Muddy Mutts

OK, here in Montreal, the slush time is upon us. Yes, in early January. This i NOT unusual. It is minus 5celcius, and they put a mixture of salt and crushed gravel on the streets and sidewalks. This, together with car exhaust, produces a wonderful sea-salty mixture of gasoline scented mud mush.

I can't tell you how horrid it is for shoes, dog feet, dog underbellies, and the snowsuits of kids who bellyflop on the sidewalk several times every city block. So small son doesn't get the privilege of walking except for in the park, or when there is clean snow. I attempt to walk at the edge of the sidewalk so my Saint Bernard will walk on the snow beside the sidewalk instead of actually where it is "treated" for "ease of walking". The huge jogstroller is ok, though rusting, and unfortunately doesn't have fenders, so blops slush on my feet and legs if we walk at all fast. Sleds just don't work at all, esp with the huge puddles of filthy slush on the street corners.

Various people have suggested I put cream or wax on my dog's footpads... I guess they don't have dogs with feet the size of an average adult palm, with inch deep crevasses between said footpads, filled with inch long fluffy hair. Now imagine rubbing wax all over that, and then having said dog walk all over your wood floors, where small son plays on his knees, face, back... yeah right. May as well dump a tub of bag balm on the floor and just smoosh it around. urk.

I have been checking into these amazing PawZ (though stupid looking) rubber dog boots... maybe my neighborhood dog stuff retailer can order them in to sell, or I'll pick them up downtown at one of the two local retailers. And while googling them for said neighborhood dog stuff retailer, I discovered this amazing dog apparel item. For once it seems to be designed by someone with a brain (most dog outfits cover the parts of dogs where they already have the most hair, not the parts that get cold, most don't allow male dogs to pee... ok, the dogs can pee INSIDE the bloody outfits, and when it rains, my dog gets wetter UNDERNEATH than on top): I present: Muddy Mutts! Cool eh! You can see them in action here: Muddy Mutts Raingear    Covers exactly the parts of my pooch that I have to towel down after a walk on city streets, even on days without precipitation. I think people would laugh... I mean, I already put my dog in a glad garbage bag raincoat when it is absolutely pouring... but heck, the amount of time and filth I would save! And her legs wouldn't be grey and smell like car exhaust and wet dog!

OK, I am a BAD GIRL, I ordered both the raingear pants and the rubber boots from them (same shipping if I order one or two items, and I save on local taxes) since I wrote the last sentence.Hopefully they'll arrive soon and I can do a test run and give a proper review! (on my dog with GREEN feet! eeek!)

I think I'm going to do more reviews. Cuz I have a review-type mind.Probably mostly reivews on toddler items, and chinese-learning items. Stay tuned!

**** Next day edit: a commenter asked about Muttluks which are also made in Canada. Well, I HAVE seen them around for years. I just cannot commit to $55 dog boots. The leather is supposedly treated against salt, but I cannot imagine that lasts walking on concrete through slush mixed with gravel. They also have a ribbed cuff, which would also get wet I imagine. I am just thinking, what a lot of maintenance and also, if you lose one (very likely as my dog leaps through a foot of snow covered with an inch of ice, which is what we had all of the holiday season), you just have three. for $55. agh!

Muttluks also have dog rain and snow suits, but they cover the whole body. I guess that is good, but like the plastic bag (very inexpensive and disposable when it gets wet and full of smelly dog hair inside) it would seal in her whole body, and not really be breathable (yeah yeah, they say all sorts of things are waterproof and breathable, but my experience is you sweat like a pig inside anyways). I could only imagine putting the muttluks raingear on my dog when it is absolutely pouring ouside, not a sunny day with mud, puddles on the ground, or slush. Lots of people are happy with Muttluks though. Probably best if you have a smaller dog (less expensive) that just walks on the sidewalk (less likely to lose one than runing in the snow or mud).

**Further note: the muddy mutts have already shipped today, 6 hours after ordering at 2am, should arrive by post in 3-4 days, and I got a nice email back from the company owners answering questions I had. So, A+ so far for customer service!

Comments

[Alison Cummins]

Cool! Yeah, let us know. Midway through Paragraph 2 I had my arm in the air and was bouncing in my seat: I know! I know! Ask me! Muttluks!

But I see you have your own answer. So let me know how it works.

[Val]

Can't wait to see more pix - but it actually looks like a workable concept...