It seems it may be that time of year again. A time of year that makes me excited because I can feel that spring is just around the corner, but it also makes me groan because this is honestly the wettest time of year as well.
As all of that dreaded snow begins melting, it has to go somewhere, and I am convinced it goes ALL onto my dogs – especially Corduroy (aka the mop).
It is at this time of year that I rely most heavily on dog coats – not for warmth, but for protection against wet and muddiness that is afflicted onto dogs with short legs like my guys.
Enter Tootlewear, a Canadian (in Peterborough) company that creates amazing dog apparel including….wait for it…full body rain suits! Awesome!
I’ve been searching for a rain coat for the dogs for a while that would provide maximum coverage so I wouldn’t have to bathe the dogs every time we went for a walk in the spring.
The full body rain suits are just that – they cover pretty much everything, but still allow room for “doing some business” if you know what I mean! The suits are made of nylon and really do provide full body protection. There is even a flap that goes underneath their bellies to protect from splashing in those pesky puddles (which of course they go running through the deepest part).
Each leg is elasticized to prevent water from going up into the coat and it works really well. Corduroy went walking through a giant puddle right after these shots were taken and she was only wet up to her feet – the water didn’t get in at all!
There are reflective strips on the jacket which is great for walking at night. We quite often walk on warm spring evenings because it’s so quiet and there aren’t any bugs so this is a great feature for safety.
My favourite thing about these coats is the little hole for their harnesses so the leash can attach. The hole doesn’t come open, it is closed by default and you can just cut it open yourself. It is reinforced so that it won’t fray and is the perfect size for the loop to fit through. You may not need this if you walk your dog with the leash attached to the collar, but it’s a great feature of us harness users! This is my biggest bet peeve in coats – when they don’t have the harness holes!
Because the rain suit has such good coverage, it is quite tricky to get on and off so be very careful. But the time it takes putting it on and taking it off is far less than I’d usually spend bathing the dogs after a walk so it’s totally worth it for me.
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Liz Bradley is a dog lover who lives in Ottawa, Ontario with her husband,