Living in the city without a backyard, we're always consumed with the weather as we venture out on our many daily walks. While we seem to have the cold weather thing down, it has been the extra hot weather that has us cutting our summer walks short with the pups quarantined next to the fan.
Especially since our pups are getting older, we have been cutting back on some of our adventures during the warm weather, especially seeing how living in the concrete jungle can make everything that much hotter.
We have always been curious about Ruffwear's Swamp Cooler Cooling Vests and we were especially excited when Ruffwear offered to have the pups try them out.
While we got a lot of strange looks and questions about why our pooches were wearing "coats" on such a hot day, these 3-layer vests actually use evaporative cooling technology to mimic sweating and cool down your pooch. The vests are activated by soaking them in cold water and wringing them out. We found that it is really important to wring them out well, as our first attempt at putting on the vests before we left for our walk left us with puddles of water on our floor. The vests are lightweight for easy movement and they use adjustable buckles to more accurately fit your dog. Our pups are both wearing size Medium.
Wearing the vests the pups seemed to be panting less and we were able to be out longer. They also recovered more quickly after our walk. We also liked how the light-colored vest reflected heat instead of absorbing it. While Miss M's dark hair will cause her to be warmer, when we checked underneath her vest her back was definitely cooler.
We also found it important to monitor the vest and make sure it stays wet to continue the evaporation process (otherwise it would be like wearing a coat on a warm day!). During one walk it did evaporate fairly quickly, in about 20-30 minutes, and we had to reactivate it by pouring water on the top with our water bottle.
Even with the vests we made sure not to overdo it, but we found it really did make a difference with the heat, and it seems like it is especially good for dark-haired dogs prone to absorbing sunlight.
We were beyond excited that Ruffwear has generously offered to give away one Swamp Cooler Cooling Vest.
What would you be able to do with your pup this summer if you could keep them cool in a Ruffwear Swamp Cooler Cooling Vest?
GIVEAWAY CLOSED
We used a random number generator to chose the winner of our Ruffwear Swamp Cooler Giveaway:
Congratulations to Kendra Perkins who said: Bruno would love this! He is a dark chocolate pittie mix who loves to run. However, with us living in Corpus Christi, Texas, it doesn't take long for him to get hot and panting like crazy. Plus the fact that he LOVES water.
Please email or message us on Facebook so we can get you your vest!
Also:
What we will do with our vests.
Charlee could walk much longer with one of these vests. We are constantly hitting up a friends pool or river because of the extreme heat and his golden retriever fur! Such a great giveaway. Also, have you all ever dealt with allergies with Mr. B or Miss M? We are dealing with that currently and thought you all might have dealt with it before.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome giveaway! Those jackets look great. Amy would love a swamp cooler jacket so she could walk for more than 20 minutes in the summer without panting like crazy and wanting to lay down lol. She is a bit dramatic, however, I do think she gets hot quite easily -this would be perfect :-)
ReplyDeleteOh! The momma has been wanting and wanting and wanting to get me one of these for my boating days! It would be so super for me to have one on the boat!
ReplyDelete-Corbin
Widget could go for longer walks in places with less shade! We live just outside DC and love taking her down to the National Mall or to the monuments...but she gets so hot in the summer!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking at those vests for quite some time. Ms. Portia is a husky, so she overheats VERY easily. I'm sure she would appreciate the vest on the days we go hiking. Good to see that you all are finding them to be helpful.
ReplyDeleteOooooooooooh! What a great thing! Petey could stay out longer when he goes to the park! It's been SO HOT in NYC! Plus he has designated drinking spots and he won't drink anywhere else! Plus he's a dark dog so this would be super helpful!
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea... Dottie would love to get her paws on one of these jackets. Being a black lab she gets so hot when she's outside even if it's just to wander around the yard. This would be great to put on her so she could stalk squirrels longer!
ReplyDeleteYep - we definitely feel the "dark dog" heat absorption on this end! Even though Tess is older than Ed, since he is so big, he does NOT do well in the heat! We have to be extra careful taking his for walks and letting him play outside. If we had a cooling vest, we could take him on longer walks!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! Ollie would love this. He's a light colored dog, but has a lot of fur. He's always panting and I would love to keep him cool on walks/hikes!
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ReplyDeleteWow, my little Comet would love this, he loves to run, hike, and lay in the sun with us, but he's all black and overheats quickly! What a great idea! :-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome...this sounds perfect for Chance, older pibble, very dark brown, loves the cold and snow, but the heat just drains him.
ReplyDeleteRufus is my running partner. In the summer, we scale back our running because it is too hot for him (even with water breaks). This cooling vest would really help keep him more comfortable in the heat and allow us to get more exercise in the hotter months.
ReplyDeleteCharlie would love this! He is a pittie who is dressed to the 9s in his tuxedo coat which is extremely hot living in Charlotte, NC on a farm. This vest will allow him to stay outside without becoming a panting machine and allow us to run together more often during these humid summer nights.
ReplyDeleteMy sweet old girl, Allie would be able to actually have a "real" walk again! It's hot and humid here in Florida, and since she's black, she just can't take the heat for a decent walk in the evenings. It would make all the difference for her! Such a great giveaway and it seems like an ideal product! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteBaloo and I are very active outdoors. We rollerblade, run and hike often. Baloo is a pittie pup that is all black. We have had to significantly reduce our outdoor time (especially rollerblading) because of the risk of over heating. When it is really hot a short walk is the most we can manage before he start showing signs of over heating. We have tried the ice collars and wet bandanas but they only provide a little extra cooling. This vest would significantly improve our time together, so we could both get the exercise we need every day!
ReplyDeleteNala needs one - the poor baby gets so hot anytime the temperature gets even close to 80. This would let us actually take walks in the summer without me feeling like I'm torturing her.
ReplyDeleteWe love to go to the car shows during the summer, but we live in a very dry area without much shade. Gracie would love to have the cooler to help with her thick lab coat.
ReplyDeleteI have been checking these swamp coolers out for awhile now wondering if they actually work. So excited to see that Miss M and Mr B gave them two paws up. My Ginger and Pepper would love these. Pepper is black with lots of fur so she pants just going out to the potty. They have spent most of their summer inside on the treadmill and hate it as much as I do.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about one of these for Sarge! As an elderbull, he has very low tolerance for heat. So, we get up extra early (usually 5:30am!) to take him on walks every morning. I am hoping that with a vest like this it would allow us to sleep in a bit, and allow him to be more comfortable being outside in the summer!
ReplyDeleteO my - my zora & lalo would definitely be better walkers! we might even pick up the pace to an actual walk instead of a slow trudge.
ReplyDeleteMy dogs would use the Swamp Cooler to help them cool off after our summer sports such as lure coursing and flyball.
ReplyDeleteMy pittie mix loves agility, but we usually skip trials in the summer due to the heat. This coat would definitely help her!
ReplyDeleteI'd take Nola on longer walks!
ReplyDeleteNola's Mom
We love taking Sequoia out hiking year round. But during our hot central valley summers, it gets to be over 100 degrees for many days. Having this cooling vest would allow her to remain more active year round!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely go on a hike! In California it stays pretty warm through Sept & Oct. So we have plenty of time to put it to good use :)
ReplyDeleteJake has one and we love it!!! Obviously this is a comment and not a submission!
ReplyDeleteLeia would be SO excited to have one of these bad boys! She gets so warm in the summer that our walks are often cut short :)
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ReplyDeleteJasper would be much better equipped for our upcoming move from Northern Wisconsin to Texas. I'm sure the summers would be a lot more comfortable and he could acclimate a lot faster if he won!
ReplyDeleteWith this vest Tanner and I would be able to go for walks in the afternoon when the sun is shinning at its fullest instead of having to wait until dusk when it is cooler. He is an 80 lbs adopted pibble with dark brown fur and he over heats very easily so this would be perfect!
ReplyDeleteBruno would love this! He is a dark chocolate pittie mix who loves to run. However, with us living in Corpus Christi, Texas, it doesn't take long for him to get hot and panting like crazy. Plus the fact that he LOVES water.
ReplyDeleteWe would love to take the pups to Starved Rock State Park, but we are waiting till the weather cools. With this vest we could take the dogs sooner than later. Thanks!
ReplyDelete2 weeks ago I got news that my furbaby of 14 years has weeks left to live. He has a cancerous bone growth that will quickly become painful. He hasn't been able to move very well, but as a shepherd/ hound mix he has really thick fur and is hot and panting all the time. I'd love to make his last month or so more comfortable by cooling him off. Our pittie/ husky mix loves to run around and my kids love to chase the ball to her. We'd be able to take her for bike rides which it's been too hot in the summer to do. She gets too hot before she gets too tired - then she's bouncing back with energy.
ReplyDeleteLonger walks in the summer and hikes. We try to find shady routes but sometimes it's not possible.
ReplyDeleteWe'd be able to take Zander on his first hike! He is dark brindle as well, so he just absorbs all of the evil Texas sun rays:( He is definitely a 'cold weather dog' but it sounds like with these vests you are able to stay more active in the summer heat!
ReplyDeleteSince moving to Kentucky, Rambo and I walk/hike at least 5 days a week... We'd love to have a swamp cooler so we could get out before the mosquitos!
ReplyDeletePip has one of these jackets and it's fabulous!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, we always wondered how well these vests work. Being that I am fighting the liver cancer, my new cool vest could help me walk a bit further without getting overheated.
ReplyDeleteSnorts,
Benny & Lily
Luke could go on longer, earlier-in-the-day walks with this vest. In fact, I think we would love modeling it for his friends in KC Pittie Pack.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, the Chicago summers can get hot and humid (not today). He would love the vest to keep cool, he told me so
ReplyDeleteWow! I think the Mobisher would love a swamp cooling vest! Really, he loves anything having to do with water, but it would really come in handy for our long trail walks when it gets super hot!
ReplyDeleteEmily @ Our Waldo Bungie
www.ourwaldobungie.com
We would go hiking more frequently (once the temperature cools down a little here); there are many great hiking options in southern Nevada!
ReplyDeleteThis is a super giveaway! We've been eyeballing this vest for quite a while now =) Apparently they are great for flyball tournaments! Soooo...Athena would love to win a cooling vest to help her to be even better at flyball!
ReplyDeleteThat's really cool i always worry about the dogs in the summer and whether or not they are cool enough. sometimes i carry a spray bottle with and mist them while we are walking.
ReplyDeleteEven though Sasha can't walk nearly as long as she used to, she still loves to go to the park, and the Swamp Cooler Jacket would allow us to take her out on days we would normally decide to stay in - she doesn't tolerate the heat well.
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