Fun in the D-fa Sun

The Southern Hemisphere spring is upon us and it now is beginning to feel like summer will in fact happen. It's been a great winter, but everyone at camp D-fa is looking forward to summer. We got an early dose of it at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City in July this year. After a disastrous start to our journey (fog, delays, missed connections, misdirected luggage and transit through LA rather than San Francisco) we had a fantastic show. A highlight was the outdoor demo day where we showed our D-fd (doggy floatation device) to the USA for the first time.

Many people question whether their dog actually needs a floatation device because they're a good swimmer, but as we all know even the best swimmers can get into trouble. We agree some dogs are brilliant swimmers. They’re in and out of the water all day long, doggy paddling to their hearts content like big furry fishes. Others lack doggy-paddling style but still love the water. Their natural swimming style is to moving in and out of the water, not to swim continuously.

However, even the most confident swimmers can flounder if they tire, become cold, or are trying to swim in moving water. Unlike you, your dog doesn’t have opposable thumbs to allow it to hold paddles and can’t float on their back if they get a bit tired. Your dog, no matter how good of a swimmer is not indestructible and cannot swim indefinitely.

Fitting your hairy water buddy with a D-FD can help them swim more confidently and comfortably, for longer, and retain their body heat when on water adventures with you. The handle of the jacket also makes it easier to retrieve your dog from the water if it gets into trouble.

Our D-FD™ has been created in New Zealand by designers with expertise in buoyancy and with the help of the D-fa-Development Dogs to help us find the most ergonomic fit for buoyancy on a doggy frame. We've got the legal eagles onto it and they've filed for some patents on the design so we'll see what happens there. Our D-fd will be in the USA shortly. They're on a boat, which we hope doesn't sink (although by rights the jackets would float) and will be available for sale within weeks.

Here's some shots of Annie and Mollie the labradors from Standup Paddlesports in Santa Barbara showing us how they work. I have to laugh each time I look at these as these two buxom labrador ladies jostle for position on the board, it was only going to end one way.