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14 November 2011
With the winter in the North amping up and the spring in the south burst out it's time to do the big wardrobe change. It's a good time of year to remember that it's only fur, and just because you are covered in hair doesn't mean you're invincible. If fur was that good, we'd all be wearing it. So, if your out in the cold and the dark, bundle up; if your out in the sun and the water, don't forget your life vest. Get out and play whatever the season.
And, just to make life even easier for you we've got a couple of new developments here at D-fa Dogs:
First, you can now buy our gear at your REI store in the USA, or at their webstore. If you're a member of REI your dog can now earn you more dividend rewards. How nice. Please support this great company if you can - they have great knowledge in store and are always willing to help.
And second, if you join the PACK at D-fa Dogs, we give you special pricing on your dog's gear. If you are not already a member of the pack, or are not sure if you are, then click the PACK tab below and complete our simple tricks to sort out your membership.
Third, we are now teaming up with our litter-mates at Stunt Puppy to offer those living outside North America the great gear made by Stunt Puppy. This great US company shares a similar view to us and we're d-fa-delighted to be able to unleash products such as their Stunt Runner and Kahuna collar to a new set of dogs.
24 June 2011
As international dogs of mystery and adventure we
spend a lot of time at D-fa deciding which season it
is. Right now in our hometown of Lake Wanaka NZ
we’re crossing our paws in the hope of a giant
dumping of snow to start our ski season. Our friends
at the
Aspiring Avalanche Dogs are ready and prepped to
play ‘find the lost human’ should there be any
backcountry dramas. Meanwhile they are twiddling
their toes waiting for something exciting to happen
... like dinner.
Also here in New Zealand we’ve just taken possession
of our new stock of the incredibly popular
Puff-Doggy jackets. To meet d-fa-demand for smaller
sizes, we have added a Petite 1 size to this range
so if you’re small and shivery, we have you covered
now. We have all except our Medium size Puff-Doggy
in stock and ready to ship), so if you want one, be
in (sorry Medium size dogs, these got delayed by the
Japan Tsunami).
Of course our North American friends are welcoming
summer and for you we have the jacket formerly known
as D-FD and now the Float Doggy in stock and ready
to ship to you. The Float Doggy is the only dog life
jacket available with a fully enclosed design, and
articulated foam pieces to give you an ergonomic
fit, cradle the heavy chest and shoulders and take
pressure off your throat when being lifted. The
Float Doggy promotes a really balanced position in
the water and a strong swimming stroke and makes
rescues in doggy overboard situations much easier
and safer for all.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to
The Pack to get your
treats when you make purchases. This involves you
doing only a simple trick (even old dogs will be
able to do it) and gives you a 15% discount on all
the things you buy from our web-store.
8 June 2011
We’re blessed with great health here at D-fa Dogs HQ
in Wanaka New Zealand. Jack the Ridgeback is still
going strong at 11 years and Annie at 8 is a picture
of health. We attribute it to the
fit-for-a-King-and-Queen care, fresh mountain air
and plenty of love, but we all know bad things can
happen to good dogs. Such is the case with Paris The
Boxer.
Paris joined the D-fa Development Dogs when we were
testing the insulation properties of the new best
selling ‘Puff-Doggy’. Described by everyone as
‘negatively thermal’, Paris suffers from extreme
cold sensitivity. So much so she doesn’t even like
the refrigerator door being opened! Her testing of
the Puff-Doggy challenged both its insulation and
water-resistance as she shivered and drooled her way
through a rigorous development process.
Paris now has a very serious medical problem
(ironically not at all related to cold) so we’d like
to help her out.
At 5 years of age Paris has developed an invasive
cyst in her jaw that has eaten away all but 10% of
the bone on one side. Fortunately it is not
cancerous, but it has severely weakened her jaw and
if left without treatment the cyst will take the
rest of the bone, and with it Paris’s life. Massey
University’s Veterinary Faculty in New Zealand are
able to remove the cyst and graft new bone to
recreate her lost jaw. This surgery has a high
success rate, but is hugely expensive so we’d like
to help out.
Here’s how we can all help Paris:
Make a purchase from our web-store before June 20
and use the code helpparistheboxer
to get a 20% saving on your purchase.
We will also donate $10 from every jacket sold and
$5 from every Great Leader to Paris’s appeal.
Please use this as a great time to warm up your dog
with one of our jackets if you’re in the Southern
Hemisphere or get a Float Doggy Dog Flotation Vest
(D-FD) if you’re heading into the Northern summer.
Any time is a great time to take a walk, so upgrade
your lead to one of our Great Leaders and help us to
help our dear dog Paris.
Thanks for your support and hope that things
continue to wag your way.
22 December 2010
After much chasing of tails and gnashing of teeth
our D-fa-dog leads have finally been unleashed.
It’s not easy being a great leader, and it takes
time to develop all the necessary skills required to
do the job, but we are now pleased to announce that
our new ‘Great Leaders’ Range is available at our
web-store and in selected retailers.
In some parts of the world these are known as dog
leashes, but here we believe it’s more exciting to
be led somewhere than it is to be leashed to
something. Our dog leads are inspired by both the
people that we saw improvising with climbing ropes,
carabiners and other bits and pieces; and by the
great leaders of mankind whose love of life and
friendship to humanity had us suspecting they were
not men at all, but in fact dogs in man-suits.
Gandhi, Mandela, Napoleon and the L-fa lead all
combine different features including on-board stuff
sacks so you never have to tie a poop bag to your
lead or have a rattly plastic bone full of bags on
your lead ever again. Every D-fa lead uses our own,
purpose built swivelling carabiner to make clipping
on and off lead easier; and allow for excited
turning in circles without getting twisted.
We’re bucking the trend of fancy, studded,
decorative collars and have gone back to basics with
our Slip Style collar. It’s an understated collar,
that doesn’t ruffle your fur and has a handy
in-built slip-lead feature so you can remain relaxed
but be ready to have a little more control should
danger or temptation strike.
13 December 2010
Wherever you are in the world this season the weather will be doing something
spectacular. In New Zealand it’s hot and the rivers, lakes and oceans are the
place to be. Meanwhile our friends in the USA and Europe are buried under piles
of snow, putting the brisk into a brisk walk and as for going outside to pee,
well ....
It’s also a good time to remember that our dogs aren’t invincible
and while decorative, and sometimes useful, fur does not make our dogs
invincible. The effects of changes in climate can have an impact on your dog’s
enjoyment of life and your enjoyment of having them in your house.
In the
cold, dogs can suffer from hypothermia and the effects of this can be fatal.
Also, joint stiffness and cold related muscle and joint issues may increase in
cold weather, even for dogs living inside. When walking in dark or damp
conditions consider a coat with visibility features to keep your dog dry, clean
and visible in traffic or wooded areas. If you dog also feels the cold,
consider something with good, lightweight insulation and an athletic design that
keeps them warm without cramping their style.
On the other side of the world
we are sweltering in hot summer weather. Please, don’t run your dog in the heat
of the day, ensure they have plenty of shade and water and absolutely, under no
circumstances and even under the biggest tree in the car-park, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR
DOG IN A VEHICLE DURING THE SUMMER HEAT! And please, if you are planning a
trip on your boat, raft or SUP, please fit your dog with a quality D-FD (doggy
flotation device). Even the strongest swimmers can struggle and this will help
them float and help you to retrieve them from the water should there be a doggy
overboard situation.
Whether it’s a walk around the block, a trip in the boat
or the car, or a back-country adventure, get out an embrace the weather, but
just like you your dog needs to be prepared well for it.
Check out our d-fa
store for the latest and greatest in our range. Now stop reading this and go and
do something fun with your dog!
10 May 2010
Hi Growl & Woof,
As you know Mum was over the moon when my Ice-barker
arrived, especially because we were going hunting that
very next weekend.
I asked Mum to take some photos of my seeing as I am
such a poster boy for hunting dogs and German Wirehaired
Pointers...so that I could send them to you and see just
how much I LOVE my Ice-Barker. First a little bit about
me:
My name is Blade - The Super Sniffer, a deer-stalking,
pheasant-flushing, duck-retrieving German Wirehaired
Pointer. I'm a Scorpio and I'm 4 years old. I like
fetching ducks, going swimming, long walks on the beach,
and sitting in the laz-e-boy arm chair with my
human(s)and taking naps.
German Wirehaired Pointers aren't renowned for being
nutritional over-achievers (we don't get fat easily).
After 3 years hunting with me, making Mum and Dad share
their sleeping bags at night, and finding that I
shivered all my weight off, plus I work hard all day
when we're hunting - I get so focused on the task at
hand I sometimes am not interested in food. With up to 6
hours of walking a day, up hill, down dale, stopping and
sitting and looking at a promising clearing for deer (I
get cold and shiver then) and despite Mum giving me more
food every time we come home Mum and Dad couldn't take
me out in public because I look like an refugee from an
SPCA camp. I'm no light-weight 'sooky' dog though, I
swim 365 days of the year, regardless of the temperature
so my Icebarker is perfect for warming me up and keeping
me toasty warm after all that effort.
When Mum heard about D-Fa she went online and had a
look. After a quick surf through the website, a
measuring session and consult with me about what color
scheme I wanted lo and behold my Ice-Barker was ordered.
Here's some photos of me looking quite 'the Dude' in my
Ice-Barker. I'm looking forward to my next present from
D-fa - I've asked for a Puff Doggy but I haven't made up
my mind what color scheme I want yet.
Yours in woofleness, and fuzzie GWP kisses to everyone
Blade - The Super Sniffer
PS -I'm off hunting again tomorrow for a week, so I'll
spot ya' in a week or so.
"A very impressive testimonial from a very talented
dog – he hunts, he swims, he shivers and he can use a
computer! By the look of these images I am picking that
Blade will look good in either Puff-Doggy colour-way.
Thanks for taking a paws in your busy schedule to write.
Couldn't have put it better myself." AJ
15 March 2010
This year we’re d-fa-delighted to be supporting more
Search and Rescue dogs here in New Zealand and across in
the USA. These dogs are incredible and along with their
mostly civilian handlers (as well as some firefighter
and police department members) contribute a huge amount
to the communities in which they operate. Thanks to the
hard work of some members of the New Zealand SAR group
this year the dogs will all have a set of d-fa gear to
help protect them from the elements when out searching,
and when on long hours during standby.
Our friends at FEMA Search and Rescue in the USA are
also having a busy time of it with winter storms and
other catastrophes. Canine searchers also play a
critical role during structural collapse incidents. The
canines help search teams to locate victims, using their
incredible sense of smell to detect live human scent,
even from a victim buried deep in the rubble.
Handler Bryan and his dog Jack from the Nevada S&R team
are fantastic ambassadors for the canine world and Bryan
believes that Jack is a four legged athlete and deserves
to be afforded all of the same care than a human athlete
or rescuer enjoys. As Bryan pointed out to us, people so
often neglect their dogs, sometimes without even
realizing it. They think their fur makes them invincible
and impervious to cold or other conditions. But this is
simply not true. Bryan is among many ‘hard men’ (we mean
hard in the nicest possible way) who are discovering how
good gear for dogs is anything but sissy and stupid.
Below is a photo of the Nevada team (so
handsome) including Sydney (front right Yellow Lab) who
is now being retired from duty, but taking on another
very important role. Sydney suffers from a thyroid
problem which has affected her stamina. Her new role
will be as a companion to a medically retired Iraqi War
veteran. She will now be based in the warmer climate of
Tuscon. We wish her all the best in her new life.PS. I just love how the Golden in this photo looks a
little like he’s trying to be a lab but just not pulling
it together. It’s like Sampson is trying hard to be a
serious, alert, intelligent lab; but there’s no hiding
his goofy Golden-ness! Ah, bless them all. 8 February 2010
While we bask in New Zealand’s best summer stretch for
years, topping the 30s (Celsius, which for the old world
is into the 90s Farenheit) our four legged friends in
the PA area are putting their Sub-Woofers to the test in
the greatest snowfall there on record.
These images of the beautiful Henry family Retrievers
have been sent to us from the snowy state of PA. Ryser
is handsome at the best of times, but against this
picture postcard backdrop he’s even more gorgeous.
In the great weather irony where DC is recording 2
inches of snow an hour they’re trucking snow into
Vancouver for the start of the Winter Olympics.
Hopefully the rescue dogs we outfit from the USA who are
on duty at the Olympics will get some wear out of their
Sub-Woofers like these dogs are getting. Of course,
Little D, our own version of ‘Flat Stanley’ will also be
at the Olympics wearing his Ice-Barker and trying to get
into the Games action.
Check out these images from Andy and Sally of Plamrya,
Pennsylvania. Their lovely dogs are Ryser (the young
fella) and Tryp (the elder statesman). 11 January 2010
Can a dog with buttons for eyes and no opposable thumbs
Twitter and Tweet his way around the world through the
actions of members of the outdoor community? Will this
one little stuffed dog be able to traverse the great
continents under the power of human connections? Can
little D top his travels of 2009 to Antarctica with a
traverse of the great American continent? Will he make
it to every state? Can he get on TV? Will he be
whispered to by Cesar Milan?
In the spirit of the ‘Small World’ experiments of the
1960s and the slightly less scientific but still
endearing Paddington Bear, we’re sending one little
vinyl and stuffing dog on a very big adventure. Our
point? To prove in the brave new world of Twitter and
Facebook and with a bit of good old-fashioned ‘I know a
guy who’ know-how, that as long as you have good friends
and a great jacket, you don’t need thumbs, a brain, eyes
or even a heartbeat to make your way home.
At OR Winter 2010 we will be launching little D on his
adventure, passing him on to the first of his contacts
in the USA. From there, he is on his own. His mission,
to grow and use a network of human friends who can take
him to as many events, states and adventures as possible
before his return to the OR Summer Market in August.
His new bipedal friends will be asked to:
- Care for Little-D and take him with them to
visit places of interest and events
- Use their opposable thumbs on their
fancy-phones to post pictures and updates of
Little D on his adventure
- Pass him on each 2 - 3 days to someone
who they trust to take him to his next place of
interest
- Not to subject him to postage or couriers,
or to use him as a mule for smuggling bad things
(bad things can happen to good dogs)
- To follow him and use their network to keep
track of him
- To return him to D-fa Dogs Booth at OR
Summer Market 2010.
Of course, we’d not put him out in the cold world
without the best dog jacket of all time on his back.
Little D will be wearing D-fa’s Ice Barker 100% Merino
Jacket, the ultimate in all-condition wear for his
journey. We’ll be mapping his progress on a virtual
passport through Twitter and Facebook where curious
human-folk will be able to follow his progress through
these updates.
10th January 2010
Due
to quarantine regulations and other unfair prejudices
against citizens with 4 legs that mean we can't always
take a real D-fa dog into places of interest, we have
employed a D-fa Stunt Double named Little D. He's pretty
much the perfect travel companion - quiet, will go
anywhere, never complains, doesn't make a mes, is a
people magnet and fits neatly into a suitcase. It's a
glamorous life for Little D, with Antarctica one minute,
Mt Aspiring the next. Most recently, Little D has been
on holiday with us at Glendhu Bay near Lake Wanaka and
he's been enjoying a little wakeboarding, doggy
biscuiting (of course wearing his D-FD) and some new
year celebrations where he led the camp rendition of
Auld Lang Syne at midnight before being showered with
kisses by a former Miss Timaru. Little D's next trip is
to Salt Lake City in late January where he will be
modeling for us at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market.
He'll be trading his D-FD for his Puff-Doggy as the
temperature there today is about -12.
Interestingly also here is that they've introduced some
new regulations about wearing life jackets in boats,
with everyone in the boat now having to wear a life
jacket on boats under 6m long. Seems like a good idea to
me. Funnily enough though this doesn't apply to the dogs
in the boats and just yesterday we saw a fox terrier get
bounced out of a jetboat while crossing a rather rough
ski lane. The dog was retrieved from the water quickly
by his owner without incident, but we have since given
this jet boating terrier a D-FD just in case he goes
flying again. Please take care with your dogs on the
water this summer.
Hope the new year is wagging your way.
19thThere's
really nowhere that the D-fa pack won't go to test their
products. Dave (product developer and pictured here in
full Antarctica gear and in budgie smugglers) has just
returned from Antarctica and he took Little Black D
along to test the Puff Doggy and the D-FD at the end of
the earth.
Pleased to report that no D-fa-Dogs, penguins, seals or
sensibilities were harmed in the pursuit of product
testing of these products, although there was one
American woman who was worried that Dave was not wearing
any pants in this photograph.
The D-FD is now on sale in New Zealand and around the
world and the Puff Doggy will follow early in 2010.
Merry Xmas. 3rd December 2009
Welcome to our new website which we are calling D-fa
2.0. You'll find loads of information, fun things
to read and see, new products, and hopefully a cleaner
crisper website experience.
Enjoy!! |
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