Disclaimer: This review is brought to you by Ruffwear.
Lets face it, Summer is HOT! And when you’re a dog who’s covered in fur it can feel even hotter. So when I came across the Swamp Cooler Vest for dogs from Ruffwear it sounded like a great solution to keep us dogs cool in the heat. So when Ruffwear offered me up the chance to take their redesigned Swamp Cooler for a spin I decided to let my best friend Trooper test this one out. Trooper likes to tag along on the trail with the horses, but the summer (and his extra thick coat of hair) sometimes makes it just too hot for him to do so.
How does it work? Simply soak the vest with water, wring it out and put it on your dog! The evaporative cooling process will move heat away and bring cool moist air towards your dog.
The Swamp Cooler was redesigned this year with three distinct functional layers. The outer layer blocks the sun, and is highly breathable to assist in the evaporative process and keep air moving through the vest to cool the inner layers. The middle layer is the absorbent layer that holds the water after you soak it. And the comfortable inner mesh layer wicks water from the mid-layer to the dog’s body keeping them cool.
On an average day tagging along with the horses at the farm this is what Trooper looks like in the summer:
So when the Swamp Cooler arrived I was anxious to see if it kept my working buddy any cooler!
We started off by hosing the vest and wringing it out before strapping it onto Trooper.
Trooper is wearing the size medium, which fit him perfectly. I’d be curious if some of the smaller sizes would work on Dachshunds or not – our never ending quest to find products that accommodate our big chests and long backs can sometimes be a bit difficult.
I then gave Trooper strict instructions to run his little heart out after those ponies and report back to me if it kept him any cooler. I on the other hand hung back to guard the farm because my short little legs just aren’t made for keeping up on the trail!
Then off Trooper went with my ponies, wagging his little stubby tail the whole way!
When Trooper returned back to the farm he reported feeling much cooler. His tongue wasn’t hanging out as much, and it took him much less time to slow his heart rate back down. We both agree that this vest would be great to taking on the hiking trail, summer walks, or even just wearing outside in the backyard in hot weather – especially for dogs that work hard or have a thicker coat. The cooling features of this vest seem to last about an hour before it needs to be re-wet again, but as long as you bring a water bottle with you (or stop at a creek like Trooper sometimes does on his trail rides), you will always have a method of making it cool again for your dog.
Trooper and I highly recommend this product and hopefully you will be fetching your own Swamp Cooler from Ruffwear soon!
Disclosure: I received a Swamp Cooler from Ruffwear to review, all opinions are entirely my own.
