Winter is Coming

Rain relaxes in a Polar Fleece Coat

Cold weather brings its share of problems for pet owners.  Keeping pets safe and warm indoors is critical but we all know that dogs are usually walked outdoors to do their business and get some exercise. It's also important for them to stay warm. 


Small dogs and those with no haircoat or body fat are particularly susceptible since they lose body heat quite rapidly and will need a warm coat or sweater to help protect them from the elements.  

Rain Models Polar Fleece Coat with Velcro on the Back

Rain Lounging in a Polar Fleece Coat

I recently received a Polar Fleece dog coat from PetSafe to test.  Most of us who live in a cold climate are very fond of Polar Fleece since it's so warm. But how would it work on one of our dogs.  Well, that depends upon the dog.  I handed the coat over to my friend, Linda Aronson, to test on one of her Havanese.  The caveat here is that her dogs are in full show coat so they have lovely, flowing coats.  The Polar Fleece coat velcros on the top for easy-on, easy-off, a nice feature.  But how would it work with a long-coated Havanese?    Here's what Linda discovered:

"The coat is nicely designed and well made.  The sizing is a little off as the size 16 was a good fit for length on my Havanese who typically wears a size 14 coat.  If possible try the coat on before purchasing.  The coat is easy to put on and take off and has plenty of room for the dog to move about without restricting movement or for deep chested dogs.  Having the closure along the back is a good idea, and it is easy to hook up without trapping hair, but I had to readjust to get the velco perfectly aligned, despite first attaching the tab of velcro at the neck end and matching the neck ends.  Still, readjustment was fairly simple.  Polar fleece would mat the coat on a long haired dog quickly, but for dogs that have lost coat due to surgery or illness or for those naturally short haired dogs that feel the cold this would be a warm coat either alone or under a waterproof outer coat for wet and snowy weather."

So there you have it. An independent review along with some nifty pictures of Rain modeling the  coat.  I think for those whose dogs have shorter hair, this would be a very worthwhile coat to consider for your dog's winter outings.  



 NOTE:  PetSafe sent the coat for me to test. I passed it along to Linda Aronson for testing on her Havanese. We received no compensation other than the product to be tested and the views expressed are our own.