More Doggy Riding Gear. Can't Buy It - Make It!

Cold weather riding isn't fun for me or Cooper but sometimes we just get caught in it.  Especially in the Spring and Fall.  The only thing we can do to get through it is to dress for it.  I have my coat with a removable liner, chaps, gloves, a cowl for my neck, extra shirts to wear and sometimes I wear pajama pants under my jeans and tuck the legs into my socks to keep the wind off my legs.

Cooper is faced with a whole different set of circumstances.  They don't make clothes he needs for dogs who ride motorcycles in cold weather.  I have already posted the snow suit I bought for him (see 3/10/11).  This is perfect but sometimes not enough.  The snow suit has an open belly and bum for going #1 and #2.  Unfortunately this also allows wind to get in and make him cold.  He really needed something that covered him a little more completely.  There isn't anything like this anywhere.  I've LOOKED!  It was clear to me I would have to sew.  I HATE to sew!

Cooper and I went to Salvation Army to find a pair of one piece feety pajamas that would fit him.  2T happens to be his size.  I bought a blue pair that were in good shape.

Poor pictures but I couldn't leave them out.
They were just TOO GOOD!

When we got home I took out some safety pins and scissors.  I had no idea how this would work out but I had to figure it out.  I put the pajamas on Cooper then cut the feet off.  The pajamas were so baggy that they would have to be taylored quite a bit.  I wanted the zipper to be on his belly so if we stopped to let him pee I could open the belly of his suit and let him go pee without having to completely undress him.  I pulled the fabric together on both sides of the zipper, making an even hem on each side.  The hem actually became helpful as a bulkier layer on his belly since four inches of his belly was covered by this triple thick folded layer.  The sleeves were about the right length but the legs were a little harder to fit.  I didn't want to loose the end of the zipper and I wanted to try to make sure the legs were even all the way to his feet.

See what I mean?  He's just LAYING THERE!

Another consideration was his tail.  If I hadn't already experienced cold weather riding with Cooper I wouldnt' have even considered what his tail needed.  I would have just cut a hole to let his tail poke out.  I know now that since his tail is just really skin and bone, it's prone to freeze first if it's not held close to his warm body.  So I didn't cut a hole for his tail but I did try to make sure it was a little looser there so his tail wouldn't be uncomfortable.  This became part of his riding gear for cold weather riding.  I keep it on my bike with his snow suit in case we need it.

By the way, Cooper had to endure being 'fitted' for his new liner.  This meant dressing, undressing, pinning, cutting and so on until it was perfect.  He is a very tolerant dog.

Check out the little curl on his bum.  That's his tail.

Another consideration one wouldn't think about is a dog's ears.  In cold weather when they are out in the cold wind they can freeze.  Our solution to that was to cut the foot off a gym sock so we could slip it snuggly over his head as a hood and cowl to hold his ears close to his warm head.  It's as important to me to have him dressed warmly as it is to dress myself.  As I have always said, if I'm not making sure his needs are met and keeping him comfortable and safe, I see it as abuse/neglect.  I'd never intentionally allow him to be un-safe, un-happy or un-protected.  He's cared for to the best of my ability.