Coats By De "Cool Coats" Review

Hi everyone! Happy Monday Mischief to you! As you all know, my dogs are pretty good at making mischief. They love to run and play and sometimes hide from me in the name of hunting bunnies. The girls can be pretty intense about their exercise and as the weather warms up that intensity is a bit of a concern for me. 85% of the park that we go to is in full sun. Not only that, it doesn't even have to be warm out for Phoenix to get really hot from being overly excited. Additionally, we don't have air conditioning in our apartment. So I was very excited when De contacted me about reviewing two of her Custom Made Cool Coats! We received our cooling coats in exchange for an honest review but we were not monetarily compensated.

About Made By De:

I am De Hufford, owner of Made by De.  I started making custom dog coats several years ago.  Over the years I've expanded my line to include dog cool coats, dog raincoats, dog britches and belly bands, dog specialty wear and dog pajamas.  The more people I talk to, the more products eventually get developed because I love to create something that is truly beneficial! I have built a broad knowledge base in the canine community over the last several years so that I can continue to improve my product line. I strive to meet the needs of each of my clients with confidence. I attend a number of AKC shows, agility competitions and other pet related events, as well as talk with people one on one so I can better understand the needs of each individual dog/owner team. As Made by De, I have successfully fit all sizes and breeds from the tiniest Chihuahua to the largest English Mastiff or Irish Wolfhound. 

About Cool Coats:
Made by De has designed these handmade coolers for function, durability, comfort and fit, with the goal of providing the best heat relief available for your furry companion.

• Chamois coats cool through evaporation; low tech but also very effective
• You wet them down thoroughly and then wring or roll out the excess
• When wrung out, these jackets don't get heavy and don't make your pup or what they lay on wet. 
• Changes can be observed in behavior, i.e.: decreased restlessness, decreased panting
• Can stay cool for several hours, depending on external conditions
• Chamois coats are great after bath to help your pooch dry or to smooth coat 

As we know, dogs don't have the ability to sweat like we do. They sweat through their paw pads and cool themselves down by panting. Over the years on really hot days I've had to wet Zoe and Phoenix's fur down because we know that when water evaporates it cools the air around it. Which helps to cool the dog. (Here is a really neat article that I found on cooling by evaporation when I was researching the cool coats.) My dogs are not a fan of being wet down. They get really upset with me when I do it and even though it had to be done I always felt bad. I'm so thrilled that I have these cooling coats and don't have to do that anymore! The cooling coats are damp but the dogs stay pretty dry in them and there's no wet dog smell or dripping when they are wrung out!

I would also like to add that generally having a fan on your dog by itself does not help to cool them like it does for us. With the cool coats, a fan will actually work because the coats are damp (like sweat) and the fan helps the air to move and speeds up evaporation which cools.

De offers several different styles of cool coats and each coat can be customized for the best fit on your pooch. On her website you can see a few of the options and you can ask De anything you'd like about the coats. She is amazing to work with!  De even offers an optional pouch for an ice pack on the coats if you would like.

We decided to go with the Blingy Cool Coats because my girls love to go out on the town in style but De also offers a Functional Cool Coat that are bit more plain and durable for more modest pooches.

Features of the Blingy Coats:

• Several fun fabric options offered with coordinated blingy trim or beaded border
• Lined with 100% rayon synthetic chamois for cooling 
• Recommend hand wash and air dry (can be machine washed in garment bag)

I did use my washing machine to wash them and they came out just fine. I forgot to put them in a garment bag but I used a gentle cycle. I put them on the dogs to air dry and to cool them! 

Zoe's coat is blanket style with cargo buckles at the neck and girth. The blanket style is very adjustable for fitting pups or if measurements aren't known and is easy to get on and off.

Phoenix's coat is the pullover style with a chest panel that pulls through the front legs and buckles at the "waist". The chest panel can be detachable, on request. An ice pocket can be sewn into chest panel for maximum cooling.

The cooling coats can also be used to help your pooch dry off after a bath! They are lined with chamois and that sort of cloth helps to absorb water. We did the bath test on the coats and they worked great! They helped to cut my towel use down by half! I usually use about 4 full sized towels when I bathe the girls and I only needed two! I just threw the cool coats on after scrubbing them down with a towel and it also helped to prevent them from flinging water everywhere when they shook. Way less clean up for me and I was really happy about that. Less cleanup means I have more time to spend with the girls!

Running through the tall grass!

Hover Dog! Coats don't impede natural movement.

Playing in the meadow in full sun on an 85 degree day!

Zoe & Phee hang out by the river!

We tested the coats on the hottest day we've had so far and my car said it was 85 degrees outside. As you can see in the pictures the girls look pretty comfortable, they were panting but not excessively. They were much more comfortable than a lot of the other dogs we saw. The coats do not become heavy when they are properly wrung out and the girls were able to run and play like normal. They also don't impede the dog's natural movement. I did "refresh" the coats in the river before hiking back out to the car but I didn't have to. The coats were still very cool after an hour of running around in the meadow in full sun. These coats would be amazing for a dark colored dog, too, as they protect their coats from absorbing the heat from the sun.

On the way back to the car they hardly panted at all and they were very comfortable. Overall, I am very happy with these cooling coats. De was amazing to work with and so helpful. After sending her the girls' measurements we received the coats very quickly, within a couple of days. I like both styles of coats, too. Not preferring one over the other. They are both very functional and the girls love wearing them. They both pranced around like princesses showing off their coats! My husband and I joked that WE needed cooling coats, too! The only thing I wish I had thought of when I ordered was asking for a button hole so they could wear their harnesses underneath the cooling coat. So if your dog wears a harness all the time be sure to ask De about that.

I would definitely recommend checking Coats By De out and please tell her we sent you!

So you don't live in a warm or hot climate? Maybe you live in the Arctic Circle (or Canada) and your dog needs a warm coat? De has you covered. She offers a variety of winter wear that is just as beautiful, stylish and functional as her cooling coats. So be sure to check her website out! She can help you with all your pup's fashion needs.

ZoePhee was provided with two cooling coats from Made By De in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated and reviews are always 100% honest. ZoePhee only shares information that we feel is relevant to our readers. Made By De is not responsible for the content of this blog post.