Product Review: Hyperflite Jawz Hyperflex Disc

The Jawz Hyperflex Disc by Hyperflite is a tough but flexible disc made from food-safe materials. It is intended to be a happy medium between a soft, flexible disc and a tough, puncture-resistant disc. It is a purple matte color that is non-reflective to cut down on glare, and it does not float.

Photo by Erin Koski

This was the very first disc I bought, to see if any of my foster dogs would be interested in catching frisbees. None were, but Brisbane thought it was awesome and I've spent years trying to prevent him from leaping into the air. He's built like a coffee table with zero shock absorption and he'd only hurt himself.

So the Hyperflex disc sat neglected in a drawer until Sisci came along andthought it was the best thing ever. She wasn't great at catching it though, so I kept having to retrieve it myself and eventually decided we needed some more discs. This led to the purchase of our Hero Pup 120 set and my realization that most discs aren't $20 each.

Pros: Soft enough to play tug with and flexible enough for inexperienced dogs to pick up off the ground. Strong enough that it still doesn't have any holes in it despite tons of tug games. Easy to throw even for total disc novices. It comes in purple!

Cons: Super expensive for a dog frisbee. Only comes in one color.

Bottom Line: This is definitely a high-level competition disc rather than just for noodling around in the yard. It will, however, withstand an infinite amount of noodling so long as it is not used for a chew toy.

Product Review: Angel Leather Collar

This is a flat buckle collar by Angel Pet Supplies. It is padded and extremely sturdy. Angel dog collars come in a variety of sizes to fit necks 10-26" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

I've seen a couple of these collars on dogs at daycare, and of course they had them at Dog. Dog. Cat. They seem to hold up particularly well for colored leather, though the pink ones start to look dirty after too many adventures.

I wanted to get one of Angel's Alpine collars, which have a center ring. When I ordered this collar on Amazon, it was pictured and described as having a center ring. It was also identified as the Alpine collar. When it arrived, it was just a standard buckle collar with no center ring.

According to the chart on Angel's website, it does not appear that the 12" Alpine collar even comes in purple. It's there on their online store, however. Sure enough, the collar pictured is the one we have, with no center ring. I suspect they may be discontinuing this size/color/style. The tiny rhinestone collars definitely have a center ring.

Pros: Fairly light and thin for my little wisp of a dog. Gorgeous color that lasts with a little care.

Cons: It's a bit stiff for such an itty bitty collar. This size doesn't have the center ring shown in most of the stock photos.

Bottom Line: Buying stuff on Amazon can be sort of a gamble. I would have bought the purple rhinestone collar at Dog. Dog. Cat. if they'd had it in Ru's size. These are a little too stiff and wide to be everyday wear for Ru, he has been going naked lately since his neck has been rubbed bald again.

What sort of collar is your dog wearing today?

Product Review: Fetching Dog Carrier, Purple Edition

The Fetching Dog Carrier is a purse-style dog carrier intended for small-breed dogs. It features bright purple patent leather accents, including a bone charm. There are two outer pockets for holding things other than dogs, and a tether inside the main compartment for keeping your dog inside the bag.

Photo by Erin Koski

When I tried to research my original Fetching grommet purse, this was the bag I kept finding. It's much more my style, and was clearly far more popular than the sea green leather one. This one is also much more obviously a dog carrier, whereas the grommet purse mostly just looks like a purse. From the bright purple mesh to the bone-shaped charm, this bag immediately declares itself as a dog carrier.

It's quite roomy for a dog carrier, too. This purse basically swallows Ru. He's about 6.5 pounds, and there is enough space for him to lose his balance and fall over. Standing up and turning around is no problem, and I could stick a comfy blanket in there if I wanted to.

Photo by Erin Koski

This bag could easily hold a much larger small dog, maybe one close to 20 pounds. I think the bag can hold more dog than I would like to carry in a purse. Ru could comfortably spend quite a lot of time in there. This would be a good choice of carrier if Ru and I had a long commute on public transportation, or if I intended to bring him with me to a desk job.

Unfortunately, this Fetching dog carrier would not make a great crate or home base for Ru, because the ends do not open. The only door is at the top, so Ru could not comfortably get himself in and out of the purse if I put it on the floor. It also does not close all the way, which sort of limits its usefulness for me.

I always keep a small dog carrier in my car because I never know when I will need one. I have used my assorted dog carriers to tote Ru around when he was sick, and once or twice to sneak him into a place where dogs were not allowed. More often than not, I end up putting something else in the carrier.

Photo by Erin Koski

The bag that lives in my car right now has contained a large alligator lizard, an injured kingsnake, a sick cormorant, an injured crow, a canary, and a hairless guinea pig. Obviously it is necessary that my emergency pet carrier close securely. While the grommet purse and my skull carrier both work, this pretty purple purse just doesn't make the cut.

There is a mesh panel that zips across the top of this bag, but it is only attached on the long sides. The short sides of the carrier remain completely open. There are elastic drawstrings and toggles to reduce the size of the opening, but this doesn't actually work very well. If anything it just makes the top gap open even further. Ru can wiggle himself out with minimal effort and the bag would be absolutely useless to contain a cat or anything other than a somewhat trained dog.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Stylin' purple and black color scheme looks amazing even though this bag is several years old. Roomy enough for a dog approaching 20 pounds. Lots of ventilation.

Cons: Does not close securely, dog can easily escape. Totally not subtle about being a dog purse. Elastic end drawstrings have stretched out over time because elastic has a limited lifespan.

Bottom Line: This is yet another product of the dog boutique era of the turn of the century. The previous sentence just made me feel incredibly old.

Is your dog small enough to fit in a purse?

Product Review: Petco Squirrel Collar

The Petco Purple Squirrel Collar is a flat collar with a quick release buckle. It is available in three sizes to fit dogs with necks 9-26" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

I don't often buy collars from big box pet stores. It's not that the quality is lacking, I just don't often find things I really like there. Recently though, the major retailers have expanded their offerings beyond basic nylon dog gear. I think the popularity of collars and brands normally found in boutiques has finally caught the attention of the major pet retailers.

I've seen some super cute ribbon collars and prints at Petco recently. I see them on dogs at work, and all over town too. The pink elephants and blue whales are particularly popular. I haven't seen anyone else wearing this particular squirrel collar yet.

Pros: Dark colors don't show the dirt too quickly. Purple plastic buckle blends with the rest of the collar. Squirrels!

Cons: I'm not trusting that pretty purple plastic buckle to hold up to a serious dog play. I've seen a number of colored plastic buckles break.

Bottom Line: I think it's time we moved past the basic bone and pawprint motifs and started adorning dog gear with things that better reflect the wearer's interests. Brisbane is interested in squirrels. Also sheep and tennis balls.

Product Review: Gooby New Freedom Harness

The Gooby New Freedom Harness is a mesh vest harness for small dogs. This is an updated version of the original Gooby Freedom Harness, it is not the Freedom Harness II. Does that make sense? No? That's ok. This current iteration comes in nine colors and five sizes to fit dogs with chests 10-24" around. Ours is a small.

Photo by Erin Koski

Gooby made the first mesh harnesses that I saw in stores, way back when Brisbane was a little baby. I have one of their original Freedom harnesses, and it looks like they've made some improvements.

The first thing I noticed about this harness was the buckle. Like Planet Dog, Gooby most likely discovered that metal side-squeeze buckles don't last. The springs inside them degrade too quickly. The updated Freedom Harness has a standard plastic quick-release buckle.

Photo by Erin Koski

The big rubber logo on the original harness is also conspicuous by its absence. Instead there is a much sleeker patch on the back. I'm not positive about it, but I suspect that the area at the front has also been narrowed a bit where it goes between the front legs.

This is a very comfortable harness, I can leave on Ru all day and it doesn't rub marks on his almost-naked skin.

Pros: Soft and light. Does not choke, distributes pressure evenly across tiny chests. Allows great freedom of movement when properly fitted.

Cons: Not adjustable in neck, may not fit some funny-shaped dogs. Lighter colors get dirty quickly. May cause hair to mat when worn for extended periods by dogs with actual hair.

Bottom Line: This is the best-fitting mesh harness I've used, and Ru is exactly the sort of dog the Gooby Freedom Harness is intended for. We'd use it a lot more if it worked better over clothes, the Midnight Pet Pet Lite and E-Z Harness is still the best for my tiny fashionista.

Product Review: Fraggle Rock Biothane Harness

Ru's new biothane harness was custom made for him by Fraggle Rock Designs, and it is beautiful. This material is nonporous, and will not absorb water, sand, or beach funk.

Photo by Erin Koski

Our Lupine beach gear is still going strong despite being a bit rusty, but I am getting tired of the piles of sand that fall off it after every trip. With hard floors throughout the house, the sand gets everywhere, and the only way to prevent it is to rinse the entire pile of leashes, collars, and harnesses. Of course, then I have to leave it all out to dry, and run it through the washing machine if it smells funny.

I wanted to replace our beach stuff with something that required less effort on my part. It needed to be totally non-absorbent, as well as sand-proof, tar-proof, and dead-sea-lion-proof.

Photo by Erin Koski

Does such a thing even exist? Yes, yes it does. Biothane is a totally kickass material that has been used for synthetic horse tack for years. It's a pretty awesome everything-proof substitute for leather, plus it comes in fun colors! 

Once I found the perfect material, all I had to do was order gear for my dogs, right? Wrong. Biothane has been used in horse tack for ages, but it's also popular for hunting dog collars. Guess who doesn't have purse dogs?

Photo by Erin Koski

I had no trouble at all finding biothane collars for dog-sized dogs, and multiple retailers carry biothane leashes as well. Biothane harnesses are a lot harder to find. Leather harnesses, and therefore synthetic alternatives, are popular for protection dog training. Nobody does Schutzhund with a toy breed. I managed to find one biothane harness in Brisbane-size but nothing even close to what I wanted for Ru.

I could have possibly found a biothane slip leash for Ru, but what I really wanted was an easy-off, easy-on Norway-style harness. There was nothing even close available on the market, but Fraggle Rock came to the rescue with a custom-made one-of-a-kind tiny biothane harness in purple, made just for Ru.

Pros: Easy to take off when everyone is ready to go charging down the beach. Easy to put back on when I'm rounding up sandy beasts. Rinses clean, and won't pick up sand or suspicious beach smells. Fits perfectly because it was made that way, I even added a little extra to the girth measurement so it fits over his beach outfits.

Cons: It's not pink. Seriously, that's all I can come up with.

Bottom Line: I need to order some more beach stuff from Fraggle Rock. A slip lead for Briz, a collar for his tags, a tag collar for Ru, a matching leash for Ru, maybe a long line...

Puzzle Toy Review: Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom

The Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom is a disappointingly non-psychedelic purple puzzle toy by Premier. It is wonderfully challenging for Brisbane, and almost easy enough for Ulysses to use. The Magic Mushroom comes in two sizes for smaller dogs and larger dogs. Ours is the larger size.

Photo by Erin Koski

As far as food-dispensing puzzle toys go, this one is my absolute favorite. It is the best thing ever. It can be loaded in seconds with an entire cup of kibble, the difficulty level can be adjusted to dispense food with more or less effort, it rolls quietly across my hardwood floors, and the entire thing can be taken apart and scrubbed thoroughly. As an added bonus, it has a ridiculous name and is purple. I don't think I would be nearly as drawn to this toy if it were, say, yellow and named The Food Ball. I don't think Brisbane actually cares about any of this, but Premier knows they have to get me, the human, to buy their toys. Premier is pretty good at appealing to me, the human.

Photo by Erin Koski

One of the things I love about the Magic Mushroom is that it requires more than one movement to get the food out of the toy. The bottom of the toy unscrews to allow a bunch of food to be scooped in, and there are three holes at the top for dispensing food when the shroom is turned upside down. Without the mushroom cap, this would be a somewhat easy bobbing puzzle toy. The half-sphere mushroom cap is what makes this toy magical, while the shroom is weighted, it isn't nearly as heavy as the Starmark Bob-a-Lot, or even the Kong Wobbler. As a result, the Magic Mushroom spends as much time upside down as it does rightside up. The kibble-dispensing holes in the shroom are located underneath the cap, so the food falls into the cap and the toy must be rolled upright again before dispensing its payload.

Photo by Erin Koski

The fact that this toy requires to separate actions to solve makes it absolutely fascinating to Brisbane.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 5/5
I can fit at least a cup of kibble in there, probably more. Definitely way more than anyone here eats at a time.

Loading Speed: 5/5
Unscrew the huge base, dump in kibble, done.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
On the easiest setting, this one is very challenging for Ulysses. He is likely to need a break before he empties half a cup of kibble out of it.

Photo by Erin Koski

Loading Speed (superdog): 5/5
Not only does this toy take 30+ minutes for Briz to empty, it keeps him happily engaged the entire time.

Size: 4/5
I wouldn't give the large shroom to a giant dog, but the small one is certainly reasonably-sized for a toy dog like Ru. Actually there's no reason he can't use the large one, either.

Durability: 5/5
Our shroom came from a thrift store and I have no idea how much abuse it took before arriving here. For hard plastic, this thing seems to absorb a lot of shock without clattering around horribly like our Kong Satellite.

Photo by Erin Koski

Noise: 4/5
It's not dead quiet, but pretty close. I'm impressed how little noise this makes on my raised-foundation hard floors.

Locatability: 5/5
Doesn't fit under the couch, and I always find it right in the middle of the room.

Washability: 5/5
The whole thing comes apart into four pieces for perfect scrubbing access. It's also top rack dishwasher safe, but this is one toy that I can get squeaky clean just hand washing.

Hoardability: 1/5
Briz can't actually pick this one up, so it never ends up in a crate or on the bed.

Total: 44/50

Product Review: Purple Senior Kong

The Senior Kong comes in the same shape as the classic red Kong, but in a softer rubber that is easier on the mouth. Purple Kongs for senior dogs come in three sizes for small, medium, and large dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

Brisbane has been slowing down and showing his age a bit in the last few months, but that's not actually why I got him a purple Kong. The real reason is that I love the color and really wanted to add some purple to our Kong collection in the freezer.

The original senior Kong rubber was a swirled white and purple that I always thought looked a bit dirty. The puppy Kong toys also started out with this swirly rubber, first it was white and teal, then it was changed to white swirled with either blue or pink. I never really found these toys visually appealing, to me they always looked sort of dirty.

Obviously somebody at Kong had the right idea, because the puppy Kongs are now solid pastel blues and pinks, and the senior Kong is a nice vibrant solid purple. The only ones I have ever seen in my local stores were the yucky-looking swirly ones, and as soon as I saw the bright purple Kong on the company website I wanted it. This absolutely makes me a crazy dog lady, as well as a dog nerd of the highest order. But look how purple! My Kong collection is getting a bit silly though, I've almost managed to collect one of every color. I'm planning to get Brisbane an orange Aqua Kong next.

Pros: Purple! Look how pretty! Softer rubber is easier for older dogs to chomp and squish, making chewing more fun for geriatric dogs. As always, Kongs are stuffable, freezable, and bounce all crazy.

Cons: Less durable than classic red Kongs, and there's no real reason to switch to these when my dogs still thoroughly enjoy those. Old but powerful recreational chewers may well demolish a senior Kong, so these softer toys should be introduced with care.

Bottom Line: Kong couldn't make a more me Kong unless they made it out of dark pink/fuchsia rubber like the color of Brisbane's leash. I wish I had more to say, but I really just like the purple Kong for the color.

Puzzle Toy Review: Starmark Treat Dispensing Jack

The Starmark Treat Dispensing Jack is a flexible rubber toy with four hollow arms and a rope running through the middle. There is an opening in the end of each arm to dispense small treats and kibble. It comes in Small, Medium and Large sizes, our Treat Dispensing Jack is a medium.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is a recent addition to the Starmark product line, and I am very pleased with it so far. We have quite a few Starmark toys, and not all of them are quite so appealing. For some reason, Brisbane is unwilling to fully empty the large Treat Dispensing Chew Ball or the Everlasting Treat Ball. He gets almost everything out immediately, and then sort of loses interest. The Treat Dispensing Jack, on the other hand, dispenses treats slowly enough to keep him busy for a good long time, but fast enough to hold his interest.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 3/5
I can fit Brisbane's entire 1/4 cup ration of kibble in there, but that's all. This is a toy for keeping dogs busy, but won't fit a normal dog's dinner.

Loading Speed: 4/5
Using a soda bottle funnel helps a little, but the holes on the Jack are a little too small for truly easy loading. It doesn't really hold that much kibble, though.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
Ulysses has to take breaks while emptying this thing.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 5/5
Easily half an hour or more for Brisbane to get 1/4 cup of kibble out of it, and he's willing to keep working at it the entire time with great gusto.

Size: 5/5
Comes in three sizes to fit any dog. Ru would be able to use the small without being squashed or intimidated. The Medium is perfect for Briz and Uly, and the large would work even for giant dogs.

Durability: 5/5
No complaints here, and Brisbane demolished Starmark's Everlasting Fire Plug so I have limited faith in their toys. I wouldn't give this to a power chewer, but it holds up fine with normal dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

Noise: 5/5
Soft rubber and cotton rope make for quiet play, even when Brisbane is bashing it against the side of a wire crate.

Locatability: 5/5
It doesn't roll or fit under the furniture, so we've never lost it. Meanwhile, our blue Kong is currently at large somewhere in the house.

Washability: 2/5
Not quite as annoying as the Kong Quest toys, but still pretty annoying to wash. The rope makes drying take forever, too. It's pretty tempting not to just give up and not wash it at all, but then it just ends up covered in hair and dried slobber.

Hoardability: 5/5
Brisbane prefers to empty this one out from the comfort of his crate.

Total: 44/50
This is currently what Brisbane eats most of his meals out of. With increased time spent crated, it's helping all of us keep our sanity.

Product Review: Midnight Pet Lite and E-Z Harness and Leash

The "Lite and E-Z" is a step-in style harness and leash by Midnight Pet, made from parachute-weight cord.

Photo by Erin Koski

Unlike the vast majority of paracord pet gear, these are made from a single strand of cord so they are incredibly light. The harness is super easy to adjust, and simple in design. It's significantly less confusing than the average step-in harness. They come in a variety of colors, and five different sizes. Midnight Pet recommends them for ferrets, rabbits, cats, iguanas, puppies, and of course tiny dogs. The leash comes in 3', 4' and 6' lengths.

I love this harness so much that I rarely use anything else on Ru. The leash is super thin and tiny and really enhances that rat-on-a-string look. It would probably also work well as a show lead, and is strong enough that I've used the loop end to make a slip lead for catching loose dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Lite and E-Z harness is minimalist enough for fashionistas like Ru. When he isn't wearing his Yap Wrap coat, I like to have something fabulous on him. He is usually on a leash, and I love having a harness that lets his outfit shine. We had to do these pictures with him undressed because the harness blends so flawlessly with whatever he is wearing.

The hardware used on these products is so light, it's practically jewelry. The top of the harness stays centered and never slides to the side. The fit always seems perfect, whether Ru is wearing a thick puffy jacket or going au naturel. I bought these at the Pet House in Goleta, and I didn't realize that the metal slides under the rings adjusted until I saw the Midnight Pet website while writing this post.

We actually have two of these, the one shown is Grape, and the other is Raspberry colored. I bought the second when I had a chihuahua foster dog and found I couldn't live without it. The pink set was purchased a couple of years before the purple, and the leash was sometimes difficult to unclip from the harness. I was extremely pleased to see that the purple harness has slightly thinner rings, and the leash a slightly larger clip.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Super light, minimalist harness that is very easy to use and simple to adjust. Light enough to stay in place and not rotate around the dog. Works beautifully over clothes. Holds up well on hikes and other adventures, with no signs of wear to date. Totally comfortable, the dog barely notices it. Very affordable, I think I paid around $25 for a harness and 6' leash.

Cons: The super-thin leash could be uncomfortable to hold on a dog that generates any sort of pulling power. I'm not sure how well it would stand up to chewing. My pink one is starting to look a little dirty after a few years, I should probably try washing it.

Bottom Line: I use this every single day and constantly tell people where I got it. If it were to fail spectacularly tomorrow, I would immediately go out and buy another one.