#1 reason to buckle up your pup.

I just witnessed the number 1 reason to buckle or secure your dog in your vehicle.  As I pulled into my apartment parking lot I noticed something going around the back tires of the truck just ahead of me.  At first I thought it was just a bag.  Then to my utter disbelief I realized it was an animal.  It was in fact the truck owners own dog.  She died right in front of us.  Thankfully she went very quickly.

This dog had been so excited to be home that she jumped out the window as they were driving.  Had the dog been secured in some manner, be it in a crate or a harness and seatbelt tether or doggy carseat, her owners would be having a very different night.  (I don’t know if she was on a leash and just slipped her collar, as she wasn’t wearing one when we got to her.)  Instead they are grieving the loss of their first dog.

It is the law in some states that your pets be secured in some manner while you are driving.  They can be a distraction, get in they way of you seeing or under your feet, or become a projectile in an accident.  And should you be in an accident and they are loose, they may run off or cause other problems.  I don’t care how good your dog is or how well it’s trained, dogs can be unpredictable.

Cooper in his carseat and harness.

Cooper and Bailey in their carseat looking out the window.
They are both tethered to the carseat and that's as far as they can go.

Notice that the seatbelt runs thru the carseat.
There's a loop under the cushion that the seatbelt
goes through and there's a metal ring
attached to that that the tethers attach to.

We use the EzyDog Chest Plate Harness and the K&H Bucket Booster carseat.  And we also have 2 of the simple tethers that buckle into the seatbelt receptacle if we don't have the carseat with us.  There are many other options out there.

You buckle up.

You buckle up you kids.

Why not buckle up your furkids?

Oddly enough, all the articles about buckling your dog, don't mention this as a reason to do it.

Buckle Up That Dog! Do Your Part to Prevent Car Wrecks

Travel Safely With Your Dog By Car, Buckle-Up!

Top 7 Reasons to Buckle Up Your Pup

doggyloot.com dog travel supplies

Pics from the Oakdale Dog Park

Just a few of our friends out at the Oakdale, CA Dog Park

Cooper

Bella

Bailey

Sadie

Rubit

I have several collars and this makes it super easy for mom to move my tags from one collar to another.

What is a Rubit?

The Rubit (roo'-bit') Dog Tag Clip is a simple, stylish, and secure clip that let's you swiftly transition tags to different collars. When you want to change collars, you just unclip the Rubit from your old collar and clip it to the new one. It's that easy!

Rubit Dog Tag Clip Features:

Attaches directly to a dog’s collar
Easy to put on, quick to secure
Change dog collars, easily move the dog tags
Remove the Rubit! to quiet tag jingle at night
Available in small, medium, and large
Variety of colors and styles

OllyDog - OllyBottle

Here's one of my favorite water bottles that mom and I can share.  We got it in the lime green.

Description:

We know you’ve done it—it’s been that dirty little secret—you shared water with your best friend out of the same bottle…well now you don’t need to! The OllyBottle is the solution to share the water not the slobber—a BPA-free water bottle and detachable bowl.

• Made from durable EastmanTritan plastic

• BPA-free

• Large opening for easy filling and washing

• Dishwasher safe

• Patent pending

May BarkBox

Have you heard of BarkBox? No? Well listen closely because this program is totally awesome! BarkBox is a care package program created specifically for canines. Every month, the people at BarkBox pick some of their favourite products to send off to dogs around North America. A portion of the proceeds of this care package also goes to dog shelters!

BarkBox allows you to subscribe to a specific package based on the weight of your canine. Whether your dog be tiny, medium or nice and large, BarkBox has a package put together specifically for your furkid! Subscription prices vary depending on how many months you plan to commit, with the longer commitments obviously getting you cheaper package prices!  (1mo. = $25, 3mo. = $20/mo., 6mo. = $17/mo.  Shipping is included in the price.)  Take it from me, this program is truly cool and worth the money; if you don’t subscribe for more than a month you might regret it!

As you can see, this months BarkBox was another hit.  Here you can see me checking it out right after mom opened it for me.

Here I am with my loot.

Here's everything that came in this months box.

This month’s package contained a bunch of great products. 

• a portable pet water dispenser by Gulpy. (Mom wasn't too sure about this one.  We haven't had good luck with water bottles but it has turned out to be great and it really doesn't leak.)
• a squeaky bumper by Katie’s Bumper. This bumper is made out of fire hose material, making it EXTREMELY durable! (But not chew proof as I proved in short order.  Though it is lasting a lot longer than many of my toys.)
• a spiral bully stick (rolfw, love, love love it)
• natural dog biscuits by Sloppy Kisses of Saratoga Springs (I can be a picky eater but these were gone in a few gobbles.)
• some “pet spa” materials such as a bath fizz for paws and coat gloss specifically formulated to be safe for canines. (I'n not so sure about these.  I don't like baths, so we'll have to wait and see.)

If you're interested in ordering a BarkBox for your canine friend(s), use this coupon code KELLYH for $5 off your order.

Collars

I have been having a terrible time finding a collar that fits me and doesn't rub all my hair off.  My mom has had to leave my collar off except when we go somewhere in the car.  She first got me a standard nylon collar, but it was the first one to rub the hair off the front of my neck.  Then we tried a really small lightweight one, but I decided that I'd rather chew on it.  (Another reason to leave me collarless.)  My current dog park attire is a soy fiber collar from New Earth.

So far it's the softest one we can find.  Below are a couple others we were looking at online but wanted to see in person if we were going to buy them.

And in case I decide to runaway without my collar on, mom got me microchipped.  But then I would never do that.

Wood and Wire End Table Dog Crate

Found at