1. Chilly Dogs Sweaters for Chilly Dogs
My dog Victor loves squirrels, so I couldn’t resist decking him out in this new squirrel pattern from Chilly Dogs, a company using Inca Artisans in South America to create hand knit wool sweaters.
(Note: There are Amazon affiliate links in this post. Please click on them – it’s no expense to you and dogtrotting.net might make a few pennies. Thanks!).
According to the company, established in 1999, it follows fair trade guidelines and pays a living wage to knitters in small villages.
I met them at SuperZoo this year and couldn’t resist also ordering a matching sweater for Victor’s best, Sasha, a chocolate lab cross. Clearly, the sweaters come in a variety of sizes.
And yes, the ‘twins’ in their sweaters were very popular in the dog park. Check out this season’s styles: (affiliate link) Sweaters start around $30 (but I found another one in green for Victor at Pet Expo 2017 for $25).
2. Messy Mutts Elevated Dog Feeder
When I got my Messy Mutts elevated double feeder (from the company in exchange for an honest review -like the following products here), I immediately tried to put all the pieces together like some kind of IKEA pet dish assemble.
Then I realized … you don’t put all the legs on – only the height you need. Messy Mutts feeder (affiliate link) comes with three sets of legs, at three heights. So you can use it for different dogs at different times, or it grows with your dog.
My dog Victor needs the middle height, and he’s a very messy mutt. When he eats, he 
pulls the kibble (and wet food, ick) out of the bowl and spreads it over the floor. Messy Mutts feeder with a wider lip and raised edge is designed to keep food closer to the bowl and pup necks elevated – ergonomic – while eating.
The middle height was good for Victor – who’s Cocker Spaniel size – and the dishes are a little deeper than he’s used to, but holds more water. The stainless steel dishes remove from the FDA approved silicone for easy cleaning. Plus, Canadian-based Jascor Housewares Inc., which started as a kitchen supply store, makes Messy Mutts, so Messy Mutt products look like they belong in your house, rather than a doggie-daycare full of bone-shaped accessories.
3. EQyss Elite Dog Shampoo
Sasha’s getting this in her stocking this year, primarily because I’ve already used it on her. Last visit, she rolled in … well, whatever… during our hike at Bronte Creek Provincial Park so her lab-like coat got slathered in EQyss Elite conditioning shampoo when we got home. Sulfate and Paraben Free, this tropical berry scent shampoo rinsed off her coat beautifully and smelt fresh, almost fruit-like.
It contains hemp and pomegranate seeds, sunflower oil, Aloe Vera, lavender and avocado extracts and organic apple cider vinegar for pH balance. That last one’s important and, what some people don’t know, is the reason human shampoo shouldn’t be used on pets. Animal fur requires a different pH formula and getting in wrong can result in skin issues.
Sixteen ounce bottles (473 ml) start at about $25 (affiliate link) and the company offers other interesting products such as EQyss Chew Proof It! Anti-chew spray (affiliate link) for furniture, plants, carpets etc., guaranteed to stop your pet from chewing. In addition, the EQyss Flea Bite flea and tick spray and shampoo (affiliate link) containing four natural oils designed to repel pesky insects.
4. GoDog Tough Toys
What else is Santa bringing 80-pund lab-cross Sasha this year? A RHINOPLAY GoDog Vexo dog toy (affiliate link). Why? Because she rips toys apart in seconds – and the company sent me one to review, along with some colourful GoDog Sugar Skulls from WorldWise here (affiliate link). This ‘deceptively light, incredibly strong’ toy did pass the vice-grip jaw test of Sasha. She didn’t destroy it … all week she was visiting.
She did leave teeth marks in the non-toxic dense foam, however. But that’s to be expected. They toy is light, easy on teeth (unlike wood she sometimes chews) and floats, also good for labs. Check out the product’s interesting backstory here:
A profit portion from each purchase goes to charities supporting the human/pet bond. We know a little about that, right? Toys run about $9 each.
5. Solvit Car Seat Cover
I loved this car seat cover so much I bought another for the driver’s seat because, well, sometimes I’m messy too. My dog Victor and I test-drove this Solvit Car Seat Cover (affiliate link) with our best canine bud Sasha, and she proved worthy of the experiment. Part Lab, she loves the water and a three-inch puddle was bathtub enough for her.
Then she jumped in the car.
Retailing for around $30, these Solvit seat covers solve a world of problems (what the company is known for) – not to mention saving upholstery cleaning dollars. The covers strap around the back and bottom of a bucket seat, and stretch over the headrest keeping them in place. Then you can easily detach them and throw them a standard washing machine.
Solvit Seat Covers keep muddy paws (and complete underside in Sasha’s case) off your car seat fabric (or leather), and work for split coffee too.
We have the Solvit Seat Cuddler for Rooney in the car and it is so crucial to keeping my seats somewhat clean (since they are fabric) when Rooney commutes with me to work.
I’m discover a lot of people love Solvit covers. How cool you get to take your dog to work!
I love the elevated dog bowl and the tough toys! Our dogs are power chewers…they can chew through almost anything! We are always looking for a tougher stronger toy!
I’ve only recently consider the benefit of elevating the food, especially because my little terrier/cocker cross is getting up there in age.
These sweaters are beautiful…matching sweaters make it easy to spot your dogs at the dog park…what a great idea. Gusto loves to have things to chew on so I’ll have to check that out.
Good point. I hadn’t thought of that but they did stand out.
These are all great gift ideas for the traveling pet. Gusto has a thick coat already but the sweaters are lovely for dogs that should wear coats. I love the idea of matching sweaters at the dog park too. 🙂
OMD! The squirrel sweaters are the best!!! I imagined Henry and Jack wearing them; now, I must have!!! I appreciate that they are fair trade also.
I couldn’t say no either.
Since we’re cats, we haven’t used any of these products. They do look like wonderful products at reasonable prices for the canine in your life.
True. These are all specifically for dogs.
I think these are great gift ideas for dog lovers! That sweater is so cute, and I especially like that the artisans are paid a living wage. I am adding one to my wishlist.
I seriously need these tough toys. Ella the Destroyer wants a new challenge!
This one lasted the longest with this dog – I’ve tested others in other posts.
Such great gift ideas! Those sweaters are so gorgeous I can see why the best buds were a hit at the dog park. I did chuckle at the car seat cover you bought for you. I might actually have to try that one too.
I make as much mess as the dogs. Everyone smiled when they saw these two – considerably different sized – dogs in matching sweaters. One guy yelled, “Hey, twins.”
I love the dog jumpers! People forget that a dog might need an extra layer even if they are an active pup AND they look so gorgeous as well.
I can’t imagine aANYONE with a dog NOT having this seat cover! I mean set dog + car = a smelly hair mess – right?
The Dash Kitten Crew
We are at negative 7 Celsius today and it’s going to get colder by Tuesday. Low of 15 possible. Other than Huskies, most dogs here need something … and it might as well be cute.
Wonderful gift ideas, thanks for sharing! That adorable squirrel sweater is the cutest, I love it. I like that it is a fair trade garment too, that’s important. My Husky could certainly use a chew toy like the GoDog Tough Toy, I’ve not seen that one before. The Solvit seat cover looks beautiful, I’ve been searching for a back seat cover for awhile now. Great roundup of gifts under $50!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
This toy from GoDog was one of the first I found that Sasha – a lab/Malinois cross and Victor’s friend – didn’t destroy in minutes. I’m sure she did eventually – I sent it home with her.
I haven’t tried any of these items however I will share with my dog loving friends. These are great affordable gift ideas.
I was surprised at some prices, particularly the car seat covers. Good value.
I haven’t used any of these products however I will be sharing this post for my dog loving friends. Thanks for sharing these affordable gift ideas.
Love that squirrel sweater. What a perfect theme for a dog sweater!
—Wags (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats
I couldn’t resist. Squirrels are his biggest obsession.
What a great idea this list is. I think if it is ok with you I may look to doing one for tiny flying dogs!
PS – we have about 5 Chilly Dogs!
Sure. I’ll link back. I don’t take my guy on the plane because I’d have to check him.
I love the Solvit Seat Covers. They remove so easily to toss in the washing machine, but stay in place well when strapped to my car seats. And my dog is a wiggler, so the covers have been well-tested!
I had the same experience.
I love the Solvit products. I think a seat cover would be a great idea. We have their ramp and it’s been working really well.
I love that company too – very innovative.
The Chilly Dog sweaters are really cute and I like their patterns. Unfortunately, I think Mr. N falls in between two sizes. I’ve tried them on him and I can’t find one that fits.
I usually go with the slightly bigger one – easier to get on and off. I need to stop buying them because Victor has enough … then I found one with a panda on it….
Those are some pawsome gifts! We especially love the squirrel sweater (not that felines would ever allow our humans to put a sweater on us) but we do love squirrels and watch them every day staling seed from the upstairs bird feeder.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Tucker, Alpha of the Tribe of Five
The squirrels were just to ironic to pass up.
This is a great roundup of gifts. The squirrel sweater is just adorable, and I really like the car seat cover. I may be investing in that for when I help my niece take her dog to the vet.
The car seat has worked for me. And it washes easily – easier than trying to steam clean the seat (which I tried).
I haven’t used any of these products specifically but a car seat cover is indispensable for me. Even little dogs get super muddy (maybe me more so since they are loser to the grounnd).
I discovered seat covers a little too late. My next car will be covered like a operating room starting day one.
Couldn’t find the ‘like’ button on this post but I am definitely interested in your product reviews and will do more research on the ones interested in! Thank you for doing some of the leg work for us and providing honest reviews of tried products! That is the best!
Thanks. All of these I’d use and I especially love Chilly Dog sweaters and Solvit seat covers. Both products I bought more of.
Also, I activated the ‘like’ button – thanks for pointing that out.