Cross Country Skiing with Dogs

While there are very legitimate reasons that dogs shouldn't be allowed on cross-country ski trails, trekking along with your dog over freshly groomed tracks while snow flakes land softly on your face couldn't be more invigorating for you and for your dog.

Here are our favorite spots to cross country ski with our dogs:

Teton Canyon, Driggs, Idaho.
Groomed almost daily, this dog friendly, 13 kilometer out and back track will bring you views that won't let you down. The trailhead is off ski hill road at the end of Teton Canyon Road. See http://www.tvtap.org/skiing for updates on grooming.


Blacktail, Lakeside, Montana
Groomed about every other day, there are a few loops and and out and back that offers stunning views of Flathead Lake. There is a lower and an upper trailhead off the road to Blacktail ski area. See http://northshorenordic.org/Default.htm for updates.

As always, even when dogs are permitted on trails, if they are punching holes in the tracks, please take your dog back to the car.

Tell us your favorite place to ski with your dog.

Holiday Cookies - For The Dog

Ginger Bone Treats (courtesy of The BARK)

A quick and simple holiday cookie recipe for your dog (and maybe you).

Dogs love these yummy ginger flavored treats made especially for them! Use a cookie cutter shaped like a bone or your dogs favorite toy, get creative.

Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup molasses
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions
Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Roll out dough on floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut into desired shapes. Combine dough scraps and continue to roll out and cut into shapes until all dough has been used.
Place cookies on ungreased foil-lined baking sheets and bake in preheated 325º oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Release N Run Top ?'s

Is that a shock collar? - Common questions about the Release N Run

We get a lot of questions and comments about the Release N Run when we are out doing shows, some of them a little crazy but nonetheless we thought we answer some of those questions here on our blog.

1. Q-Is that Collar/Leash strong enough to hold my dog? A- Absolutely, the collar has been extensively tested in both the field and in the lab with a break strength more than twice the maximum recommended weight, for example the collar rated for 110# dogs is tested to more than 220 pounds. See the last question for more info.
   
2. Q-Is that a shock collar? A-No we can assure you that there is no shock collar in the RNR!
   
3. Q-Will the handle get caught on something when my dog is running around? A-No the collar was designed so that all but 1/2" of the handle stows in the collar and that the 1/2" part that is exposed is at the top of the dogs neck making it safe from catching on anything.
4. Q-my dog will chew through the cord? A- yes if your dog chews the leash he will chew through this leash as well. Try sour apple spray to get your dog rid of this habit.
5. Q- Is the leash strong enough to hold my dog? A- yes this is a repeat of the first question, but we get asked it so much I thought I would address is again. The leash is made of ultrahigh strength Spectra Cord which is extremely strong, 10 times as strong as steel to be exact. This is the same cord that the hand-held retractable leashes use.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask through our contact us page.

Dog Dehydration

This morning, we woke up early to hit the trails in order to get Brian to work on time. We rode/ran hard with few stops, except to give Jake some water. When we returned home, of course Jake was hot and we were hurried to get out the door. Clearly, there was no time for Jake to get water, because he was way too concerned that we would leave him behind for the day. Being way too soft, I grabbed his food and water bowl, put his "town" Release N Run on and told him to load up; he was going to Seattle for the day. We dropped Brian off and immediately found a Starbucks with outside seating so I could work and he could eat and drink. Nope, he was too interested in all the people. I then took him to a park; again, no food, no water. I tried sitting in a parking lot for a bit and giving him water in the care. Nothing. So is he dehydrated? Here's the test.

Pinch some skin over the back of a dog's shoulders. When a dog is dehydrated, it won't "snap back" quickly because a dehydrated dog loses elasticity in its skin.

Surely before the day is over, he'll decide to drink. I'm not holding out on the food though. . .

User Comments/Reviews

Check out what people have to say about the RNR on the Daily Grommet website. A big thanks to all of our users that posted their thoughts about the Release N Run. If you have any reviews (good or not so good) of any of our product please feel free to leave them here or email us. Here is the link to the comments page.

Release N Run Featured on Daily Grommet Website

We are honored to be the featured product on the dailygrommet.com The Daily Grommet does a feature of a new and exciting product everyday and features that product all day long. The site gets thousands of submissions every year and only accepts 20 per month and only a few of those 20 each month are for pet related products so its no small task to make it onto the site. They feature each product with a great video and story about the product and company history. The Release N Run is a great fit for the site as they have a very devote and forward thinking group and I think will enjoy the simplicity and innovation the Release N Run offer! Feel free to go and post a your thoughts about the RNR on the site even if you have already own one.

New Video on Youtube

New products on the way!

We have been work hard at Rad Dog this spring on some new products. The Pocket Bowl and a new traditional leash that has tons of added features. We should have pictures soon. Hopefully they will be available on the website soon so check back.

New Stores - Rad Dog Gear Available in the Methow!

Rad Dog gear is now available in the Methow Valley at The Mazama Store and Winthrop Mountain Sports. Click the logos to find their location and what other great things they offer. Both are great stores and we are super psyched to be in both of them. If you're a store or know of a store the should carry Our RAD Gear please go to our website and send us an email.

The Patent...

Over the past week we have been feverishly working on filing an amendment to the patent application. Its crazy how long of a process it can be. We are coming up on three years from the original filing date and we are still in the middle of the process. After speaking with numerous people over the past month and speaking with a few attorneys we have decided to start working with a local firm so we can have a closer, more hands on relationship, in hopes that we can get the patent application accepted. Hopefully all of this hard work will pay off with a patent in the near future.

Not Just a Dog

The original author of this is unknown, but for all of you who consider your dog more than a dog, I hope you enjoy this.

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or,
"that's a lot of money for just a dog."

They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs
involved for "just a dog."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog."

Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand
phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and
pure unbridled joy.

"Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better
person.

Because of "just a dog", I will rise early, take long walks and look
longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all
the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog", but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a man or just as woman."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog" just smile... because they
"just don't understand."

Next Market, Special Colors - Pink

Getting ready for this Saturday's Farmers Market here in Bellingham. Spent the day making new display dogs and getting the rest of the booth ready for Saturday. The weather is forecast to be great, SO stop on down! We also spent some time making a few extra collars in different colors that people had requested. Let us know if you have a color that you want us to make for your doggy. Just made two pink collars for some lady dogs that stopped by last weekend looking for some girl colors. Hope to see lots of people stop by the market this weekend. Enjoy the the beautiful spring weather that is starting to spread across the country

Bellinham Farmers Market Kick Off

Upon first arrival, the skies were gray and the temperature was in the mid 40s. Just as we set up our booth, with helpful hints from Peggy, our neighboring KaBloom vendor, it started to hail. Then the hail changed into an intense downpour. Bellinghamsters are used to getting wet, so a little hail combined with the rain couldn't stop them from showing up for the opening bell.

Our first day at the market was a huge success. Lots of people visited our booth and asked us what the Release N Run is all about. If you don't know, stop by next weekend, April 10th. We'll be happy to show you. Here's to a great season at the Market. And if you don't see us there, remember you can always find us online at www.myraddog.com.

Rad Dog Innovates

Wow! It's been an exciting week for Rad Dog. Last night, Rad Dog asked a few of their friends to share their opinions about one of the next Rad Dog products. All of these dog owners spent about 3 hours of their coveted time to give us their opinions. Armed with stickers and post-it notes, they shared likes and dislikes. A huge thanks to all of you. Your opinions and ideas are helping us move forward. And, thanks to our Industrial Designers, Jerimiah and Anders. You ran an impressive product selection party. Of course, dogs were welcome at the party, so Jake had a grand time playing with Fiona and Padden.

The Release N Run Featured in Seattle Times Newspaper

The Release N Run was Featured today in The Seattle Times Newspaper. There is a great review by writer and outdoors man Dan Nelson. It features the Release N Run and one other product. Follow the link and check out the full review. Seattle Times Rad Dog Review.

Commitment

A New Commitment!
To write on the Blog at least twice a week. There are lots of exciting things going on with Rad Dog as well as with our friends and customers and I want to share those things with everyone. So here's to the first entry related to that commitment as well as to the continued posting of many exciting and informational posts.

New Collars - Ready

Picked up the new Release N Run's from our sewer today, they look great. Now we have a great stock of collars to provide to everyone that wants one. Check out the website. www.myraddog.com to view the collars. Also we are planning to phase out Purple and Digital Camo so if you want one of the those colors get them while they are still available. Now I have to package and label them.

Found dog- How to find your dogs if they get lost.

Today I was on a great run in the Chuckanuts here in Bellingham, and towards the end of the run my running partner, Hilary, and I found a dog just wandering around. We ran past him, and as we looked back he was following us; we urged him to go back, but he kept following. We backtracked a bit, but there was no one around. We also stood still for awhile, hoping he'd catch a scent of his owners and go find them. Yet, he followed us all the way to the car. There was no one to be found in the lot, and when I put the tailgate down, he immediately hopped into the bed of the truck. We called the humane society to see if someone had reported a losing a dog, but they were closed and their message said to call 911 on the weekends. 911 contacted the person on call from the humane society and sent someone over to pick the dog up. We hope that his owner gets in touch with them, soon!

So what should you do if you lose your dog or find a dog?

1. Before your dog is ever lost make sure that he/she has ID tags; this dog had tags but the name and number were worn off and not legible.
2. Consider getting your dog "chipped." Then if your dog loses their tags, or for whatever reason they were not wearing them, the humane society will know right away who the dog belongs to.
3. If your dog is lost, call the humane society and/or animal control ASAP.
4. Tell people in the area that you lost your dog and ask them if they have seen him/her.
   
5. Place an ad on craigslist. Many people check there to see if someone may have lost a dog.
6. Place signs with a photo up around the area where they became lost and maybe also post signs around the city.
7. If you lost your dog in a neighborhood or city, tell the local postal, FedEx, and UPS person that you lost your dog.
   
8. Let all of your friends know, maybe they know someone that knows someone...
9. Place an ad in the paper or call the local radio station or news station and see if they can help.
10. Go back with friends to where you lost the dog and search the area. Bring a toy that they like, especially one that makes noise.
11. Last but not least, don't give up; often it takes time. And, some dogs eventually find their own way home.

This is not an exhaustive list. There are many different ways to find or return a lost dog, but these are just a few ideas to get you headed in the right direction. If you have additional ways to help others locate or return a lost dog, please let everyone know.

A Little Help

Thanks to all of our great friends and customers Rad Dog has come a long way in the last two years. Now we need a little help with the sewing, so today I took 200 or so retractors and the collar materials to a local sewer. She will sew all the red, black, and blue collars giving us a lot more time to do other things related to Rad Dog. Its a big help and I'm sure she will do a quality job. We still have to package them so we will be able to make sure everything is up to par before we sell them. Hopefully this will give us more time to focus on the customers.

A Day at Stevens Pass With the Avalanche Dogs

Spent a great afternoon up at Stevens Pass with 15+ avalanche dogs and their ski patrol owners. Stevens Pass Ski Patrol flew in from Switzerland two highly skilled avalanche dog experts and hosted a week long avalanche clinic for resorts around the west. There were over 15 dogs and owners in attendance running through drills and all the various skills that make for a great search dog and owner. They worked with the two Swiss instructors and further advanced there skills and knowledge about how to best search for avalanche victims. I also to meet Corey the and his dog Niva, the two that originally contacted us about our new product the Release N Run.

This picture is of the attendees, which made the trip from all over the west. We were happy to be there and meet these great life saving dogs and people. We were able to hand out gear to all the attendees that came form such places as, Mt Bachelor, Alpine Meadows, Solitude, Sundance, Alyeska, Mt Hood, Heavenly, Sierra at Tahoe, as well as some local Search and rescue groups with the WA state DOT and King County SAR. We are happy to have the gear on these dogs and hope they can put the gear to great use.











Here is Osso and Niva playing around in the snow after the class was over. It sounds like the dogs had a great week and all the attendees were very impressed with the information they received. Thanks for inviting me up to witness the class, meet the owners and their dogs and pass some new gear. What a great!

Photo Shoot - Amazing Day!

It was a great day in Bellingham for some Pictures with the DOGS!

We started out early Saturday morning with our bikes and gear to get some photos for the new website that Katy, our Graphics designer, is working on. We left the Samish parking lot at 6 am so as to catch the sunrise up on Galbraith mountain, and what a great sunrise and day it turned out to be, as you can tell by the pictures!

We started out from the lot in the dark, headed to the pipeline trail, and worked our way towards Mullet and the top of Oly for the main part of our shoot. We met our friend Nicola, co-owner of Trailhead Athletics, and her two dogs, Sonic and Roxy, part way up the mountain. Anders snapped photos the entire way up; the dogs loved it. We rode and jogged around with all three dogs zigzagging around the bikes and people.

After a few hours with Nicola and her dogs, they traded out duties with our friend Ruth and her dog Fiona. We took more pictures, gave the dogs more treats, and let the dogs get even dirtier; they loved it!



All the dogs played and enjoyed being out so early in the day. Oh, and of course they loved the treats that we bribed them with. Jake, Roxy, and Sonic are all showing the focus of a Rad Dog!






In the afternoon Anders set out to the saltwater flats with some of his friends for some more great pictures. He had three more dogs join him in the fun as they had a great time playing in the sand and water.












All in all, it was a great day on the mountain and at the beach. Anders did a great job with the shoot and all the dogs and humans alike had a great time! Thanks to our friends Nicola and Ruth for their help, and a big thanks to all six dogs that did all the HARD work looking good and sporting Rad Dog gear, like the Release N Run.

All Ten Avi dogs at Stevens Pass now wearing Rad Dog Gear

All Ten Avalanche search and rescue dogs at Stevens Pass Resort now have the Release N Run and other Rad Dog Gear. Stop by and check them out next time you are up there. Stop by the Patrol shack and buy a coll Stevens Pass Avi dog T-shirt from them as it supports the self funded owners and their dogs Buy a red or black one off our website and tells us you want to support the dogs and we will give part the profits from that leash sale to the dog fund.

Two Years...

Two years ago today we officially started Rad Dog, LLC. It has been a great two years, we have learned a lot about business and dogs. It has been a great deal of fun testing the Release N Run out on the trails and the roads. Unfortunately last year we saw our lead dog Fletcher pass but his spirit lives on in our company and everything we do at Rad Dog, he was the original Rad Dog! We have exciting things planned this year so stay tuned and please keep passing your comments on to us as this would have not been possible if it were not for all of our great friends and customers. Thanks everyone!

Release N Run Now at Skinny Raven in Anchorage, AK

The RNR is now available at Skinny Raven in Downtown Anchorage. Check them out on the web or if you are in downtown Anchorage drop in to their store; they carry tons of different shoes and other great gear. They are also super friendly and will help you find a great running or hiking trail around the area.

Rad Dog Gear Now Available at Golden Mill

New Store - Golden Mill in Golden, CO

The Golden Mill is now carrying Rad Dog dog gear, please visit them in downtown Golden and see what they have in to offer. Be sure to tell them that you are psyched about the new rad gear they are carrying! Ironically in the foothills of Golden, CO is where the idea for the Release N Run and thus Rad Dog started, does this mean bigger things are ahead for Rad Dog, we hope. For the story on how Rad Dog started please check out our website: myraddog.com They do not have a website but here is the link to yelp with the location. http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-mill-golden

Peregrine Outfitter Now Carrying Rad Dog Gear

The Release N Run is now available to retail stores through Peregrine Outfitters. About Peregrine Outfitters: Peregrine Outfitters is an industry-leading wholesale distribution & fulfillment company committed to constantly delivering the highest levels of service.

Stevens Pass Avi dog now wearing Release N Run

One of the Stevens Pass Avalanche dogs is now using a Release N Run - by Rad Dog. Hopefully the collar will be super helpful, making leash use easy and convenient. The Patroller should never have to take his gloves off or dig in his pockets or backpack for a leash! We will let you know it goes. We are super psyched to have this on one of the rescue dogs and hope that other patrollers might want to utilize the benefits of the RNR. Let us know if you, or someone you know, is in the working dog industry and could possibly benefit from the RNR; we offer a great deal to working dogs.