#ruffland

[fruitless-vain]

Reorganized! And now we have some trunk space! I don’t have to put my groceries in shams kennel!

We wanted it set up this way for a while but since I am the only one with a license it was my job to carpool everyone (mil,bil) around. Since they’ve decided to erupt I will no longer be doing any favours for them so alas, I don’t need three seats in the back.

Everything is just reversed from how we had it before since sham doesn’t fit on the folded seat. Sham on the left with an emergency (loose dog) leash, jumper cables, and his treat pouch on the left of the kennel. Puppy steps on top, his lead draped over the door with Yoshis lead and treats hanging on the hook. Yoshis kennel on the folded seat, her working vest, collar, and lead in the cubby to the right alongside some backup treats, flexi, and long line.

And now the little car fans can reach the front of Yoshis kennel and access the side ports of shams a bit easier so hopefully better airflow. I’m a little worried about Yoshis kennel I may need to slide it forwards a bit as reaching in to shut the door is a bit of a chore at its current distance.

So now we have some trunk space and still have technically two seats in the back although we should only really be using one

[theadventurek9]

-----+ Before

-----+ After

2 Large Rufflands

1 Intermediate Ruffland

1 - 36" wire crate

1 Play Pen

2 Clip and Go Jumps

6 PVC Jumps

12 Weave Poles

Treat n Train

Dog Cot

Foldable chair

Water Jug

Many other dog supplies

My car makes me so happy right now. I now have three dogs for hiking so I needed to upgrade my transport situation in the van. Now I can get all of the dogs in and out from one door. Easily access all my gear and not feel so cluttered all the time.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

We went to the post office today. I had the scooter in the back blocking the crate door. We have the Ruffland (F/L) so I was able to get her in and out from the drivers side without too much fuss. She was 100% good girl inside. On the way out I had her sit/stay in the shade while I put away my rollator and got the crate open. It was a quick trip and the concrete wasn’t super hot but I didn’t want her standing out in the sun waiting for me. She was so polite and didn’t move an inch even with people walking by and talking to her. Afterwards we went to the park for a 1 mile scooter run (she had shoes). She is not really pulling my weight or running faster than a light jog but we’re working on her overall health and endurance so regular exercise is a must. Besides the scooter she’s been going on jogs with Hubbins, volunteering to use her carpetmill, swimming and hiking at Sniffspots and longline decompression walks. Our next round of Canine Conditioning classes start this Friday and I finally switched her to a weight management kibble. She needs to lose about 5 lbs and keep it off.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

We sold our large Ruffland Kennel today. It’ll be a few years before we get our next prospect and when that time comes I’ll want the RLKs to match. Ruffland Kennels are relatively expensive but the resale is amazing and now I can get the rest of the splint rings I need.

Goodbye Large Whitestone. The XL Millstone is treating us well 😌

I liked the front & back configuration because I could check on Mandana but the Front/Side plus a camera is really better for us. Sometimes the back area is blocked but she can still get in from the drivers side door. Its also a lot easier to clean the crate from the side than it is the front and allows more access to physically get to her if she needs care.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

We finally got a crate for the car!

I’ll be doing some crate training in the house until we can finalize the setup. This will make going places easier since I won’t have to buckle her into a safety harness every trip and it will be significantly safer.

I was debating between the Large and the Extra Large but I’m glad I sized down. Car crates should be snug to prevent the dog from moving too much during an accident. The XL would have been way too big.

Blooper pic from an excited Malinois 🤪

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Car Update

Our Honda CRV is back from the shop with a “new” catalytic converter. It’s wrapped in rebar now so hopefully that will deter future theft. We put the finishing touches on Mandana’s setup and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

Ruffland Kennel - size Large, Extra Ventilation, Front & Back doors that can open either direction or can easily be removed. Seats have been removed and the crate is ratchet strapped to the seat anchors for safety. (Anchor + Straps + Screws)

Primopad - Custom fit for RLK, heat sealed instead of stiched so it’s completely waterproof for easy cleaning.

USB Crate Fan - Silent, dual fans designed to transfer the air for temperature regulation rather than high velocity air blowing on her.

Emergency Kit - thermal blanket, instant cold packs, trauma pads, vet wrap, tweezers & tick remover, Benadryl, saline flush for eyes & wounds, collapsible water bowl

Extra Dog Supplies - towels, potty pads, poop bags, emergency muzzle, treats

I.C.E. Tag & Slip Lead - Includes contact information, instruction to take to vet for guaranteed boarding & medical treatment, and to only use a slip lead to prevent her escaping if scared in an emergency.

Decals - Service Dog Inside // In case of emergency save our dog // Caution K9 On Board // custom awareness ribbon for my four main diseases (EDS, MCAS, POTS, GP)

[mandana-the-service-pup]

✨ Sprouts PA #7 ✨

We’re almost done finalizing the car setup, but for now here’s a pic from our trip to the store. I conditioned Mandana to the crate over several days and she was fine with it until our first trip and she realized she doesn’t get to look out the window anymore. I’m trying really hard not to rush her. We practice loading/unloading every time we go outside for a potty break but these things take time.

Our actual session in the store was great. She was very attentive and polite. We practiced separating from Hubbins and walking close to the shelves without sniffing.

We had a tiny incident when I heard someone with a cart barreling down an isle in our direction. I knew if he turned the corner he would hit her so I told her “yip yip” which is her command to run and we skittered out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by the cart. It’s not something we’ve practiced so I’m glad she trusted me enough to do it and she seemed to understand why after it happened.

[fruitless-vain]

We’re all going to ignore the amount of snow that blew in to my car in the amount of time it took me to configure the new hooks

- added EZ open tabs to the kennel doors and coloured decorative plates

- three new colour coded hooks for each leash + Yoshis working gear (it was hard to stretch that far in for her gear)

- added a yeti dry bag to hold spare poop bags, emergency leash, and backup treats (might add emergency info in there but I’d like a big EMERGENCY tag for that first)

Probably going to rotate things around but that can wait for when it’s not -15c and snowing