You know the old saying, April showers bring May flowers? Well in my neck of the woods, it’s more like April showers bring… more May showers. So when Canada Pooch asked the Ottawa Dog Blog to review their Pacific Program, an adorable new spring rainwear collection, I didn’t have to think twice. Having reviewed their Winter Wilderness Jacket last December I couldn’t wait to see what Canada Pooch had cooked up for spring.

Sure to please every member of your pack, the Canada Pooch spring collection comes in four great styles with the Torrential Tracker, Amazon Adventurer , Rain Runner Vest, and the Storm. We opted to try the Amazon Adventurer jacket for our foster dog, Miko, and it arrived just in time for the week’s worth of rain that Mother Nature had in store for us.

Cute as a button, the quality of the Amazon Adventurer Jacket surpassed my expectations. It has a wrap-around design, velcroing under the belly, that makes dressing and undressing easy as pie. For many dogs this is a key factor. Miko has a low tolerance for being dressed when we’re standing at the front door because as she watches all the dogs go by, I’m sure she thinks that all this fussing cuts into our walk time, but the jacket was on her and securely velcroed in less than 15 seconds. 

Another detail that makes the jacket most convenient is the harness slit. At the time these photos were taken we were using a collar for Miko but we switched to a harness just days ago, and so this harness slit is now a must-have. Miko personally feels that all doggy apparel should come with these slits and is surprised that some companies still leave out this important detail.

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I was ecstatic when I was approached to write a review for Maple Leash, a family owned doggy apparel company that is operated out of Edmonton, Alberta. They’re a small business and they like it that way, because it gives them the opportunity to provide stellar customer service and choose only the best products, which are personally tested by their mascot, Domo, a dog they rescued from abandonment.

It was because of Domo that Maple Leash was created, and so they are giving back to their community by supporting local rescue groups by donating items for silent auctions, a portion of their sales, and my favorite part — they foster dogs waiting to find forever homes. As a foster mom for Hopeful Hearts Dog Rescue, this really touched me.

My own foster, Nanny McPhee, spent the first 6 years of her life in a puppy mill. Slowly but surely she’s starting to learn what life is supposed to be about; treats, belly rubs, and unconditional love — the finer things in life. Maple Leash wanted to do some spoiling of their own, so they sent Nanny their best-selling coat called the Extreme Vest, guaranteed to keep the little monkey warm on her adventures outside.

Aside from the obvious — the oh-so-cute factor — the first thing I liked was that it was incredibly easy to put on. With a nervous and timid dog, this is extremely important. It was no more difficult than putting on a harness, and two side simply snap together underneath.

I figured it would take Nanny a few days to get used to the coat, but much to my surprise, she loved it instantly. It fit her like a glove, making me wonder if perhaps some little elves took her measurements and created it especially for her in their workshop.

The outer shell of the Extreme Vest is made from 100% High Density PU coated nylon, the trimmings are 100% polyester, and it comes with an adorable but removable faux fur hood for those really chilly days. In Nanny’s case we took it off as she’s little nervous with anything around her neck.

Because of the way the coat is made, it’s incredibly easy for Nanny to move around and play in it without feeling restricted, which is always a concern of mine when looking for doggy coats. Aside from being much warmer, I’m not sure Nanny even realized she was wearing anything.

Maple Leash offers much more than coats, so be sure to check out their website for all kinds of must haves. If you get stuck on measurements and you’re not sure what size your furry friend might need, simply email them and they will respond right away. See? Stellar customer service. They’re also on Facebook and Twitter, so when you get a chance, stop by and congratulate them on adopting their second rescue dog, Corona!

Maple Leash wants to share the love, so they’re giving away a $50.00 gift card to one very lucky Ottawa Dog Blog reader.

To enter, visit Maple Leash’s website and leave a comment below, telling us what you’d buy with your $50.00 gift card!

Contest closes Wednesday April 11th at noon and winner will be chosen at random. Maple Leash ships world wide, so this contest is open to everyone.

Ever since I first saw Dog Is Good products I knew I loved them. So simple, really fun and they just look so darn good!

For this review, I am going to concentrate on their shirts, but they have a ton more products as well, just check out their site to see them.

As soon as I saw the Little Dog, Big Love shirt I immediately wanted it. It expresses the exact feeling I have about little dogs (obviously). I adore the simple silhouettes and I really think they carry a big impact.

Their shirts come in several different styles, colours, and of course, designs. And all of them carry some fantastic humour.

They are 100% cotton and 100% comfortable – I wear this shirt more than I’d like to admit! haha

The fit is true to size and has washed and worn really well. I hang it to dry and so I can’t speak to putting it in the dryer, but mine has kept both its colour and its shape really well.

Although there is no store in Ottawa that carries these IN store, Global Pet Foods in Hintonburg and Kanata can special order them in if you’d like to have one of your own. Last I checked, they even have a catalog there for you to look through to order from. Bonus! Continue reading →

And the winner is…

Congrats to Kelsey!

We will be in contact with you shortly about your Love Your Breed™ prize!

I have a confession to make. I’m obsessed with argyle.

It’s a brand new obsession; something that occurred two weekends ago when I spotted an adorable little schnauzer named Stanley wearing an argyle sweater while hanging out at Bark & Fitz Barrhaven. I’ve been obsessing over this sweater for two weeks now, and it’s gotten so bad that all the sheep in my dreams are wearing argyle sweaters.

Imagine my surprise when the Ottawa Dog Blog received an email last week from FouFou Dog asking if we would like to review their new Love Your Breed™ collection along with one of their holiday sweaters — a holiday sweater that just so happens to be ARGYLE.

Our package from FouFou Dog arrived the very next day and the sweater was every bit as cute as I remembered it. Although I’m not a fan of argyle on two legged creatures, I think they look absolutely stunning on our four legged friends — especially schnauzers.

In addition to the vibrant colors and great quality, the other thing I appreciated was how easy it was to slide over Wookie’s pumpkin head. I’ve tried other sweaters in the past and it always felt like I was trying to put a square peg into a round hole. Although it’s a turtleneck, FouFou Dog managed to make it as easy as possible so that you’re not wrestling to put it on your dog who is about to throw a doggy temper tantrum.

Wookie has only been wearing his sweater out now for a couple of days but there’s been no shortage of compliments and I’m half expecting to see my neighbourhood dogs decked out in various colors of argyle by the end of the week.

If argyle isn’t your flavour, FouFou Dog has plenty of other adorable sweaters that will suit your tastes and your dog’s personality, as they have an entire line of animal sweaters and fleece hoodies.

Their Love Your Breed™ collection is also sure to melt any dog lovers heart, and being a schnauzer mom, I was overjoyed to see this breed included in their collection. In addition to schnauzers, there are poodles, chihuahuas, pugs and yorkies — just to name a few.

From keychains, keycovers, and rhinestone stickers to luggage tags and pens, FouFou Dog has thought of everything to help you celebrate your favorite breed. The rhinestone sticker is a great way to personalize that boring cell phone case and the luggage tag looks adorable on a suitcase, purse, or bag. And how many times have you fumbled with your keychain, trying to remember which key is for which lock? With a schnauzer keycover the keychain is no longer my enemy. You may need to keep your pen under lock and key, however, as your co-workers will be clamoring to use it and may forget to return it.

These items will make great stocking stuffers for the dog lovers in your life, but we also strongly urge you to spoil yourself and nab a few of these gems. Go ahead, you’ve earned it. I think Santa would agree that you’re on the “nice” list.

FouFou Dog Love Your Breed™ Giveaway!

FouFou Dog has donned their Santa hat and will be giving away items from their Love Your Breed™ collection to one very lucky Ottawa Dog Blog reader. Want to win? Follow these simple steps:

Step #1 – Like FouFou Dog on Facebook and make sure you tell them the Ottawa Dog Blog sent you!

Step #2 – Comment below and tell us what your favorite item is from the Love Your Breed™ collection.

Good luck!

Details:

You must follow both steps in order to be included in the giveaway. This contest is open to anyone in Canada and the US. Winners will be chosen at random. Please include a valid email address so that we can contact you. Contest closes Thursday December 15th, 2012 at midnight. Winners announced on the blog on Friday December 16th.

‘Tis the season for cold weather, snow, and — you guessed it — even more snow. Unfortunately for Wookie, my rescue dog from Hopeful Hearts, he was not blessed with a full body of thick, luscious hair. He takes after his mom (me). Luckily for Wookie, Canada Pooch has arrived on the pet apparel scene.

Canada Pooch, designed by pet mom Jacqueline Prehogan, is based in Toronto, so they know a little something about our brutal winters and whatever else Mother Nature feels like throwing our way. You can have your ice cream cake and eat it too, though, because not only are their jackets designed for Canadian winters but they also look amazing. It doesn’t hurt that their quality assurance team consists of one puggle, two poodles, and a lab.

When Wookie’s Winter Wilderness Jacket arrived in the mail it was like Christmas. The first thing I noticed was the quality. Bar none, it’s the best doggy coat I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I might have had to stop myself from trying to squeeze my not-so-svelte body into it. Wookie, on the other hand, was not so excited and looked at the jacket wearily, knowing what was coming next. His first and only experience with any type of doggie wear ended up with him in a monkey suit. Literally. It was for Halloween, okay?

Nonetheless, Wookie humored me. Awkwardly.

However after walking around in his new coat for a few minutes, Wookie’s super model side came out in full force and he was prancing around like a furry Cindy Crawford. I think he realized that not only did he not look like a monkey — he actually looked good.

My partner in crime and I have discussed getting winter wear for our pooches for over two years now, but it always ends with the same arguement: everything we found was way too expensive for our Kraft Dinner budget, too girlie for our male dogs, really ugly, or just simply useless for the harsh weather we get.

But the tides have turned, folks. Once he saw Wookie in his adorable (yet manly & rugged!) coat and found out how reasonably priced they are, he changed his tune.

Suffice it to say, we’ll be picking up a second one this weekend for our other dog, Halladay.

If you’ve been looking for a coat that is not only great looking, reasonably priced and amazing quality — look no further. Visit Canada Pooch and get your furry friend bundled up for the holidays. If your dog could talk, he would be asking for a Winter Wilderness Jacket for Christmas.

Canada Pooch jackets are available at Global Pet Foods in Hintonburg and Kanata

I’m not much of a reader, and most books I’ve been reading lately have been about dogs (not surprisingly). For Christmas this year, a co-worker gave me a book called Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love. I connected with it immediately and knew that I wanted to read it.

The book was such an inspirational story about a dog who has been through the worst events imaginable and managed to come through it and still be so sweet and loving. While parts of it are tough to read just because of the horrendous circumstances that surround the world of dog fighting, but it is totally worth the read to learn about this amazing dog.

Promo Video:

Oogy on Oprah:

You can find the book in bookstores and online.