Wednesday, March 30, 2011

It Arrived! My Bold Lead Design Harness

I love the smell of new leather.


So this is Spirit's new rig.  We had been using the harness from Bridgeport, but there was too much twist and shifting with it.  Now that Spirit was done growing I decided to get him a big boy harness.

There aren't that many people out there that make mobility harness.  There is Bold Lead Design and Circle E.  It was a tough decision, but I decided to go with the Bold  Lead Design harness and here are a few reasons why:
  • Construction.  Since I needed a harness that could do double duty as a mobility harness (with a stiff handle) and a pulling harness (for walking uphill, stairs, etc) I felt that the BLD fit the description better.
  • I have issues with my left shoulder (probably from too many falls off of horses) and having the straight bar handle was aggravating my shoulder.  With the ergonomic handle that I selected, the handle feels natural in hand and I know that it is distributing weight evenly.
  • Ability to change the handle height.  I know that I am mobility challenged, but there are days that I don't want to wear sneakers and I want to slip on a pair of Fluevogs.  To do that I need to change the elevation of my harness handle.  This allows my arm to stay in the same position and not to have to reach for the handle, or bend my elbow too much.  I also like the ease of laying the handle down.
  • There are a quite a few places to adjust this harness, but once adjusted to the proper areas there are 2 quick release snaps that make it easy on and off. 
Here he is in his new harness (forgive the picture, all I have is my cell phone to take them):

I have him in his spring duds, otherwise all that you would see is a black blob :)

Here is a picture of the ergonomic handle:

We went outside in the backyard for about 15 minutes throwing the ball, running around like an idiot (Spirit not me), crashing through the trees, pit stop to mark a tree, bowing, laying down and jumping.  All the straps stayed where they belonged, he moved well and seemed to enjoy the fit.

We will be taking some walks this week to test it out some more.  Overall it is well made, the hardware is easy to handle and it is easy to put on the dog.

8 comments:

  1. Hi from a new reader! I can't wait to hear your reviews of the harness, I am coveting one for my SDIT when he is full grown and graduates to being a full SD. I already own a couple custom leashes from BLD and love the quality of the work.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will definetly keep you posted. It took me about 3 months to decide on which harness to get. The ergonomic handle is another $50, but I think will be well worth it for me.

    I can't wait to try it! :)

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  3. Beautiful new harness!

    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. we chatted about you today! love the harness!

    www.twogradstudentsandapittie.blogspot.com

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  5. It is awesome! So comfy. I totally recommend it.

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  6. I am currently trying to find the best mobility harness to use with Shai. He is my first service dog, and I am only recently starting to have mobility problems which happen intermittently at this point. I found your post, and I really appreciate that you took the time to share your experience. Please keep updating because I also was between the Circle E and this company. I will be ordering something in the next 1-2 months. I have been diagnosed with MS, and I have some problems with my right leg and arm that change with the day of the week (due to MS meds) and with the amount of physical activity and outdoor temperature/humidity.

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  7. I recieved my first harness a few months back. My dog is still working great with it and everything has stayed strong. No new adjustments or anything. I did make a mistake on one of his measurement when I made the order and they gladly made a new strape and sent it to me so the harness fit purfect. No extra charge. My dog seems to be confy when we go to a resturant andI put the handledown, he goes under the table with no problems. He will lay on his side without complaint.
    I have no comp[laints on this harness only good and very happy remarks. My dog says he is happy with it and very comfy.

    ReplyDelete
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