I've been battling a merry myriad of health issues lately that haven't allowed me to blog as much as I'd like. I have been sleeping as much as 18 hours some days, making it nearly impossible to do my coursework, let alone blog.
I wanted to post a review of two recent equipment additions for Holden, though. Back in July I had a new mobility harness custom made for Holden by Bold Lead Designs. I was interning in DC this summer, and I got a lot of comments on the Metro about Holden's new BLD harness. The high quality is readily evident to onlookers. I previously worked Holden in a Circle-E Assistance Dog Harness and before that I had a harness maker create a copy of a balance/momentum harness I was familiar with. All three harnesses have their benefits and disadvantages, but overall I have been happiest with the Bold Lead Designs harness.
HANDLE: I had my harness made with an ergonomic grip and it has been great since I have many wrist issues due to my arthritis and EDS. Like my old, old harness, it seems to be padded with tennis tape. This is much more comfortable that the leather padding on the Circle E harness. Plus, should I need to it looks like I can just strip the old gripping and put new tennis tape one. I already have some nicks and wears, so I will likely replace the grip in the next few months The handle has reflective tape on both sides and is a nice touch for at night. If you tend to walk at night frequently though you will want to ask about options for adding additional reflective strips.
The handle can collapse against the dog's back to make it easier to get under tables or chairs when out it public. This is a nice touch, and the mechanism used is much better than the system on my Circle E harness. One issue I have had is loosing the left knob repeatedly. I've lost 5 knobs since July. As soon as classes are over I might send the harness back to see if a reason can be detected. I haven't heard about this issue from with of my two friends who also have the BLD harness for their service dogs.
Grade B
CHEST STRAP: As you can see the chest strap goes directly across the chest. This is fine for balance work, but suspect for momentum work. The harness can be ordered with an additional pull strap for momentum assistance, but the harness design itself doesn't distribute the weight optimally as it would if it used a Y strap design at the chest. Holden's holistic vet that does his acupuncture felt that the momentum feature on this design could be problematic. One of the things she did was video us walking with Holden's old momentum harness with a Y strap and then in the Bold Lead Designs Harness, the difference in how Holden moved was easily noticed. The chest strap on the BLD changes his gait because it restricts his front legs a bit when pulling into the harness. If you think about dogs that pull sleds or participate in skijoring, this makes sense. Obviously, the stride of a mobility dog at a walk is less impacted than a sled dog straining against a harness. I won't really use the pull strap too often, because I'm not comfortable with how it effects his movements.
This is really unfortunate since momentum assistance is something I need when I am walking instead of use my scooter or wheelchair. If I know that I will need momentum assistance, I sometimes put his old harness (with a Y chest strap) on him that day. For the balance aspect of the harness the chest strap isn't a problem, but if you are purchasing a harness more for momentum than balance you should take this into consideration. The harness maker at Bold Leads is says she likes to hear feedback for revisions and if I could afford to drop another 400usd on a harness right now, I would ask her what could be done to alter the chest strap into a shaped Y strap. I suspect a Y strap would make the balance handle less stable, and may be the reason this design was avoided. However, for people who need momentum assistance more often than balance work, it might be a worthy trade off-if it's doable option.
If you only need balance assistance this is a non-issue. Grade: C+ (if you need momentum); A- (if you don't)
GIRTH: Both girth straps are adjustable on one side and have quick release buckles on the other. Once the harness is fitted properly you only need to deal with the quick release buckles! This is a wonderful feature that my often inflamed fingers and hands really appreciate. This feature makes is so easy to take on and off your dog. The second strap doesn't seem to do much as Holden has a shallow chest, but I imagine on shepherd this would be a necessary feature. Two clicks, on and off!
Grade: B+
OVERALL FIT: Save for my qualms regarding the chest strap, the fit of this harness exceeds anything else currently on the market for balance and momentum assistance dogs. The harness is well lined with sheepskin and like a horse's saddle it sits behind (not on TOP!) your dog's shoulders (withers) allowing free movement. I've seen too many harnesses that sit on top of the dogs shoulder blades, which can really hurt or otherwise injure a dog when a harness is used for balance or momentum.
Grade: A
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| Holden looking quite distinguished in his new coat. |
OVERALL CONSTRUCTION & APPEARANCE: This is a high quality item made with attention to detail. The harness is made from high quality black leather and white stitching. I originally wanted the harness made in a brown or cordovan leather, but this was not advisable. I was told as the leather was not as high quality as the black. I actually really dislike black leather, even if it's beautiful black leather. I continue to hope a dark brown harness will be available for Holden's sucessor. The harness comes standard with 3 small D-rings. An optional small pouch that fits the outside D-rings can be ordered for an additional cost. (I did not get the pouch.) In addition to the pouch, BLD has a variety of patches and banners available to fit the harness.
Grade: A
Things I would change if I ordered a new BLD: As stated earlier, I'd like to see a Y shaped chest strap instead of the current across the chest, strap. I'd also would opt for only one D-ring, significantly larger and reinforced, so I would not have to remove the entire harness when I want Holden to wear his car restraint/seatbelt. Not sure if this could be an option, but it would be nice. H rides on the backseat instead of the way back and even if the working load of the harness could not match his seatbelt harness it might help prevent him from going through the windshield in an accident.
And last but not least, the coat!
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| Holden in his new raincoat. |
I ordered this custom made raincoat from Cozy Horse specially for my advocacy trip to DC next week. Last year at the advocacy summit it rained a bit. Well, let me tell you, there is nothing more nerve racking than the thought of showing up from congressional meetings with a wet Golden Retriever! (In fact, in preparation for this year's trip Mr. H is getting a very short trim to his feathers and not-as-short trim to his belly and chest!) I lucked out last year and it never ended up raining during the time we traveled around Capitol Hill more than a short lived light mist. I worried the entire trip about it rain, H's long hair, and his insufficient raincoat. When I got the news that I would be receiving a full stipend from the national office to this year's AF Summit, I took some of the money I'd started saving for an iPAD and began the hunt for a good raincoat. Enter Cozy Horse, a colorado company making custom blankets and coats for dogs and horses.
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| Holden in his new raincoat. |
This raincoat has been made to accommodate the BLD harness. It hasn't rained yet, so I am unsure how effective it will be with open areas. The large cutouts for the BLD concern me, as the raincoat I saw on their FB page didn't have all these large cut outs, just a flap with some room for the handle. I spoke with the maker about this and was told that this is the way it must be made for the BLD harness. I still don't really understand why the flap part was made so narrowly when it could have been made to provide better coverage, especially considering the price. An additional 2 inches on each side would have made for a better raincoat IMHO. If this turns out huge issue I will need to figure out a way to widen the flap myself, I guess. This is definitely a high-quality item and it fits Holden like a glove. I opted for reflective piping, and with H being a Golden Retriever, I ordered a removable belly flap as a muddy tummy is a regular rainy day occurrence around here.
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| Very large cut out for harness handle. |
For the past seven years I have searched for an effective raincoat that can be worn a balance assist harness and can be put on, and taken off, without having to remove the balance harness. (I love our Ruffwear raincoat too, but the size that fits his chest means the coat stops short a couple inches short of his tail AND I have to put H's harness OVER the coat, which means I have to remove the harness if I want to take the raincoat off and the leather gets soaking wet.) Let's hope this one is it! The quality is excellent and should last for use with my next dog, too.
