursday, September 15 to give you plenty of time to enter this great giveaway. I'll announce the winner late afternoon on Friday, September 16th, so be sure to stop in here after 4 PM for the winner's announcement post.

Whether you'll be boating year-round like my family, or simply giving the vest to your pup or one you love as a holiday gift for use next Spring, he'll be glad to have it during his next splash in the wet stuff. Tanner seemed to enjoy the lift his new vest offered, and took a little extra time bringing his fetch toy back. I think he was simply enjoying the refreshing dip in his new Doggles flotation vest. I suppose Oliver will be looking into a version for his tiny 10 lb. frame very soon.

Not into entering giveaways? That's okay! You can pick up your pup a flotation vest, or simply shop the rest of Pure Pup's products at their online store. They're even offering a 10% discount to my readers through September 30, so now's your chance to save. Just enter the discount code at checkout: "ADOG". Sit back and enjoy a leisurely shopping expedition without the hassle of long drives or long lines. Maybe you'd just like to grab a latte and relax with your laptop at Starbucks. Whatever works; enjoy the journey through Pure Pup Shop.

I'm getting mostly good feedback from you all on the Rafflecopter entry method for giveaways, so I'll use it again here, but please do let me know if you encounter any issues. You can reach me at [email protected]. If you don't see the Rafflecopter widget below, simply click the title of this post to refresh and the widget will appear. Have fun entering, and we'll see you soon to announce the winner.

Full Disclosure: PurePupShop.com provided Tanner with a Doggles Flotation vest to test. We have not been compensated to offer our opinion, and the thoughts included here are our own.
Safety disclaimer from Doggles.com: Please always supervise your pets while using this flotation device. Canine flotation devices are not regulated by any authority, and therefore cannot be classified as a life saving device. Not intended to save a life.

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