It’s freezing cold herein my home town of New York City, and my short-coated dogs are feeling the brrrn. Not all of them love getting dressed for the weather, but they definitely enjoy that warm feeling once they’re suited up.
Not all dogs are willing to wait you out while you pour them into a skin-tight garment, which is why most members of my pack wear easy-on, easy-off coats that aren’t much to look at. But I’ve been a fashion follower all my life, so I’m a sucker for great-looking apparel – and my tastenaturally extends to my best friends.
My own favorite thing to wear in this cold is a pair of skin-tight power fleece leggings by Kombi; as long as my extremities are toasty, I feel like I can do anything – even walk multiple dogs, multiple times, in miserably sub-freezing temps.
Lucky me, my gorgeousboy Rudy is a real fashion hound (he was rescued on Christmas Eve and he’s a red-nose, so he’s Rudolph the red-nose pitbull). He seems to agree that looks count – and with a photogenic face and physique like his, who could blame him?He looks like a four-footed film star! And he’s more than happy to please me by patiently modeling the latest in skin-tight K9 fashions.
The payoff for him? Getting dressed to the canines means being able to spend more time outside without fear of catching cold or succumbing to hypothermia.
Unlike my other dogs who can’t wait to get outside, Rudygamely waits the extra couple of minutes it takes me to winterize him in style. The sweetheart calmly permits meto gently guide all four of his limbs through the sleeves of the Arctic Fleece Bodysuit by K9 Top Coat, then pull the zipper closed along his abdomen.
This Lycra-powered, 4-way-stretchgarment is the height of fashion and function, and Rudy practically stops traffic when he steps out in it. It’s designed to have a snug fit, just like the close-fitting garments worn by athletes who train during the winter months. It looks and feels like a second skin, combining the thermal efficiency of heavy fleece with the lightweight, breathablecomfort of stretchy microfleece.
This suit, incidentally, has a medical benefit too. It’s tailor-made for dogs who suffer from skin-related allergies and cancer; it also helps control shedding, ticks, andother biting insects, and works to protect injuries, rashes, and surgical sites. If you have a dog who needs to recover from any skin irritation, this suit in combination with a protective collar will prevent him from harming himself while he heals.
Basically, Rudy looks like a K9 triathlete superhero when he wears this getup. And as you can see, it doesn’t restrict his movementsin the least- in fact,the first thing he does when he’s zipped in is assume the classic Downward Dog yoga pose. That’s how relaxed he feels in his one-piece power fleece! And he’s so toasty warm while wearing it that he would gladly walk 500 miles;if onlyI had his stamina…
Does your dog have a favorite outfit to wear in winter? Please tell us about it in the comments.
