The Shabby Dog Collar with the bone charm that's included.

When The Shabby Dog contacted me and asked if I was interested in trying a Hands-Free Leash, I checked out their website ( which not only features the Leash, but also designers tees, beds and more for your dogs) and I’ll admit it now, I was a little doubtful about it. Images of being dragged down the street by my wrist popped into my head (I guess while I’m admitting things, I’ll admit, my dogs are not as well trained as they could be).  Maybe I’ve spent too much time watching out of control dogs in the vet office waiting room and in the training classes I’ve helped with, I do have a vivid imagination. Even with those visions in my head, I said sure. A short time later, I received the Hands-Free Dog Walking Wrist Cuff, the Leather Dog Leash and a medium size Leather Dog Collar. These are made of genuine Italian leather and they are NICE! The set I received had pink stitching and the edges of the leather were hand-painted to match the stitching. The Cuff has heart shaped studs on it; hey, you could even wear on its own as part of your outfit. The leash is convertible; leave it hooked and use it as a regular leash or unhook and attach the leash to the cuff for a hands-free option. And a cute little pink bone charm came on the collar.  Not only is the Hands-Free Leash practical, but it’s fashionable.

The Shabby Dog Wrist Cuff (this style has heart-shaped studs on it).

Well, with all the pink, the hearts and the charm, this was definitely an item for the girls to try out (they do have a variety of colors and styles  so there would be something for my he-man boy Jack Russells to wear).  I put on the Cuff which even fit my skinny little wrist and then put the collar and leash on Mellie before hooking it to the cuff. Because I was leery, I decided we would stay in the backyard while using it.  We walked back and forth several times down the length of the yard (my neighbors already know I am nuts, what’s one more thing) and it actually went nice. The cuff wasn’t irritating to my wrist and the leash was right there if I needed to grab it which surprisingly (Mellie was on her best behavior) I didn’t.

The Shabby Dog Leash hooked to be used as a regular leash.

Since the yard worked so well, I decided to use The Hands-Free Leash when I took Malarky for a 2 mile walk along the river dike.  The collar was too big for Malarky so I attached the leash to her harness.  I was meeting up with a friend and her 3 dogs and since Malarky is not really too keen on other dogs, I was curious as to how this would work.  Well, Malarky surprised me by being well-behaved and I was definitely glad to have the Hands-Free Leash because it was 40 degrees, cloudy and damp out.  Not only did the Hands-Free Leash work well but my hands were able to stay warm in my coat pockets! Nice!

This shows the convertible leash attached to the Cuff for "hands-free mode"

I think The Shabby Dog Hands-Free Leash is a great product. It worked better than I expected although I wouldn’t recommend it for someone with a boisterous, not well trained  dog just because I am the cautious sort. The only drawback for me is the price. With the collar running from $36-$52 depending on size, the wrist cuff at $40 and the leash at $88, it is out of my budget that is for sure.  Even for me to purchase just the Wrist Cuff would require a great deal of thought (I could always put the dogs to work, hmmm….). But if you’re looking looking for high quality, fashionable (for you and your dog) and practical, The Hands-Free Leash may just be what your looking for.

The Shabby Dog

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Everyday Isle of Dogs Violet + Sea Mist Replascents

When Isle of Dogs sent me some products to try and review they included their Violet + Sea Mist Repláscents.   Repláscents is part of their Everyday isle of Dogs product line, a line that also includes “Care to Get Closer” products  like shampoos, conditioners, brush sprays and natural dog treats. Repláscents is safe to use as an air freshening spray in your home as well as a deodorizing spray on your dog.

To test the deodorizing effect on my dogs, I first sprayed Mellie.  She is a field-type Springer Spaniel (which means not much hair; actually none of my dogs have much hair).  The weather is getting nicer and for my dogs, that means they get to spend more time outside and I get more exercising getting up to let them in and getting up to let them out. The day I sprayed Mellie was one of those in-out days. With going outside and it being a grey, damp day, I was curious as to how the scent would hold.  Even with being outside for awhile, I could still detect the scent about a 1/2 hour after spraying it.  I thought that was pretty good considering the conditions outside.

I then decided to test the deodorizing effects when the dog stays inside, after all, you’ll most often be using this when you are going to be close to your dog.  Ricochet stepped in to be the testee (facing humiliation from his earthdog brethren) and got a nice spray.  After an hour I could barely smell the Repláscents, but you could definitely tell that he smelled fresher.

Then the house got to test it.  After someone decided to make a mess in the foyer (What is up with that guys?  You’ve been in and out all morning with plenty of time to empty. I understand doing things in the name of testing products, but that means I have to clean it up!) I sprayed the Repláscents into the air and it did a real nice job covering up the accident odor.  Thirty minutes later while I couldn’t smell the Repláscents, I also couldn’t smell the odor from the mess. Just what you want a deodorizer to do!

I also wanted to see how long the scent would last when sprayed on furniture, etc so I sprayed my desk chair and just to see, my own sweat shirt (I swear it was on purpose!). The scent of Repláscents lasted for about 45 minutes  on my desk chair (and sweatshirt).

I thought the Repláscents did a good job with it’s air freshening and deodorizing efforts.  I did think it was a little too alcoholly smelling when first sprayed which I didn’t really like.  That just seemed to get into my nose.  But it does mellow out after a few minutes which made me like it more. Also you really don’t need to spray that much. At first I was a little trigger happy on the spray which I am sure did not help with the alcohol smell.

Violet + Sea Mist would probably not be my first choice for a scent either, but that is just me. I like fruity scents better.  According to their catalog they are going to be introducing Repláscents in Sugar Cane + Grapefruit and Red Berries + Jasmine (this one sounds like the one for me! Well, not me but my dogs..and my house) so keep an eye out for more fragrances soon.

If you are looking for a nice deodorizing spray especially one with a dual purpose (house + dog) , I would say put Everyday Isle of Dogs Repláscents on your list to try.

Isle of Dogs

Amazon*

Petco

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I was sent an Accuwalker to try. The packaging was nice and I was glad to see easy to open. I inserted the 2 AA batteries it requires and opened up the Owner’s Manual that comes with it. Setting up the time and date was no problem, it reminded me of setting a digital watch. Once that was done I moved on to playing with the message feature. I followed the instructions and recorded a quick message . I did have some issues when I tried to play back the message. The instructions said to press the Play button, but nothing happened. After thinking I didn’t record right and playing with it a few minutes, I found you had to press and hold the Play button. Other than that The Accuwalker worked fine!

The Accuwalker comes with 2 options for mounting- wall mounting tape (for leashes under 2lbs) or with hardware. I went with the tape option and quickly mounted in near my side entrance and hung a leash on it.

The Accuwalker works by a micro switch that detects when the leash is removed, records that time and starts a timer. When you place the leash back on the hanger, the timer stops. This information is kept stored in The Accuwalker for 40 walks and can be reviewed by just pressing the Review button. This will enable you tell when your dog was walked and how long he was walked each time. The screen lights up when the leash is removed, when the leash is replaced and by just pressing the light button making the information easy to view.

The Message feature is nice, it allows you to leave about 15 seconds of instructions or other information that the person walking the dog might need. Once a message is recorded A Speaker icon appears on the screen to alert the user that a message was left. This icon disappears once the message is played. I think this is the only thing I would change if I could. With all the numbers that already appear on the screen, my eyes missed the Speaker icon. I would find a light, maybe a flashing light, near the button panel more eye-catching.

Everything about The Accuwalker worked just fine. I think it would be a great help to those who want to make sure Fido gets the attention and exercise he needs. It seems with life being so hectic, sometimes walking the dog gets pushed down the list of things that need to be done. With pet obesity on the rise, not getting enough exercise can impact your dog’s health. While I don’t use a dogwalker or a household where everyone is off in different directions, I will admit to being a bit lazy when it comes to taking the dogs out for a walk. Using The Accuwalker gave me the chance to set the amount of time I wanted to make sure the dogs got walked each week and a way to be accountable and keep track of our walks. My dogs appreciate it. I’m sure yours will also.

You can purchase The Accuwalker directly from Too Cool Pets.

Thank you the Accuwalker Giveaway has ended.

The makers of The Accuwalker would like to send one to a lucky reader. If you would like a chance to win The Accuwalker, just leave a comment below on how you think it would make your life easier. The winner will be chosen randomly from all the comments left by 6pm EST Monday, December 28th. They will be contacted by email in order to get their contact information to forward onto Too Cool Pets. Sorry, giveaway is only open to those in the US.

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