HawkEyes

Meet Remy and Dash, both of whom are 2.5 months old (different litters/breeds and two days apart in age). Remy is a smart and stylish girl with good taste, as noted when she chooses to chew up the finest shoes in my closet! Dash is a little guy that is very independent, often disappearing quickly, which makes protecting him even more important! Both pups live in a very rural area of AZ, where they are constantly in danger of being scooped up by the red-tailed hawk that soars overhead daily, the huge owls that sit outside my house at night, and the coyote(s) that have decided to mark my territory as their own, which entails jumping over a 6 fence and bypassing spotlights and motion lights. So, just how do you keep puppies safe while they are growing and learning to do everything properly, such as using the doggy door at night? My searches led me to CoyoteVest, but I was not sure it would fit my needs with two small puppies. Just how do you put a spikey vests on puppies and allow them to play while keeping them safe? Thankfully, the spikes and Coyote Whiskers are easily detachable when not needed, allowing just use of the vest! I decided to start off by adding the Coyote Whiskers, which proved to be a safe option. While the puppies enjoyed grabbing each other by the collars and attempting to pull the Whiskers out of the vests, everything was made very well and durable. I only put the vests on the pups when allowing them outside of the courtyard during the day (supervised), which enabled them to roam the fenced-in one acre surrounding the house. They were so busy exploring that they really didnt attempt to play much with each other. Remy didnt mind her vest at all and actually seemed to prance a bit more in all her splendor, but Dash was somewhat stiff and didnt move very well. Dash is a "compact model," having a thicker neck and being so low to the ground that he often fell over and had difficulty moving his head. I adjusted his vest to where it was a little looser around the neck and waist, which gave him more flexibility. My main option of having them wear the vests during the day was because Dash is still under 10 lbs, and I felt it kept the hawk from thinking of him as food. Remy is just under 20 lbs, so there is still the chance the hawk could attempt to grab her as well. When purchasing the vests, I deliberately went one size up from what they should have been wearing. Thankfully, the vests could still be adjusted to where they fit well, although they hung quite a ways past the tail, which was sort of nice because it made the pups look larger they they were. I am assuming it will not be long before Remy does not need to wear a vest during the day due to predator birds, so Dash will get her vest once she outgrows it. I will add the spikes only when I plan to walk them on a leash, which will keep them from attempting to play and bite on the spikes. The spikes are made from a hard plastic and could hurt a pup when playing, especially since puppies are clumsy and could "put an eye out.," as our moms used to tell us as kids. Even though Remy will no doubt outgrow her vest relatively soon, I am pretty sure she will still be able to wear it for spike protection, as they have a lot of adjustment room, although it might be shorter than normal and not allow the spikes to go down her backend as far. I also purchased two large spiked collars for when the pups are larger, assuming they might need them at night when they go out to patrol, as they will have free roam of the property at that point through the courtyard doggy door. Even though I know the pups are not yet at a size where they can safely roam the yard by themselves, I feel sooo much better when they wear the vests and are allowed to run around and explore! The vests are made very nicely and also packaged very nicely when shipped. One nag I had in the beginning was how the clips were under the belly and chin, making it difficult to snap on a wriggling puppy. However, I noticed that the Velcro that goes around the neck has two Velcro anchors on the back of the collar. If you open the two Velcro anchors up, you can remove the entire Velcro neck strap and position it however you like. You can also position the Velcro belly clips more to the side, which makes it much quicker to put the vest on and take it off.