Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Some of Our Favorite Things: Backpack Training and Dog Video Camera

 To lead up to a big announcement later in the week, the pooches wanted to talk about some of their favorite things. The two things we get asked about the most are Mr. B's backpack and camera.
I had never even known that someone would make something like a backpack for dogs, but as crazy as it sounds, it has many purposes.
Backpack Workout & Training:
This was the main reason we bought the backpack in the first place. When we first adopted Mr. B he was crazy "Bulldozer Mr. B". The sights and sounds of the city where so exciting, instead of going for a run, Mr. B would go for a gallop. But once that backpack was on, his entire attitude changed. He had a job. He was focused. And our walks changed.
The backpack is also great because if we add extra weight it gives him a better workout. We don't have to walk as far, and we still get a happy, calm dog at home.

Running City Errands:

 The backpack also lets us incorporate our pooches in our daily life as we run our errands. For some reason it seems almost painful to walk a few blocks to the bakery, but with Mr. B at our side grabbing our groceries has become fun. We even wrote about how we have begun eating local as the pooches are able to carry their own dog groceries, goods from the Farmer's Markets, butcher, baker and wine store.
Note: We never leave our dogs unattended outside and either run errands as a family, or I call ahead and the owners are happy to bring things outside to us.

Making our Pooches Approachable:
 We love taking our pooches around the city, and it's extra rewarding when people ask to meet our dogs and gain a new perspective on pitbulls. The backpack makes our dogs that much more approachable. Our SociaBull pooch friend Lola has started wearing the backpack and her mom noticed how they meet so many more people as a backpack-toting pooch.


Mr. B's Camera:
At the same time, people are also so curious about Mr. B's camera. We are kind of obsessed with experimenting with all kinds of cameras, so what better camera to add into the mix than one for our pooch?
While he used to have the Dog Eye View Camera, the battery quickly fizzled and since it isn't replaceable, we would have had to buy a whole new camera. So Mr. B upgraded to the GoPro HD Hero 960.
This camera has a waterproof case, so it can go the extreme, and it takes 5 megapixel photos, so these pictures are high definition.We hook the camera up to his collar, and it's set to take photos every 2, 5, 10, 30 or 60 seconds, and we always think it's so funny to see things from his view. Like this awkward family photo:
The best part...it is also a video camera! We've had a lot of fun seeing things how Mr. B sees it, especially seeing Mr. B in this skateboarding video and his perspective from this SociaBulls walk.
Plus, the camera is kind of cool to use if you're involved in extreme sports. If your pooch lets you borrow it.
We have seen some of our other dog friends use backpacks, and we'd love to hear how your packs work for you. And does anyone else out there have a dog camera?

17 comments:

Elisa said...

LOVE THIS. I'll totally have to recommend the backpack to some of my city-dwelling dog lovas. And those pictures are impressive quality... off to the Amazon wishlist!

Kate said...

I really need to get a doggie backpack. Cute and practical! That camera is great too. Mr. B has become a great photographer!

Two French Bulldogs said...

We love the idea of a backpack. My Lily has one since she is the hyper one
Benny & Lily

Corbin said...

Mom keeps thinking about getting me a camera... waterproof would be awesome since I love going in the lake! Where did you get Mr. B's camera?
-Corbin

Trissi_V said...

Laci (our husky/healer) loves her backpack. She puts it on and she is soooo focused its funny. Other dogs come around her and she won't even look at them or give them a side look, she has a job to do. She now carries the water for both her and Apollo. We are going to bring her to farmer's markets next year with it, as long as we aren't working at the market that day.

Patty said...

I really want to get Sophie a backpack. Just need to figure out the one best suited to our needs (mostly for hikes and carrying her own water)

Two Grad Students and a Pittie said...

You told us about the backpack way back when and when we were first training "pull along Havi" it was a lifesaver!

Now its SO fun to have people stop us and she loves carrying things along!

Thanks!

Kristine said...

I would love a dog camera and have been saving my pennies for a while. Mr. B's photos are always very artistic and I have to wonder if my dog has a creative side too!

Tucker The Crestie said...

Dakotah had a backpack but Phoebe and Tucker don't. I think actually Tucker might really enjoy it but I've never thought to get him one before. I LOVE the idea of a dog camera and always enjoy the Mr. B. perspective of your jaunts around the city. Plus it would be great to be able to say "Hey, the reason this picture stinks is because my dog took it!" :o)

brooke said...

Im totally interested in both a camera and a back pack for Darwin. Im always worried about her getting too hot carrying a back pack though.

Unknown said...

We actually bought a backpack for Pauley, but have not used it yet. Not doing a lot of good sitting in the box :)

Road Dog Tales said...

Backpacks are cool and so is your camera! We always love seeing Mr. B's photography. Still waiting for that gallery show featuring his work! :)

The Road Dogs

houndstooth said...

I love this post!

We're always asked what our dogs carry in their backpacks. Since we use ours for hiking, ours have a slightly different purpose than yours. They carry first aid kits, spare poop bags, id cards that tell who to call in case of an emergency and our vet, collapsible water bowls, bottled water and treats. Tiny gravel sometimes bothers Bunny's feet, so she carries a set of boots in hers, too, just in case she'd need them. Morgan carries extra water, the GPS tracker that can show where we walked and sometimes her own camera.

The camera we have for Morgan is the Tachyon XC and it's a helmet cam. We're still in the learning stages of getting it to work the way we want it to. Most of the time, we attach it to Morgan's backpack, but we tried it on a harness and on Bunny's coat last winter, too. Keeping it stable has been our big challenge, but one of these days we'll have pictures that Morgan or Bunny took!

Of Pit Bulls and Patience said...

I just bought a backpack to use with Sinatra on walks. When Parker and Skye could be off leash, Sinatra would always get wound up instead of tired on walks. So he began carrying water, leashes, poop bags, and my keys in the backpack, and it made him much more tired! Now that he's gone to his forever family, I've readjusted it to Skye. She isn't pleased.

Anonymous said...

Always luv to see Mr. B's photos and I remember watching his skateboard video. Fabulous fun! :D That is so great that you can call stores in advance and they'll bring your purchases outside to you! I wonder how I'd feel about wearing a backpack. I'll ask Mom to think on that :)

Waggin at ya,
Roo

A Wonderful Dogs Life said...

I'm going to ask mom for one of those cameras and a backpack for my sisters.

How do you find all these cool things?

Emma

Unknown said...

We live in Houston with a black pit mix, and we worried about the same thing. She is so good with her pack, we bought ice packs and now her job is to carry the ice around the neighborhood. Adds weight and keeps her cool.

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