Hey Y’all, I am Dixie, a treeing fiest (squirrel dog) and I am a part of the Feral One crew. My daddy, Chris Funk asked me to write a review of my new puppy PFD in case others with furry friends were wondering what they needed for their K9 family members. I didn’t think I needed a PFD because I am a big girl but while jumping from my mom’s boat in an unexpectedly deep area my daddy had to rescue me. Thankfully he did not have to jump in but it was very close. All they could see was my nose above water and it was a little spooky. I guess I am better at treeing squirrels than I am at treeing bass.
Anyway, my daddy did a lot of reading and research before he got my vest and this one from West Marine had high marks across the board. I like the fact that it is very soft neoprene so it won’t chafe my precious puppy parts and is open so I can take care of “business” if needed. It is a bit warm in full sun so I have to make sure I stay hydrated and an occasional dip will help cool me off. That is great because I really like to swim from kayak to kayak to share the love. I hate for anyone to stay dry and feel left out! It also has some nice reflective surfaces so I can be seen quickly if I decided to swim in the dark.
My new PFD is very simple to put on when I am standing still like a big girl. A piece of stretchy cloth across the bottom cradles my belly then a heavy duty zipper on the top can be zipped up. There is an inner flap to keep it out of my fur and a Velcro flap on top to cover it. There are 2 straps below it to snug it up but we had to loosen them as far as they would go because daddy likes to share his supper with me too much. The collar snaps under my chin and is the same nice soft neoprene that the rest of the vest is. Probably the handiest part of the whole PFD is the handle on top that makes it very easy for me to be picked up should I decide to jump out on my own. Mom doesn’t know it but sometimes daddy just sends me to her because it is funny watching her get wet. Crazy daddy; who knew on top of being a fantastic photographer and wickedly handsome, he was a comedian too!