I hear you. Why would you put your dog in a dog stroller? Shouldnt a dog be walking & getting exercise? I too thought using a dog stroller was a big no-no. It was in 2010 when I took my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Dexter to a big outdoor dog festival that I saw one benefit of using a dog stroller.
On that day Dexter & I, we were having a great day participating in all the outdoor dog activities, shopping, walking, socializing....but it was a long day for us. He was getting tired, hot but we still wanted to stay & enjoy the upcoming festival. Then I started to notice some dogs being strolled in dog strollers. Why yes! This could be a solution to this dilemma we had. I knew right then that was going to be our next purchase.
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| Going on therapy dog visits. |
The dog stroller is a great solution when you & your dog are out and about especially when the pavement is hot. After a lot of walking, a dogs pads can get quite sensitive, and the stroller can protect those feet when walking in grass is not an option. When I take Dexter on long outings, I always push the stroller & when Dexter gets too tired, or hot, in he goes. Sometimes it is just for a little rest & then he comes right back out to keep walking.
When I first purchased Dexters dog buggy, I thought I would only use it for our big outdoor adventures as a back up plan when he got tired. But, I then realized there was another opportunity that we could use the stroller.... his dog therapy visits at the nursing home! Dexter & I struggled at a way for people in wheel chairs to be able to pet Dexter since he was so short, but he was just too heavy to lug around, or place on laps. The stroller filled this gap perfectly! Now he is the perfect height for a wheel chair & we stroll right up.
As I continued to use our doggie buggy, I realized there are other situations that this will come in hand. Medical issues such as heart conditions, leg injury, or patella problems come to mind. Senior dogs are good candidates for a stroller. Puppies who are not fully vaccinated, but need the socialization (read our post on puppy socialization), or dogs who are building their confidence. These are just a few other possibilities for using a dog stroller. And yes, they do have extra large dog strollers for your large breed dogs or multiple small dogs. Or you can go with the double dog stroller.
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| Large dogs can ride too! |
A few weeks ago Dexter & I went to that big dog festival (we go every year) and saw a new interesting idea....a collapsible wagon with a canopy! I think this looks like a very interesting idea that we might look into as well. It would be roomier, and has the cover over the top. The downside would be that we would not be able to use it for therapy dog visits (but we have the stroller for that). It also looks like it would be a bit bigger, so space in my small car might be an issue. So I will report back!
UPDATE: Our friend bought the collapsible wagon with a canopy and they are loving it!!
Read our review of Pet Gear Dog Stroller
UPDATE #2: Ive upgraded to a little longer stroller for Dexter. The Pet Gear NV Pet Stroller. I love it!
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| Larger, Pet Gear NV |
UPDATE: Our friend bought the collapsible wagon with a canopy and they are loving it!!
Read our review of Pet Gear Dog Stroller
UPDATE #2: Ive upgraded to a little longer stroller for Dexter. The Pet Gear NV Pet Stroller. I love it!
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