[Dailydrool] harnesses again... (Or Joey's adventure)

[Karrie Kuecker]

I give up, Joey broke *another* harness! That makes Joey-3, harnesses-0.
He's broken 2 of them now, and one of them he broke twice! This one was a
nice one, it's the "cozy hemp harness" from Planet Dog. Theirs are really
nice, as not only adjustable around the neck and tummy, but also on the
chest strap, which's nice for the long basset bodies.

Apparently when my dad got home from work, he put Joey on his tie-out, then
came in and got Checkers and walked him around the back yard (no fence, so
we use tie-outs, and just walk the boys on leash). Well, dad said he heard
Joey barking up a storm, which all the boys do when there's the stray cat,
or a bunny, or chipmonk, or some other critter invading their yard. Well,
apparently a few minutes later Joey trotted over to dad and Checkers, way
past where he should've been able to go, and dad looked up and saw a naked
Joey hound, and his harness still attached to the tie out!! Not to mention
he SMELLED and was brown! Looks like he had quite the adventure that
involved rolling in something brown & sticky; most likely poo from some
unknown vermin... Apparently he split it in 2 places, right at the seam
under the tummy (where the chest strap connects to the tummy strap; it's
sewen down so that the harness won't rotate, a nice feature!) and, he broke
the clasp... The clasp is nylon!! Now, Joey only weighs about 72 lbs. (his
weight as of last month), and he literally shredded the seam on this
harness!! I'm starting to wonder if there's any harness that can keep him
in! I've had his big harness, the search & rescue grade one, sitting in a
drawer, so right now he's in that one. Only problem is it's got a lot of
material to it (pleanty of airholes to allow for proper ventilation,) I am
worried about him possibly over heating in it for summer. So far, this is
the only harness I've had him in that has held him!! I'm starting to worry
that he'll break any of the other harnesses that I'll put him in. (And, the
planet dog harness came recomended by both droolers and other "big dog"
owners). I've e-mailed planet dog to see what their weight rating is on the
harness, it's supposedly made for "big dogs," but I'm starting to wonder if
they don't call smaller dogs "big dogs." Joey can pull, no doubt about that,
he's big enough to do things like drag me through the flower garden (which
he did sunday night, the last time the area's stray cat appeared), but
doesn't do so all the time, just when he sees cats and bunnies and things.
Not on a normal walk, even when he's frolicing.

Any droolers out there with "big bassets" (like above 70 lbs.) that have
found a secure harness, that's suited to the basset body shape, and capable
of withstanding the occasional pulling? (I should mention that this harness
is under 2 mos. old too!!) I've heard good things about Lupine & Bison, but
I have heard good things about the Planet Dog ones as well, and his still
shreded...

Also, Joey smelled REALLY BAD last night, like we're talking one notch above
getting banished to the garage smelled. I have no idea what he rolled in,
but it was sticky & brown, and all the way down both front paws, on his
upper back and even behind the earflaps!! Maybe this was eau du vermin turd?
Some form of basset cologne? All I know is 3 of those between bath wipe
things didn't hardly make a dent, neither did warm water & dial soap (it was
handy, though probably not great for his skin. At least it's anti-bacterial
so I can reast assured he's mostly been sanitized.) This morning I loaded up
a towel with the Paul Mitchell dog "clense" shampoo, and he smells a whole
lot better and a huge amount of the brown is gone. It's to the point now
that I can't tell if his feet are grass stained (his one foot has had a
yellow spot on it since before I got him), or if it's the nasty stuff he
rolled in. Hopefully he can get a good, long, extra shampooy bath soon!! I'm
just happy he now smells like pet shampoo more than nasty stuff. And,
knowing Joey, whatever the stuff he rolled in was, he was probably 4 paws
up, foot paddeling, happy as a clam; he so loves a good roll in nasty
smelling stuff!
-Karrie, momma to Joey Houndini, the extra stinky!
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