Golden sands, crashing waves, fresh sea air, and endless beach adventures. That's how we sum up our Aussie summers. Zeke loves digging in the sand, and exploring our famous 90 Mile beach. I had always worried about the effects of the sun on Zeke, and his healing scars from cancer surgeries. I tried to cover him with a towel, to keep him out of the sun. But that just made him hotter, and he would pant. I kept his scars away from the sand as much as possible. Bandanas and scarves were no good, the sand still got in and they usually fell off with Zeke's crazy never sit still antics. But Zeke just wanted to be free to explore, and not have me fussing over him, and constantly trying to keep sand off his chest.
Then one day I found Surf Dog Australia. A fantastic one woman, three dog business right here in Australia. The lovely Sara from Western Australia started out by making a towel style drying coat for her furbaby Captain. From there she created Surf Dog Australia. Since It's humble beginnings in 2010, Surf Dog Australia has grown to accomodate dogs of all shapes and sizes. With Sarah designing all of the products herself, and her fur babies Tinkerbell, Mouse, and Captain being product testers. Sadly the handsome captain passed away in 2018, at the age of 17. But is still very much the heart and soul of the company.
Zeke has the Rashie, and the Fleece Jumper, with custom embroidery. They are made from the highest quality materials, and also protect Zeke from the elements. They are eye catching, and look fantastic on. With the familiar red and yellow/gold colours of Australia's own life guards. Your fur babies will certainly look the part. The fit is superb, which at times, is hard to find for a Staffy, but both Zeke's Rashie and Fleece Jumper, fit like they were tailored just for him.
THE RASHIE: Super light weight, and made from Uv fabric with a UV50 rating. The fabric is stretchy and makes putting it on quick and easy. It can be easily folded or rolled up to fit inside your beach bag, and even a small handbag. Zeke wears a size M, and it fits snugly, but not tight. He has the freedom to move, but also the benefit of not getting sand trapped underneath. The thin but extremely durable material also keeps him cool. The Rashie has the Surf Dog Australia logo on the back, featuring Mouse, and a loop for your fur baby's tail to go through. Keeping the Rashie in place for those rough and tumble swims in the surf.
THE FLEECE JUMPER: My favourite of the two. The fleece is great quality, and durable. It is soft and not made from cheap thin fleece. Surf Dog Australia is embroidered on the back along with your fur baby's name. Sarah makes each Fleece Jumper personalised by adding your fur baby's name free of charge. It is the coolest finishing touch, and they look fantastic. Who wouldn't want their own personalised life guard jumper? It's perfect for keeping Doggo's warm after a swim and on a windy day. Zeke gets cold easily now, but his Surf Dog Jumper keeps him toasty warm.
THE VERDICT:
Zeke and I spent all summer testing out the Rashie and the Fleece Jumper. When I say all Summer, I actually mean all summer and some more. From October 2018 until April 2019. I knew straight away when we received these products, that I wanted to review them for our Doggo followers. But first, we had to put them to the test. And put them to the test we did. I turned a blind eye when Zeke, as always, walked too close to wooden fences, and got snagged on tree branches. Thinking the Rashie and Jumper would rip easily, just like every other item of dog clothing he's ever worn. But they held their durable shape. I have stretched the Rashie to the point where it should have ripped at the seams, but it didn't. It just went right back to its original shape. You can't even tell I was pulling at it, and stretching it's shape in every direction. With all of Zeke's blankets, soft toys, and clothing I use a heavy duty hot wash, just to make sure the odours are gone, and the hair comes off. So of course I did the same with the Rashie and the Fleece jumper, every time we came home from the beach. I didn't bother reading the wash instructions. I was going to do it my way. Expecting the embroidery on the Fleece Jumper to fall apart, and the Rashie to be a shrivelled mess. But that didn't happen. The embroidery is all still in place, the colours haven't faded, and there are no itchy bobbles like with a lot of other fleece products. Both still look and feel as good as they did the day we got them. Sara is true to her word about being neurotic about quality.
Zeke stays sun smart, protected from the elements, his sensitive scars are sand free, and he looks pretty cool at the same time.
Surf Dog Australia has a wide variety of accessories, and Doggo beach attire. Even human robes. Check them all out at https://www.surfdogaustralia.com
Stacey and Zeke give Surf Dog Australia 5 paws.
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