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Location: Virtual Showground
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 9,518
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I do have some practical stuff for those of mine which benefit from them.
THey have `wet coats`, which are double layer fleece coats which you soak through then the water evaporates from the top layer but stays damp and cool in the underneath layer so they keep dogs comfortable in very hot weather. I have used those for a few years now, mainly when at agility shows in the summer where there is often little shade. Contrary to what people might think, the dogs body heat doesnt just warm the inside layer. On the hottest of days I have only needed to top them up once or twice, as each soaking [ in cold water ], has kept my lads lovely and cool for several hours at a time.
Defa also has a snuggly warm waterproof coat, so on the other sde of things, if it rains or is very cold at shows, he does`nt get a chill in his joints and muscles before or after competing, which I consider very important especially as he is now 12 years old.
My Lurcher has a lightweight waterproof and a wet coat, one because of being a typical pointy Lurcher so he does`nt have a lot of body fat to keep him warm in cold and wet weather, plus the wet coat can be worn dry under his waterproof for extra insulation, and of course when used as a wet coat it also keeps him cool as lightweight dogs can suffer from dehydration more in the heat because they don`t have reserves of body fat to help them.
He also has an Anxiety wrap which is for a useful purpose, not for fashion.
My little Silk has a lovely thick warm waterproof which I got to help her gain weight, by her not shivering or using calories to keep warm, because she needed quite a bit of weight gaining and muscle building, plus she has a reflective lightweight coat to keep her cool when its hot, [ which is also waterproof ], as I could`nt get a wet coat in her size at the time.
So thats three dogs, two collies and a Lurcher, who wear coats giving the same results but for different reasons for each dog.
My other two dont wear coats as they are not bothered by the weather either way really.
I do also use T-Shirts or shorts [ with a hole for the tail ], on my dogs from time to time if protecting an op site or anything else which they might lick or scratch at, but again such occasions are for practical use, not fashion.
I certainly have nothing against dogs being dressed up so long as the dogs are not stressed by it, though I did a lot of eye rolling at a dog show a while back which was absolutely sweltering and people were buying clothes for their dogs which were then dressed up in already intense heat.
I thought it was pretty reckless of the stall selling the clothes not to actively tell people it was`nt a good idea to dress an already heavily panting dog in a fake fur lined leather gillet or diamonte covered woolly jumper, and some people showing off their dogs` new clothes during that weekend really had no common sense at all about it :smt021