Dox and Dane "Dog Coats" Review

Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a fantastic day! Today I have a review for you on Zoe and Phoenix's new custom made coats from a shop on Etsy called Dox and Dane. We received the coats in exchange for an honest review.



Since moving back to the Pacific Northwest, I have been on the hunt for some new coats for the girls. They have their Weatherbeeta coats but lets face it, those coats are weather beaten!! Also, Zoe's doesn't even cover her butt anymore! The girls are not fond of the cold and they really dislike the rain. I needed coats that would keep them warm and be weather resistant because I still want to be able to take them on adventures, even if the weather is poor. They are also very hard to fit. Pretty much every measurement on each part of their bodies is different.

I searched high and low for a shop who would work with us. Unfortunately, I even had to deal with some shops not wanting to do it because my dogs are mix breeds! It was really disappointing and I was beginning to think I would not find anyone who wanted to work with us, until I happened upon the Dox and Dane shop.

About Dox and Dane:
Janae, the shop's owner, is a crafter turned science geek who is working on getting back to her creativity side. She used to make her own clothes and even payed for a few semesters of college selling stuffed toys that she made in high school! Janae has a degree in microbiology and she feels it stomped out her creative side for a while. What got her back into sewing were her dogs. Her dogs are unusually sized and she couldn't find coats for them that would fit for their Colorado winters. Janae makes coats from the smallest of dogs, like her dachshunds all the way up to the largest, her great dane.

 Phoenix's Coat

I was extremely impressed with Janae, the owner of Dox and Dane, before I even had the coats sent to me! Janae is a very upbeat and enthusiastic person and it just shines through every conversation we've had. She was excited and happy to work with us, even though I had some pretty specific requirements and measurements. There was never a moment where I doubted she would come through and even though the coats are completely custom, my order didn't take very long at all! Our experience was absolutely wonderful and before I even get into the review, I want to say I highly recommend checking out her shop!!

 Here's a picture of the underside of Zoe's coat. It's fleece!

Everything about these coats are custom. I chose the fabrics for both coats, Janae uses two layers. The outside layer of our coats is quilted nylon. I chose to go with this because it's rain resistant. The inside layer is fleece. Janae worked very closely with me, constantly sending me pictures and making sure that everything she picked out was what I was looking for. Even sending me pictures of the trim to make sure I liked it and offering to go to the fabric store and send me pictures of what she found there. I can't say enough good things about her! It was awesome.

Phoenix

The coats were made even with my harness use in mind, with the exact measurement of where the D ring is, so that I can attach the leash to it. One of the things I've struggled with on other coats is the cut out for the leash. The weatherbeeta coats do not have them, so I either had to fit a harness over the coat or not use one at all and I don't really like attaching the leashes to their collars if I can help it. Their other fleece shirts that they wear only have cut outs high on the neck, so they are pretty much useless. Janae was very helpful with this and she made the cut out to my specific measurement. As you can see with the picture of Phoenix above it worked out great! 

Zoe

Phoenix

Zoe

 Phoenix

Another really important thing for me, is the fit in the armpits, especially with coats that cover their chests. The armpits and the front of their legs tend to have problems with rubbing. Phoenix has had it so bad before, that a coat has caused her to bleed there. They need to be able to run and play in their coats without it causing a problem. I discussed this with Janae, and ended up giving her armpit measurements! The way she sewed the coats worked out perfectly! The girls have been wearing their coats for a week straight, with several trips to the big off leash park (2 hours of running, each trip!) and we have had no issues with rubbing!

I apologize for so much blur. It was very dark this day!

Phoenix was going in for chomp! 

My girls tend to be pretty rough and tumble. When they are not playing rough and mouthing each other (and their clothes) they are digging holes hunting for moles, wading in and out of blackberry brambles, racing through the mud, climbing trees and sometimes even going into the river. So the coats have got to be tough! Phoenix has accidentally ripped Zoe's clothes before because she can be nippy at times when they are running. These coats from Dox and Dane did an excellent job standing up to them!

 Tiny scrape from the blackberry bushes.

There is a very tiny scrape and a couple of pin pricks on Phoenix's coat from the blackberry brambles, but the coat did not rip and she was very deep into those bushes! It didn't mess with the integrity of the coat and it's still water resistant! Right after we went to the park we had a huge "pineapple express" storm roll in and they wore their coats out in it. They stayed dry and warm under the coats!

Phoenix hunting, they pop up from the tall grass to look around!

Recalling! (Zoe left, Phoenix right)

In the River! (Phoenix left, Zoe right)

Phoenix is wondering why they are in the River! LOL

 Running up the muddy hill! (Zoe left, Phoenix right)

Playing hide & seek in the blackberry bushes!

Phoenix, climbing trees! (This is 5-6 ft off the ground!!)

"What goes into making a picture."

My husband took this one! 

The coats are very easy to put on. They just go over the head and in between the front legs and velcro to each side. My husband actually said that these are the easiest coats he's ever put on the dogs and that he prefers them to their other coats! 

Showing the velcro part.

 One muddy coat!!

One muddy dog!!

I've also machine washed and dried these coats twice since we got them a week ago. The girls got them super muddy. It's Oregon, what can I say!?! The coats did great in my machines. They came out perfectly clean and like new. 

The only thing I'd change about these coats is the area near their shoulders. I wish there was a bit more fabric there, but it does allow for better freedom of movement so it's really a toss up. With as much running as they do, it's probably better that it's not there! Also, if you notice in the first couple of pictures of the girls standing still, there's a slight bunching up of the fabric right over the shoulders, again, when they are running it allows freedom of movement. So it's not a huge deal at all. I prefer them to be able to move well. It actually does not look bunched up when they move, either! Just when they stand still.

The collar of the coat has a velcro closure as well, so it's easy to get over their heads!

Overall, I am really impressed with our coats from Dox and Dane! I love how much detail she went into making the coats, from the heart shaped buttons, to the pink matching trim! I also love the collar of the coat and how well they fit the girls. We had an excellent experience and I'm sure my girls will get great use from these coats for years to come. I would highly recommend checking Janae's shop out. She was wonderful to work with and her coats are reasonably priced for them being as custom as they are!

ZoePhee was provided with two custom coats from Dox and Dane in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated for this review and as always my reviews are 100% honest. I only share information that I feel is relevant to my readers. Dox and Dane is not responsible for the content of this blog post.