New Zealand company D-Fa has pounced onto the outdoor scene with high quality dog gear that will make your dog extremely happy. D-Fa is out to equip your dog with gear that will comfort and protect him and allow him to make the most of any adventure you take him on. D-Fa believes in making gear that's befitting the noble, bone-chewing, stick-chasing, pole-weaving, Frisbee-catching, people-rescuing and endlessly loyal creature we call Dog!
D-Fa was founded by two couples- Angela and Mark Hook along with Dave Ritchie and Clare Cosson. Clare used to design for MacPac before Dave and Clare started their own whitewater gear company called Hydraulics, which they later sold to Mission Kayaks. These four know how to make human quality gear and have now applied that expertise to your dog.
The D-Fa collection includes everything from accessories such as Cool Collars and reflection LEDs to Ice-Barker merino wool jackets and D-FD doggy flotation devices. One of my favorite products is the Puff-Doggy, an insulated dog jacket/sweater to keep your dog warm during the colder days. Coming soon, the company will be introducing a line of leashes/leads that have integrated poo bag dispensers and key pockets.
Originally inspired by their Rhodesian Ridgebacks Jake and Annie, the four founders share a love for dogs and the belief that just like us, dogs need gear as we take them and ourselves places we normally wouldn't go. Most of their ideas come from people telling them about their dogs and adventures. As Angela says: "We do all of our development in the back shed in Hokitika, most of our strategizing over beers and BBQs and all of our testing in the wilds of NZ!" Sounds like a great company to me.
At Outdoor Retailer, D-Fa sent their mascot little D wearing his Ice-Barker on an adventure. He will be passed around from person to person, through events and adventures and be returned at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in August. You can follow little D's progress and see pictures of his adventures on the D-Fa Facebook page or on Twitter.
Angela gave me a D-FD and a Sub-Woofer for Lola to test out. Lola will wear them on our adventures over the next few weeks and I will let you know what she thinks!