Month: December 2012

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Dog Stands Vigil In Traffic Over Dead Companion

Dogs are just amazing creatures.  It’s no wonder so many of us choose to share our lives with them.  Recently in China, a male dog stayed with his dead female dog friend for over 6 hours after she was hit by a car.  He licked & nudged her and even lay down next to her even though they were in traffic.  Heartbreaking.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen dogs behave this way.  There is the black lab in California who stayed with her dead companion, the pair of dogs who stayed together in Japan after the tsunami, a dog in Chile who hauled it’s mortally injured friend off a very busy highway, and the New York dog who protected his mom after she had been hit by a car.

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DIY: 6 Dog Coats & Sweaters Round-Up

Last week’s post on the DIY Dog Rain Coat got me to thinking about all the other DIY dog coats & sweaters I’ve written about.  Here are a bunch of tutorials on how to make your dog her own coat—everything from upcycling to sewing to knitting to even weaving.

Cardigan Coat

 

 

Dog Raincoat from Old Jacket (for people) with pattern

 

 

Woven Coat with pattern

 

 

Oil Cloth Coat with 2 patterns

 

 

Sock Sweater

 

 

2 Different Sweaters to Knit

 

 

Though it’s not a tutorial, this is a great idea! Check out these super cool coats made out of broken umbrellas created by Taryn Zychal.

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DIY: Oilcloth Dog Coat

Cute coat!   Check out this great tutorial for a canine rain coat using oil cloth—the vinyl coated material used to make tablecloths, tote bags, etc.  Oil cloth is waterproof, easy to clean, and now comes great patterns.

Heather, of Heatherly Loves, used an old dog coat as a pattern to cut out pieces from some oil cloth she had left over from another project.  She used left-over knit fabric to line the coat, but knit can be fussy to sew.  I would either not line the coat or would use flannel or light fleece.  The result is a very functional, thrifty rain coat that looks really cute.  I like that the belly strap is further back, though you’ll want to be sure a male dog won’t get pee on it.  Saffron still shakes herself off even when wearing a coat and it always leaves the end of her coat flipped up.  Having the strap further back might keep this from happening.

If you need it, here is a dog coat pattern that also covers the underside of a dog.  This second pattern can be printed out and taped together.  Need to custom fit a pattern?  Check out this tutorial for customizing a pattern to your dog’s measurements.  Finally, if you have left-over oil cloth, you can make a matching, foldable travel bowl for your pup.

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