Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Bowl

Rating: 1/2 3.5 paws

The Aqua-Fur Travel Bowl is a silicone bowl that looks and acts like a dog bowl yet folds up like an origami. The bowl weighs 8 oz and holds 1 liter of water. The bowl comes in blue, orange, red or green and costs about $18-20. The Aqua-Fur bowl is made by Tazlab.

Review: The Aqua-Fur dog bowl has an advantage over all the other folding travel bowls I have seen: because it is made of silicone, it quickly and easily retains a nice bowl shape when unfolded. Most folding dog bowls are made of cloth or plastic and can be difficult to unfold or to keep open while the dog is drinking from them. They tend to collapse on themselves. This bowl opens and pops immediately into the bowl shape, and holds that shape until you fold it up again. The Aqua-Fur bowl is large enough to allow even the big dogs to get a good thirst-quenching drink without having to refill and is sturdy enough to (according to the company) also be used as a bucket if you invert the sides. When I first bought this bowl, it was shipped unfolded and I had a little trouble figuring out the proper way to fold it up despite the drawing on the tag. When folded, the bowl is a bit larger than a wallet. It is small enough to be carried in a large pocket but it would be a bit bulky in most pockets. In my opinion a smaller folded size would have been preferable, however the company is planning to come out with an even smaller folding bowl called the “Pack-a-Puddle” so that version will most likely be a better size for carrying on walks. The Aqua-fur travel bowl’s size is I think more suited to hikes or car travel where you have a bit more space but should be ok to use on a casual walk if you don't mind the extra bulk.

Pet Gear Travel System Stroller

Rating: 3 paws

Pet Gear Collapsible Pet Stroller with removable carrier. For pets up to 15 pounds.
The Pet Gear Travel System Stroller has a detachable carrier which you can carry over your shoulder and also a place to attach the carrier to a cat seatbelt. The carrier and the stroller base both fold flat. There is a leash attachment inside the carrier.

The stroller is very light weight. It is supposed to be for pets only up to 15 pounds, and I was able to fit my two kittens in it or one small dog quite easily. The only problem I have had with this product is that the carrier is very soft and sometimes it flops over or partially collapses while in use. There is also a minimal amount of "head room" especially compared to other types of strollers. Both the stroller base and the carrier can be folded flat for transport, but you must remove the carrier from the base in order to do this.

PupLight Dog Safety Light

Rating: 4 paws

The Puplight Dog Safety Light is a flashlight / safety light which is worn around the dog's neck. The Puplight comes in 4 colors. The company also makes a "Neklight" for people.

The Puplight is like a flashlight for your dog. The light includes an elastic band which you can hang the light from, or you can attach it directly to your dog's collar. The light housing is made of plastic and also includes a hinged piece which allows you to adjust where the light is pointing (up and down.) The Puplight is useful for night time walking in dark areas. This is the only pet safety light I have seen on the market which actually projects light like a flashlight, which allows the Puplight to help light your path as well as making your dog more visible to others at night. As a safety tool to make your dog more visible, this light works better than the other collar lights I have seen. Most collar lights for dogs do not give off much light, so if the actual lightbulb is blocked by your dog's fur or if a car or person is on the wrong side of your dog and the dog blocks the lightbulb, little or no light shines through. The Puplight claims to illuminate up to 200 feet in front of the dog, which provides a great deal more visibility than other safety lights for dogs.

The Puplight also works fairly well as a flashlight to illuminate your path. One benefit I have found is that if your dog sniffs something on the ground, the Puplight will show you exactly what it is, which can help you prevent your dog from eating unknown objects.

The only problems I have had with the Puplight was with one of my dogs, a Golden Retriever. She would tend to walk with her head lowered much of the time, and that would block a lot of the light from the Puplight. I tried various configurations to allow the light through but she still blocked a lot of it. If you have a hound breed or a dog who likes to sniff a lot, this could be an issue. This problem causes the light to be less useful in illuminating the path in front of us, but does not affect the usefulness as a safety/visibility tool.

Springer Bicycle Jogger

Rating: 2.5 paws 1/2

The Springer Bicycle Jogger is a U-shaped attachment with a spring that can be clamped onto a bicycle, allowing your dog to run next to you while you ride, and satisfying leash laws.

This product really does perform as advertised, but beware, it will not fit on all bicycles. On the last two bikes I've had, I was unable to mount it the way it was intended to be mounted. On a 17" frame mountain bike, I had to mount it on the seat post - and *really* lock down the seat post tight to keep it from twisting. On my new 21" hybrid, I had to mount it at a backward facing angle on the seat tube, the part of the frame the seat post goes into. That's where it is supposed to be, but it's supposed to go straight out, at a 90 degree angle from the frame. Putting it on at an angle made it much harder to insert the cotter pin that anchors the tube to the clamp. The problem with both bikes was that my heel would hit the tube as I peddled if the Springer was attached as directed.

That said, the Springer really does work. Our 60 pound hound/chow mix really loves to pull, and really lunges hard. I've never felt in danger of tipping over with him. The clamp portion of the Springer is not really aesthetically pleasing, but it functions very well, is easy to tighten down, and isn't fragile. The tube is likewise sturdy, and we've never had a problem with anything breaking or bending.

There is a safety feature, also, a break-away plastic piece that is between the spring and the short leash.The piece is there in case you and your dog go on opposite sides of a mailbox or pole. It will break, hopefully preventing a nasty crash. (I havne't had the misfortune to test this particular feature.) Bigger dogs + better riders means that you should put the leash farther up on the plastic piece, so it won't break away as easily.
Another thing to know - this product should only be used with a harness (a simple one comes with it) and not a collar, which could choke your dog if something goes wrong.

(Reviewed by Amy)

VestHarness Review

Rating: 3 paws

The VestHarness is a sort of cross between a dog harness and a padded vest or chest protector. I bought the Vest Harness (made by Canine Friendly Products) mainly to use as a "seatbelt" for my dog. I have previously used other car harnesses and regular harnesses as seatbelts, but the main problem I had is they were uncomfortable for her to wear, and most were not padded. The Vest Harness design doesn't put the pressure a regular harness does on the dog's neck or chest in case of an accident or sudden stop, which I liked. Most of the harness is padded, so it's comfortable for the dog to wear. One thing which can be a problem: There is a space for you to thread a car seatbelt through the harness to use it as a car harness. This works fine if the dog sits still in the car, but if she tries to turn around, she will get twisted in the harness. What I did to prevent this is I bought a very short lead with a swivel hook, attached it to the harness, and threaded the car's seatbelt through that. Unfortunately even with this, my dog was getting tangled. I then tried a BatziBelt, which is a leash strap made for use in cars. This worked pretty well, but the dog still managed to get tangled fairly often, so I finally stopped using this seatbelt altogether and switched to the CARE Champion System (see review.) Please note also that the VestHarness is not an accident tested dog seatbelt, which I would recommend using for car travel.



The only problem I had with the VestHarness was fit. My Golden has a large chest and small neck, making it difficult for her to fit many products that have to go around the neck and chest. Due to this problem I was not sure which size to buy. The size I ordered turned out not to fit my dog, and when I exchanged it for the next size down that did not fit either. I ended up contacting the customer service of the company that makes the VestHarness, Canine Friendly Products. They were very helpful and they actually modified a large size harness to fit my dog.



I have used the VestHarness when bike riding with my dog. It works VERY well for this, and, unlike a normal harness, doesn't dig into her skin if I stop the bike suddenly. It would also work well in other situations where you want a dog to be comfortable while pulling, but it is not an actual "pulling harness" for weight pull or similar sports.

You can purchase the VestHarness at the manufactrurer's website www.caninefriendly.com

Walkydog Hands Free Bicycle Dog Leash

Rating: Two Paws

The Walkydog Hands Free Bicycle Dog Leash is a small clamp assembly that stays on your bike, consisting of a metal rod with a grip and an internal spring with a short leash and snap hook.

This product is very easy to use, looks pretty classy, and is very convenient. It seems to work on many bicycles that the Springer won't fit on. But I've had a few problems with it.

The first one broke after the first ride with my dog-who-pulls. The brass coupling (the company calls it the insert) at the bike end of the rod snapped off. After finding an email address that the company would respond to (the Contact us form on their page got no response) the company was prompt in supplying a replacement Walkydog....which broke in the same manner as the first. This time they sent me a "heavy duty" insert, and that one has been just fine, though the whole process took around three to four weeks to resolve.

They also indicated that this was a very unusual situation...but as it happened twice to me, with the same part breaking in the same place under normal usage (I explained to them exactly the circumstances involved, and they did not find user error.)

The only problem I'm having now is that the whole assembly will twist on my bike when the dogs pull forward. I ended up attatching it to the seat tube instead of the seat post. When anchored to the seat post, the whole seat would turn, making for some uncomfortable riding. With only two small-ish screws to hold the clamp on the bike, I can't tighten it further, so I just push it back into place.

I have also heard from another Walkydog user that theirs was broken upon arrival. They contacted me in hopes of getting a way to contact the company, because the company was not responding to the one found on their page.

Bottome line - it's a very good idea, very well designed, mostly well constructed, but I wouldn't really recommend it until they actually respond to messages sent from their own "Contact Us" form and other email addresses found on their site. If you need a product of this type, and the Springer won't work on your bike, this might be worth a shot.

This product should also be used only with a harness, and not with a collar, to avoid choking if something goes wrong.

(Reviewed by Amy)

Champion Canine Seatbelt System

Rating: 4 Paws!

In my ongoing search for a good, comfortable seatbelt harness for my dogs that was also strong, I finally came across the Champion Seatbelt System. Before that I had tried a Four Paws seatbelt harness, Petsmart harness, VestHarness, and Ruff Rider Roadie seatbelt. The Champion is the strongest-looking seatbelt out of all of the seatbelts I've tried, and it also is the easiest to take on and off, and has a padded chest strap for comfort. I attach the leash strap to the shoulder part of my car's seatbelt, so it is higher up and the dog does not get tangled very often.

The harness attaches like a normal harness, and the strap part attaches to the harness using a bull snap (used to restrain large livestock) and to the seatbelt or cargo hook using a chainlink "quick link" which takes a few seconds to get on and off but is very secure when it is attached. The harness itself is made of 1 1/2" wide webbing (on the Large size) which is wider than the other seatbelts I've tried. It appears to be very strong. Unlike many dog seatbelts, this one does not rely on plastic buckles to secure the dog in the car. It does use very wide plastic buckles to attach the harness to the dog, however there are two large metal D-rings on the harness, one on each side of the buckle, which you hook the leash strap to so that even if the buckle were to break the harness would still be secured on the dog. According to the company, the Medium and larger harnesses can hold over 2000 pounds. The company also offers a special seatbelt system for dogs over 80 pounds, called the Survivor Big Dog Seatbelt System. The Champion Seatbelt is one of the few dog seatbelts on the market which has actually been safety tested to forces which it would be exposed to during an accident.



For information on how to use a Champion Seatbelt, please see "How to Use the CARE Champion Seatbelt System"


Note: Several people have reported problems with not recieving the product (after they were charged for it) when they ordered the Champion Seatbelt direct from the manufacturer.
For this reason, if you want a safety-tested dog seatbelt, I would recommend either the Ruff Rider Roadie seatbelt or the PetBuckle seatbelt harness. These are the only two dog seatbelts I know of which have actually been crash-tested.

Outward Hound Quick-Release Dog Pack

Rating: 3 paws

The Outward Hound Quick-Release Dog Pack is a dog backpack made by Kyjen. The backpack or saddlebag is removable from the underlying harness.
This is a basic dog backpack. The compartments are large, and there are plastic rings where items can be tied down above the zippered compartments. The large size does make them a little bulky. This backpack features padding underneath all buckles for comfort, although unfortunately the padding is in small pieces which can sometimes be pushed or twisted from movement so that they are no longer padding the buckles. The backpack section is removable and attached with velcro so that you can take it off your dog during rests to give the dog a break from the load. The harness/base is also padded. However, this part unfortunately does not feature any place where a leash could be attached, so it can not be used alone or as a regular harness. The Outward Hound pack all in all is a very basic and "entry-level" dog backpack. It may be fine for short hikes or walking your dog but the lack of ruggedness or special features makes it not the best choice for long hikes or active dogs who may cause a lot of wear and tear.

Flexi Leash Review 1

Rating: 2 paws


The Flexi-Leash is made by Flexi USA. Flexi is the most well-known brand of retractable leash on the market and if you haven't used one you have probably at least seen them in use. The Flexi model reviewed here is the Flexi 3-8, 26 ft. leash.

These leashes can be hard to get used to. They are not for everyone/everydog. The first time I took my dog out using the large flexi-lead, the dog had more control than I did. One of the problems with these leashes is that your dog feels like he or she is off-leash and may start running around like a maniac (don't all dogs do that off-leash?)

If they get to the end of the leash, and you're not ready for that, the leash may leap out of your hand, and the dog really will be off-leash. Although it says it won't tangle, your dog can probably find a way to tangle you up with it, and it can be a tripping hazard for people.

This leash is not really good for training or walking most dogs. However, it can be good if you're taking your dogs somewhere like the beach and want to give them more freedom without letting them off leash completely.
Use with caution.

(Reviewed by dog owner Kerri K.)

The Flexi can be purchased from most chain pet stores or online at Amazon.com

Rover Dog Lunchbox

3 paws

This is a "lunchbox" for dogs. The two sides of the box split apart, one side is a reservoir for water (can hold 3 liters) and the other side contains two bowls, one for food and one for water. The food compartment has a plastic lid which locks on so that food can be kept inside without spilling.

This product can be very useful when going on day trips or overnight vacations. I prefer to bring water from home for my dogs when I go out of town because sometimes well water can disagree with a dog's stomach, and there's nothing worse on a long trip than a sick dog. The water reservoir on the Rover lunchbox is very useful for this purpose, although on longer trips I need to bring more than 3 liters of water- in those instances the larger Woofpak lunchbox may be better. I like the Rover lunchbox because the medium size is easier to pack and carry, even when full of water. The company's website advertises the Rover as being for small dogs, however I use it with my Golden Retriever and it works very well. The only problem is the compartments for food and water are a bit small and because of the unusual shape can be a little awkward for a larger dog to drink or eat from at first. Having the food and water compartments next to each other could also cause pieces of food to drop into the water dish when the dog is eating, meaning it may need to be cleaned out pretty often. I bought the red lunchbox. I would not recommend this color for one reason: it bears a strong resemblance to a gas can! I did not realize this when I bought it, but later I noticed the similarity. Hopefully, no one who saw me giving water to my dog at rest stops on vacations thought I was feeding her gasoline.


Update: This product is no longer available for purchase. If you are looking for a similar product, I would recommend the Pet King Travel Bowl by Petlane or the Travel-Dine by Bergan.

Cabana Crate

Rating: 4 Paws!

The Cabana Crate is a soft-sided collapsable dog crate made by Doggone Good. The crate being reviewed here is size Large, 38"L x 28.5"W x 30"H.

The bottom line is that I love this crate! It is perfect for it's use. This crate is not made for untrained dogs, puppies or dogs that will chew on a crate or scratch, so if you are looking for a housetraining crate this is not the one for you. However this crate is great for taking to dog shows or events where your well-behaved dog needs to be kept in a crate for part of the time. It takes a little time to figure out how to set this one up, but since I bought my crate they have altered the style and made it easier to put together. The Cabana Crate folds flat and the large size only weighs 11 pounds, making it ideal to carry around for vacations or dog shows.

Update: Unfortunately this product has since been discontinued. Doggone Good now makes another product for similar usage called the Pack-a-Pup Tent. If you are search for a product like the Cabana Crate I would recommend the Noz2Noz Sof-Krate made by Firstrax available at Amazon.com

IndestructaBALL

Rating: 1/2

The IndestructaBALL is a nearly indestructable hard plastic ball made by Canine Capers. This ball comes in three sizes. The claim that this is nearly indestructable seems to be pretty solid. The larger, red ball has been used in zoos for wild animals and even held up well in those sitations from what I can tell.

Unfortunately, many dogs may not enjoy this toy because it is made of a very hard, unyielding plastic. This is the main "down side" to the toy. It cannot be chewed up, but it is not fun to chew either, which turns many dogs off. It is also very noisy on hard floors and can cause damage if used indoors. My terrier enjoyed the medium-sized blue ball as a toy to bat around with his paws, but I was only able to let him play with it outside. The large-sized red ball includes a "plug" which you can remove and add sand or water to the inside so that the ball will move in an odd way, which some dogs enjoy.