My Favorite Service Dog Gear Makers
As many obsessed dog parents know, you can never have too many things for your dog. My obsession with TJ Maxx’s candles and home decor has been replaced by my obsession with their wide variety of pet toys, treats, and trinkets. After all, most pet related things are only $2.99 there, right? How can I not! When it comes to service dog gear, my addiction to buying things has been an issue at times, both for my wallet and for my limited storage options as I downsize into a student apartment. I have composed a list of my favorite service dog gear shops that I can personally vouch for as they all had amazing customer service and produce great and affordable products! Click on all the shop names to be taken directly to their websites!
Vests and harnesses:
Designer Doodle - This shop is based on Instagram and it is where I purchased my first ever service dog vest. It was their growing puppy design and still fits her to this day (I got it for her when she was around 5 or 6 months old)! The shop is based in Canada, but offers worldwide shipping and charges a very affordable rate for a quality made vest. I purchased another DD vest for Sage (my dog) when she turned one and the design is slightly different than the growing puppy vest, but both are absolutely amazing.
Beard and Golden - This is another Instagram based shop that sells vests and harnesses. They offer embroidery for their harnesses which sets this shop apart from many others. The shop owner is very responsive to questions and will send updates as she is making your harnesses. You can fully customize your fabric and webbing choices to be virtually any color combination imaginable (both amazing and slightly overwhelming when you are as indecisive as me)! I do not personally have one of their vests, though I have heard great things, but I have two of their harnesses and they are great quality and have held up well against the gross weather I have experienced thus far in the arctic tundra of northern New York. The embroidered harnesses are a great option if you are looking for something simplistic and can really come in handy during the summer when the days are too hot to have your dog in a full vest.
Bannworth Design - Yet another Instagram shop, this shop is newer to the vest scene, but man are they great! The style is a longer body S&R/heart shaped hybrid that goes further down your dog’s back than others that I have seen. They offer heavy duty waterproof canvas options, which is the fabric I went with. I was worried that the heavy duty would make my dog too hot, but I have not yet run into that issue. They have a clip in the chest and on the girth which makes for an easier removal of the vest rather than pulling it over their head. The shop also offers very high quality bandanas, collars, leashes, and other pet accessories!
Dapper Dood Co. - Surprise! Another Instagram shop! This shop specializes in vinyl harnesses, but can do any fabric! I have a maroon and gray vinyl harness from them and it is great because my dog is a magnet for anything muddy or messy. This harness can be easily rinsed off and remains looking brand new. Highly recommend for any other owners of messy dogs!
Leather leash:
Bold Lead Design - This leather shop has many dog related products, not just service dog. I have their 7.5 foot hands free leash. It had a build in traffic lead on one end and handle on the other with an anchored O-ring on both ends and then a floating O-ring in the if you want to have the option to change the loop going over your shoulder. I am 6’3 (I know, I’m wicked tall. Yes, I played basketball) and my dog stand a bit above my knees and there is enough room that when I am standing and she is laying down there is no tension on the leash. I have conditioned the leash once since I got it a year ago and it has held up remarkably well! The leash was pricey, but they have an amazing warranty program and I fully believe this leash will last 30+ years easily.
Boots:
Canine Equipment (Ultimate Trail Boot) - Luckily, I did not personally have to go through the trouble of find the right boot for my dog that would not irritate her dew claws. One of my good friends recommended these boots to me after her dog went through 3 different boot brands (Ruffwear, Muttlucks, and Hipaw) all of which irritated her dog or did not stay on when they were on the go. I have had these boots for a year and have not run into any issues and they have held up remarkably well. The one downside is that her feet get hot from being closed up in the shoes all day which makes her pant a bit more, but I would take her panting over her burning her paws on the hot asphalt or slicing her paw pad on winter ice.
Patches and accessories:
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Shepherd Snuggles - You guessed it! Another Instagram shop! This shop is where I have gotten almost all of my patches for Sage’s vests. The prices are super affordable and the shop owner can create almost any custom design you would like. There are about 20 different thread options and almost every backing color imaginable (seriously, she has like every solid color, glitter options, and holographic backings). My personal favorite patch option she has is the circle working done bone patch pictured below, but that is only because I designed it for Sage’s first adult vest. Go me! They are very high quality patches and the shop owner is great at communicating everything with you. The only downside is that the wait time can get pretty long (6-8 weeks at times) but she sometimes has rush orders available for a slight fee.
Patience and Love 143 - This Etsy based shop is like the Mecca of all shops. They sell everything from fully embroidered and custom vests (in three different body designs), to patches, to drink tumblers. I have 4 different leash wraps from this store that I keep on various different things to help educate the public and attempt to keep them from petting Sage when we are out and about. I have two wraps on my leash at all times and then use my other wraps to put on the chest strap on her vest so people can see it while they are walking toward us. She uses very high quality materials and even the pure white leash wraps look brand new after a quick hand wash in the sink! The wait time for this shop is 3 weeks and she can make quite literally anything you would like. I have not seen one thing that she has said no to yet…
Hopefully this list helps with any gear questions you may have and doesn’t cause you to burn too much of a hole in your wallet! Do you have any questions or suggestions about what you want to see next? DM me and I will try my best ot make it happen!
Written by: Rylie M. (@service.dood.sage)
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