1 year later - we still love this harness
Both I and my pup are extremely particular about dog harnesses lol. So I waited a year to write a review on this to see about wear. This is a long one - but I hope it’s helpful. Also adding a bunch of photos so you can see fit! Davey (the cutie in all the pics I added lol) is my rescue dog who was basically feral 10.5 years ago and therefore, he has some quirks lol. - the biggest being no harnesses that go over his head. So a step-in was a must. - the sound of metal scares him so as little metal as possible was good for us (just the D rings are metal - which is good). - Quick process of putting it on is also important for Davey. He gets very nervous putting his gear on for walks and if I have to sit there and tighten buckles and such for several minutes - he will freak out and either have an accident or try to run away from the harness. This is a breeze to put on for both of us. I, being the owner of a former feral pup, have some requirements of my own lol. - the metal D rings because Davey does sometimes pull (not often, but if he sees a pigeon or a squirrel it’s gonna happen) - and these make me feel much safer than plastic for him not being able to snap the harness open or have it detach from the leash (which I had happen once with a different harness while in a massive state park and was very grateful another hiker was only a few paces in front of me and blocked him from running off). - Fit is extremely important so Davey doesn’t Houdini out of his harness (admittedly he hasn’t done this in several years thankfully, but he used to do it constantly. He even got out of the Goobi no escape harness). Davey is a jack russell terrier mini poodle mix to the best of mine and his vet’s guess. He is considered a small/medium sized dog at about 20lbs (he wears a large in this harness btw). So he has a sort of long but still stout in the chest shape that is really hard to find things that fit him. On top of that we have the “fur issue” lol. The main reason I added so many pictures is for anyone else with a dog like Davey - this harness is perfect for no matter their fur level. Davey’s curls grow insanely quickly. So I need a harness that can work around that when he’s fluffy. But also one that will fit him when he is shaved down for the summer (he’s single coated so it is actually good for us to shave him down cause his fur is actually hair and will not help cool him). I even added a picture of him from December where he is *extremely* fluffy (I got the flu and then his groomer closed and the new one had a month wait so he was very overgrown) and this harness still fit. I love the fabric (the dinos are very very cute) because it isn’t too slippy, but isn’t rough also. It feels a little squishy almost - not like it’s heavily padded, but like it’s a neoprene material that is a tiny bit spongy - which I like because it’s comfy for him but also because it’s weatherproof (we live in the Midwest lol - rain is a thing we have to contend with regularly). It dries very quickly when it gets wet - like just hanging it on it’s hook, it’s dry or close by our next walk. The stitching is well done throughout and we haven’t had any issues of the harness falling apart even with basically multiple daily use for a year in all seasons. My *only* caveat here is sort of a double edged sword. The reason this harness works so well for Davey is because of the Velcro. I can pull it in when he’s got less fur or leave it less tight when he’s fluffy. It’s comfy for him to wear and goes on in a jiffy. But because I tighten the Velcro - the inside of the material in that area is fraying. Not in a way that lessens the effectiveness of the actual harness, but in a way that doesn’t look as nice when I don’t need to tighten it so much. I do worry over time that this could wear down the stitching in this area. And the Velcro has worn down a bit to where it doesn’t feel as “sticky”. It is still connecting securely, but the top edge does lift a bit more than it did when we first got it. Another note I will mention is the fabric that connects the buckle to the harness is just fabric. It’s well stitched and we haven’t had an issue with it - but I have noticed it seems to have stretched out a little bit over this year. Not a deal breaker since it doesn’t hinder use - but worth noting if you have a big puller that this might not be a good fit (also highly recommend a bungee style leash for pulling - we’ve used one for 6+ years and it’s taught Davey not to pull and when he does, my arm isn’t yanked around and he doesn’t damage his throat because it just bounces him back - which is also kinda funny lol). I tried to add a bunch of pictures of Davey at various levels of fluff lol and also various positions. He is an energetic bouncy curious dog even as a senior now - so he puts his gear through their paces. You can see when he lays down, the harness does bunch a little near his shoulder. I think potentially if this harness was a tiny bit longer in the chest, this wouldn’t happen. However, this didn’t cause any issue for us - the minute he stood up or sat, it went right back to being flat and flush to his body. I am probably going to purchase a new one - of this exact harness - just because of the Velcro being less “sticky”. If it were only me walking him I would be less worried, but I have trips coming up and friends will be watching him for me and I want to ensure the harness is in tip top shape (because I am a helicopter dog mom lol). Overall, I adore this harness both for my comfort in keeping my best guy safe, and for his own comfort in meeting his needs. Read more
