Pet Product Review » Ferret Products

Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions Harness Vest Review

demik3 — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:43:38 +0000

Don’t you love the Internet? Not only does it gives us a great place to research, reunite with old friends and keep in touch with family, but it has opened up a whole new world for pet owners to shop in. We have so many sites to buy from, we don’t need to even step into a brick and mortar store and we can find so many new products especially those made by entrepreneurs. These are people like Nathalie of Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions. Nathalie started out making clothing for her dog Chloe and turned it into a business. Now she offers a variety of harness coats, dresses and vests as well as matching leashes. These are custom made and as she says on her site, she’ll make them for everything from ferrets to Great Danes!

Nathalie contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of her Harness Vests. I visited her site to learn more about her company and her vests. I tend to be very practical (some would say plain and boring) when it comes to clothing my pets, but I really liked the different patterns that she offers and I really liked that she offered her harnesses for smaller animals. In fact after deciding I would go ahead and do a review, I really wanted to get a harness for Glee, my rabbit. Unfortunately, when it came to getting measurements, Glee just wasn’t into it. Not wanting to have to struggle to get the vest on her in order to review it, I went with my second choice, Malarky, my Parson Russell.

In order to make a custom Harness Vest, Nathalie needs your dog’s measurements, which include- the neck measurement, the chest measurement and the body length measurement. I sent this information off to her and had the vest in just a short time.

The Harness Vest is made from cotton fabric with the patterned fabric (in my case a brown and blue batik print) on the outside and white for a liner on the inside. It has a matching cotton edging around it. The craftsmanship was very nice, no puckered edging and nice, even stitching. I tried pulling edging up, Velcro up, even the D-ring and had no problem with the stitching pulling up. The Velcro for around the neck is a decent length which is nice because then it is a little adjustable. Great if you have a dog that might get clipped and may need more room when they grow their coat in.

Next I tried it on Malarky. I really like how easy it is to put on. No having to pick up the front leg and put it through. No having to untangle it and find the opening to put over your dog’s head. Just place it on your dog’s back, reach under the chest to connect the Velcro and then under the chin to connect the Velcro around the neck. Done. I lifted up on the D-ring to see how the Velcro held and I could hear it give a little bit under the chest, but it didn’t come apart. (I tried the Harness Vest on my dog, Havoc, later and tried the same thing and it didn’t give at all so I may not have press hard enough on the velcro when I put it on Malarky.)

Once that was on I attached the leash and we took a little test walk in the driveway and front yard. I will admit I am a little wary of the strength of Velcro and was worried one pull from Malarky and she would be out of it. Malarky didn’t really pull much so I didn’t get a chance to test, but the Harness Vest looked real comfortable to wear and gave us no problems on that little jaunt.

A few days later Malarky and I headed off on a longer walk around the block to try the Harness Vest. My first test was to give a tug on the leash. Eeeh, the neck part of the velcro popped open. I did try a tug a couple more times during our walk and didn’t have a repeat so again I think I may not have pressed the Velcro together well enough when I put the Harness Vest on but Nathalie does offer a solution if you are worried about this happening. She can make the Harness Vest with the neck sown shut, so it slips over the head. The rest of our walk went just fine, we even got a “What a cute puppy!” from a neighbor on the next street.

Review Round-up

+ Well-made

+Easy on, easy off- this is my favorite feature.

+ A variety of fashionable patterns to choose from

+ Custom made so it fits your pet (as long as you do the measurements right)

+ Some adjustability so it can fit your pet at different times during their grooming cycle

+ Can be made to fit a variety of pets- dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, monkeys, ferrets

+ Different styles for dogs and cats- vests, dresses and coats

– It is important you know your pet. If they are not well-behaved on a leash or have a tendency to pull when they see something, you may want to consider having the neck portion shown shut. Even if they are well behaved, that is something I would really consider for a medium to large breed dog to be on the safe side. Yes, I am a worry wart. I wish there was an alternative to having to sew it shut, an industrial snap or a way to attach it to a collar because I really like how easy it is to get on and off.

I think Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions Harness Vest is a cute alternative to the regular nylon web harnesses, especially if you like to keep your pet in style.

You can purchase the Harness Vest, Harness, Dress or Harness Coat directly from Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions. Nathalie has extended a discount to PPR readers. To receive 10% off your order, enter the code PPR10 during the check-out.

I received a Harness Vest at no charge in order to do the review.

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Midwest Ferret Nation

demik3 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 16:48:51 +0000

Some people have to get the latest and greatest electronic gadget, other people need to wear the latest fashions. Only a pet lover would understand how I felt when the Ferret Nation Cage* came out. I wanted it. I needed it. I had to have it.

My ferrets were living in a Cat Playpen Cage*. A nice cage, but not my ideal ferret cage. The cage came with 2 not-wide-enough-to-do-anything shelves. Ferrets need more room and full levels are better. Buying additional shelves would have been to expensive, so I macgyvered the cage so there were 3 full-size levels. My ferrets liked and it worked well, but cleaning it was another thing. It has two good size doors, but I couldn’t access all 3 levels I had put in there without taking down a level. (Midwest now makes a Cat Playpen Cage with doors that provide more access.)

The Ferret Nation Cage* has everything I want in a ferret cage. You can start out with one level and add an additional 2 levels at any time. Three levels makes for a very big cage, about 86 inches high. I am 5′9″ and have to use a step stool to access the top level with 3 levels. Each level has a lot of room. All 5 of my ferrets live in the 3 level Nation and I feel I could add another 2 without compromising space (my girls are out of their cage for about 4 hours during the week and all day on the weekends). The cage is solidly built and will last for a long time. The hammertone finish wipes clean very easily. The trays sit down a bit inside the levels so they don’t move when the doors are open plus it makes it a little harder for ferrets to burrow under them (I won’t say it makes it impossible, these are ferrets we are talking about!). You can close off the levels to separate ferrets. I have to do this when I go out of town and my mom takes care of my ferrets. She can’t tell them apart so I separate Spice, my insulinoma girl, so I can be sure she gets her twice daily medication. The shelves in each level are half the width of the cage, so you can actually use them for bedding, litter boxes, what ever you need. They are also adjustable so you can move them up and down or put them on the opposite side. At first glance, it may not look like there are a lot of places to hang hammocks, but each shelf and the ceiling of each level offers a more than enough places.

The best feature of all, though, are the doors. They open completely, making it SO easy to access the inside of the cage with out having to maneuver your body in there somehow. The doors close tight and the only way to open them is by squeezing the handles together making it hard for escapes.

The only issue I have had has been with the shelf is an issue others have had. Luckily, Midwest cared enough to listen to consumers and make a change. The shelves had an area at the front where 2 bars run parallel to each each. They provide a space for the ramp to attach. Ferrets were getting their toes caught when getting off the shelf (because ferrets don’t always like to use a ramp) and many ended up hanging upside down. Luckily, the incidences I have heard of this happening (including mine) occurred when the owner was nearby. The manufacturer has changed the design and has been sending replacements to those who contact them. I do wish the ramps came in different sizes for when you adjust the shelves (they can be put at 3 different heights, but my ferrets don’t seem to concerned.

The picture shows the 3 levels of my Ferret Nation Cage*. The stand doesn’t appear in the picture. I added the Marshall Mini Mansion cage cover to the top of my Nation to provide my ferrets with a dark area to sleep. It covers the top level.

When you look at the prices of ferret cages, this one is well worth the money. It may be the last ferret cage you need to buy.

Likes-

The doors open completely up so you can access the inside of the cage with no problem

You start with one level and add more for a total of 3.

You can close off levels, making individual cages. Great for those with ferrets that don’t get along.

Dislikes

Wish they offered ramps in different lengths for when the shelves are moved. When put at their highest, the angle is very steep.

Amazon*

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