WINTER DOG WEAR

By Sunday, January 21, 2018 9 No tags Permalink

How bizarre for me to need winter dog wear in Charleston SC.

December 2016 – we were chilling like this…

WINTER DOG WEAR

Yet the other morning it was 21 degrees. #doodlebrrrrr

Last week when the snow covered the Holy City – I was in awe. Snow and below freezing temperatures were chilly reminders of where we USED to live!

Looking at these photos – it’s hard to tell the difference….

WINTER DOG WEAR

WHAT IN THE DOODLE IS GOING ON? –

As I layered on clothing at 6:50am, I stood in my foyer trying to decide if they also needed winter outerwear.

I actually didn’t know.

Is there a temperature measuring winter dog wear guide somewhere?

For us mere mortals, we have indicators that assist us with these decisions.

Indicators that tell us when to bundle up, like when our:

  • breath looks like cigarette smoke
  • feet won’t stay warm regardless of what we’ve got covering them
  • teeth chatter and we’re not even talking – well you get it!

In Virginia – the forecast formula made sense! SNOW + SLEET x FREEZING RAIN = WINTER DOG WEAR!

Pawhaps I’m just stuck on the fact that this is Charleston and no one should be making these decisions.

By 7:05am I was still scratching the top of my head wondering which box their snow suits were in. Did I sell them at one of our many garage sales before the move?

It’s possible, after-all, they certainly would have been in that pile of “won’t need these anymore.”

There was no time to rummage through storage boxes so fleece was our choice that early morning. It seemed warm enough for the thirty minutes or so that we would be out there taking care of business…

WINTER DOG WEAR

I decided head gear was probably not necessary – Jaxson was grateful…

WINTER DOG WEAR

EVERYTHING ISN’T CREATED EQUAL –

When it comes to taking your dog outside in extreme weather, remember dogs are different, therefore the variables are too.

Like:

  • color and type of their coat
  • size, age and weight

Cold temperatures also come with added concerns:

  • Wind chill
  • Dampness
  • Cloudy vs. sunny

While our weather could never compare to the extremes of many other areas in the country, “cold” is relative to wherever you may be. For us, the sweaters have been out every morning for the past ten days.

I believe it’s appreciated – no one’s complained yet 🙂

Regardless of what your dog wears, during these challenging bitter cold days if you notice your dog shivering, anxious, whining, or holding up one or more paws, it’s time for them to come inside.

May your clothes be comfy, your coffee strong, and your Monday be short! ❤️

9 Comments
  • Monika & Sam
    January 22, 2018

    A crisp 20 degrees greeted us at pee o’clock and the pups ran out, did their business and happily dashed back in. Our morning constitutional walk will be delayed until the the temps rise to 30. Then we’ll spend 87 hours putting on snow boots to avoid those nasty ice balls in between the paws. Those things hurt when all we want to do is dash through the 6+ inches of snow that fell yesterday. Stay warm.

  • Pamela
    January 22, 2018

    Have the boys shown any changes in how they respond to the cold since you’ve been in Charleston?

    Honey loves snow as much as ever, even though we work very hard not to give her a chance to see it.

  • Jan K
    January 22, 2018

    It is definitely relative to where you live, and even to the season. In early winter, I might start putting Luke’s coat on when it drops to the 40’s. But now, this time of year, when it’s in the 40’s, we skip it!
    It’s starting to get to be that when he needs his really heavy coat (what I call his snowsuit), it’s too cold for his paws to stay out long anyway. For cold, but not frigid weather, we have a lighter fleece. I like that one because I can leave it on inside the house too, so when he’s going in and out he stays warmer, but not too warm in the house.
    Cricket never wears a jacket though – her beagle fur is quite thick with a good undercoat and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look cold (but we keep her inside when it gets to those sub-zero temps!). I have seen her hold her paws up though, and that’s when we know it’s too cold to be out there for anything other than necessities!

  • Lindsay
    January 23, 2018

    OMD, Jax in his hat! How freaking adorable. I bet he was thrilled when you pulled it off. It’s very becoming of him, though.

    Such handsome dudes. Stay warm guys. I hope the temps are getting more back to normal for you.

    xoxo

  • Kimberly Gauthier
    January 26, 2018

    We’ve barely had snow and whenever the news predicts snow, they follow it up with “in the mountains.” It’s like they know all of us are getting excited about the possibility of a snow day, then they ruin it.

    Hope you enjoyed your weather and that it wasn’t too inconvenient. I love snow on the first day or two; then it ‘s a pain.

  • Shadow and Ducky's Mom
    January 28, 2018

    Ah, winter in the South – we never quite know what to expect! The boys look adorable in their winter weather gear! My girls both hate wearing their coats, especially Ducky. Shadow will tolerate it; but Ducky turns into a drama princess. Thankfully we didn’t need the coats for too long. On those Arctic Blast days we stayed out just long enough to take care of nature calls.

    • Cathy Bennett
      January 28, 2018

      Harley is particular with what he wants to wear. Not sure why, but he approves of the fleece sweater so when I pull it out – he’s first in line to get dressed. Jaxson associates outer wear with outside, so he’s game for anything I put on him LOL Weather here in Charleston seems to be back to normal – I’m praying that it will stay like this, no more snow!

  • Jessica
    February 2, 2018

    The picture of Jaxon in a hat is super cute!! Love it. It’s been getting really cold out, and I’m wondering if maybe taking my dog out might be to cold. Even though I put winter gear (coats, boots, etc) on them, I’m wondering if they’re still cold. I read this other blog https://swifto.com/blog/how-tell-if-your-dog-cold to see if maybe I could see the signs of my dog probably being way to cold for the weather!

    • Cathy Bennett
      February 4, 2018

      Jessica – I try to use the temperature rule. When it gets about 24 degrees and it’s early in the morning (before the sun has had a chance to warm things up a bit) I go for a sweater. I could be over protective – but it makes me feel better. Where do you live? Thanks for stopping by 🙂