# Service dog vests



## Alleesmom (Jan 1, 2011)

I need a vest for my dog. Dog anyone know where i could get something nice that they have used


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

what kind of vest do you need? what do you want it to indicate?


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

What are your specific needs? Do you have a color preference, do you want it to come with patches already? Do you need one with pockets? ID badge slot? Does your dog wear any type of harness?

In general, some of my favourite sites for supplies are 

Activedogs.com -- Working Dog Equipment, Service Dog Vests and Harness, Dog Vests

Good for Your Dog Supplies - Treats, Toys, Beds, Kennels, Collars & more. We are your dog supply store.


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## Alleesmom (Jan 1, 2011)

she is 7 mths old 60 lbs. she is being used for pet therapy where i work, my place of employment wants their name on it, and also her name. she will test for her TDI when she is old enough she is a "employee" there and i would like to get a couple of nice vests for her to wear. i was hoping to get something with room for her to grow. how do i measure her??? i would also like to get some scarfs for her too. i am able to silk screen my self if not able to put anything on it.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Just so you know, service dog and therapy dog are two different things and it is important to correctly identify your dog as a therapy dog if they are not a service dog. 

As far as the vest, some places will customize them with your text. Another option would be to buy a vest separately and then have a patch or patches custom made with the names, or buy a vest and use a local embroidery service to add the text.

Here are a few places that sell personalized vests with your text:
LoneWolf Dogwear - An Alpha Leader in the design of quality custom made dog coats, boots, vests, rain coats, dog clothing, dog apparel, hunting dog jacket, whippet coat
The Raspberry Field LLC
Service Dog Vests & Patches
Pup'parel for Working Pups - Service Dogs

Most of those places also sell various therapy dog patches.


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## Alleesmom (Jan 1, 2011)

i do know the difference, but i like the vest. i wasnt going to put service dog on the vest.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> she will test for her TDI when she is old enough she is a "employee" there and i would like to get a couple of nice vests for her to wear.


Just FYI, you will need to test with an organization other than TDI if your dog is being used in your place of employment and you want her to wear a vest. TDI's insurance will NOT cover you unless you are visiting as a volunteer and they specifically forbid dogs from being vested as it covers the area of the dog most petted.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

AbbyK9 said:


> they specifically forbid dogs from being vested as it covers the area of the dog most petted.


i think most therapy organizations prefer bandannas for this reason, don't they?


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> i think most therapy organizations prefer bandannas for this reason, don't they?


Yes, most Therapy Dog groups prefer bandanas to vests. That way, the dog is still clearly identified as belonging to a particular group, but people are able to pet them on the shoulders and back without being inhibited by a vest.

Delta, I think, still has an option to either use the vest OR the bandana. And some of the smaller groups, like People Animals Love (PAL) in DC still vest.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I've volunteered with 3 AAT groups (locally). One of the AAT groups uses vests on all dogs, one has vests you can purchase but you aren't required to use them, and the third uses bandanas. 


Vest (from the group that requires them):


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## derby98 (Feb 9, 2008)

Anyone know where I can get a vest that can carry say 2/4 water bottles for my 90 lb GSD?


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

derby98 said:


> Anyone know where I can get a vest that can carry say 2/4 water bottles for my 90 lb GSD?


Vests typically don't carry water bottles. You'd need a backpack for that. 

OP, vests are vests for dogs- a service dog vest indicates the dog is a service dog which yours is not. You just want a plain, normal vest for her if she is not under any training organization or a service dog.


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## derby98 (Feb 9, 2008)

Yes, vest is a vest, I as thinking packpack but had vest on the mind.
I'll do a search for backpacks,

Thanks


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

DJEtzel said:


> OP, vests are vests for dogs- a service dog vest indicates the dog is a service dog which yours is not. You just want a plain, normal vest for her if she is not under any training organization or a service dog.


Typically whenever you order a vest it is plain, and you have to purchase the patches separately to place on it. Though some ebay stores will do patch embroidery on the vest. I've always bought the patches separately though and put them on my dog's harness bags.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

I have this, with custom embroidered velcro names, and velcro zipper'ed bags for them

http://www.elitek9.com/images/H01-p1-350.jpg

Its from elitek9.com. The handle is very nice


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

What do you mean by velcro zipper bags? I have a similar harness (looks like Nylon Patrol Harness-Elite K-9) I use sometimes with Tessa, with the velcro for patches. One of the downsides of it though is not having any pockets/bags like our main harness.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Lin said:


> What do you mean by velcro zipper bags? I have a similar harness (looks like Nylon Patrol Harness-Elite K-9) I use sometimes with Tessa, with the velcro for patches. One of the downsides of it though is not having any pockets/bags like our main harness.


Cargo Pouch for Harness-Elite K-9

Its basically a little zipper pouch with velcro on both sides. It'd probably stick to your vest just fine.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

I'm not a big fan of the pouches that stick on with Velcro since they can come off easily if they're not also affixed in some other way, especially if you have equipment in them and they may be heavy-ish compared to the strength of the Velcro.

You can get some harnesses like that which have MOLLE rigging on the side and you can use pouches that are MOLLE compatible, which is just about every military type pouch. (And they come in many colors including basic black or coyote tan.)

I have this one --> Modular Extreme Duty Harness and it takes any if the MOLLE pouches. Unfortunately, I've had a hard time adjusting the harness for be small enough for my Mal so I have not used it a whole lot, but I like the ability to add pouches to it. I have some little ones that are called "PDA pouches" since they're designed to hold a PDA and some other stuff, they have zipper compartments and various little pockets inside, great for organizing small stuff (phone, keys, poop bags, etc.) and big enough to hold collapsible water bowl and stuff when you don't want to bring a whole backpack.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I have a harness with MOLLE wbbing. I don't know who makes it though. It looks similar to the elitek9 one that was posted above except instead of velcro on the sides, it has MOLLE webbing. It's somewhat like this one but without the velcro (it has velcro across the chest strap but not the sides) and with a strap across the chest instead of a plate.




derby98 said:


> Anyone know where I can get a vest that can carry say 2/4 water bottles for my 90 lb GSD?


I would recommend Ruffwear's Singletrak Pack.


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