A Magical Hike in Coniston

If you have ever been to the Lake District, you know that you can never rely on the weather – it can be very different at the bottom of the fell to the top!

I recently stayed in Coniston with my good friends Rachel & Patch (Rachel helps pet businesses get their own PR so if you are a pet brand, check her out!! Patch is chief supervising officer). We hiked up Holmes Fell on a unseasonably warm day – the chance of rain being small (which means it’ll likely still happen at some point!). Holmes Fell is a lovely but steep little hike, and not as touristy as some of the other fells so we didn’t see very many people at all!

Magic in Nature

Now I’m not afraid to admit, I still have a childlike curiosity about nature, from mushroom spotting to insect hunting – so when we were greeted by the most incredible rainbow display, I was beside myself! They were closer than I had ever seen them, and we saw the full arc, although because I had lugged my camera with my 70-200 lens on, I couldn’t get the full arc in most of the shots, but my Samsung phone picked up some great ones.

The Love of Nature

I know the science behind how rainbows happen, to me, that doesn’t make it any less magical – seeing this amazing display of colours in the sky, especially with the backdrop of the fells, was a pretty special moment.

I think that’s why I’m drawn to nature when I come to photographing dogs. Both of them are a constant surprise and bring me so much joy!

The only real purpose of this blog post was to showcase this magical moment, so I hope you have enjoyed it!! I have a feeling that a lot of you feel the same about being outdoors that I do. 

And if you ever fancy a hiking photoshoot with your dogs in the Lake District, you know where I am.

Kerry x

Lake District & Cumbria Dog Photographer

 

 

 

It seems quite serendipitous that I’m sitting down to write this today, as a year to the date I made a decision that drastically changed the course of my life and as a dog photographer, the last 2 years have been difficult enough anyway! This last year has made me question a lot, given me times when I wasn’t sure if I could cope, but I have also came with some incredible memories. 

So lets start at the beginning!

January 2021

A year ago  I decided to leave my husband, we had been together nearly 22 years. It came as a shock to a lot of people, but I think I’d known for a while and it was incredibly tough, but also the right thing to do. It’ll come as no surprise that due to intermittent lockdowns and this, I didn’t really get out to photograph much as usual. In January, I did however have the pleasure of meeting someone who I had followed on Instagram without realising he lived just a few minutes down the road! That ‘person’ was Jasper (and his lovely human of course).

February 2021

Looking through the limited photo’s from the first couple of months, it’s funny to see that the only shots I took were of Jasper, and then Jasper’s new sibling Sunday! All the days were merging into one at this point, I’d had vague ideas of getting away for a while to either France or South Africa but of course travel was out of the question!

March 2021

I was finally able to get out and start shooting again and had the it was so much fun shooting for two brands, Reg & Bob who create hard wearing but beautifully colourful collars for dogs who love to get mucky! The other one was my good friend the Slumbering Hound who makes a heap of gorgeous things for dogs and who I’ve worked with for a few years now.

The pandemic made me realise just how fragile my dog photography business could be, so in March I launched a separate business for pet brands – mostly helping with content creation and social media engagement but I have also been doing website updates and proof reading. A couple of decades as a PA in the city has come in use for this! The website is www.kerryjordan.co.uk if  you want to check it out.

The year had already been pretty tough, I had moved out of my home, had moved in with one friend, and then my circumstances changed again so moved in with a second. I’m always going to be supremely grateful for the kindness I was shown in this period.

And then, the one thing you dread as a dog owner happened, and I had to say goodbye to my dear sweet Jasper. (As I’m writing this, that bloody Adele song ‘go easy on me’ is playing and not helping with the tears.) Jasper was 16 and had gone from a scared, barky, nervous dog to a happy little wiggle monster who was adored by everyone who met him. I had the honour of him being in my life for 10 years, but it didn’t seem long enough. I miss him, and I don’t think that will change, but sometimes I think he’s still around, I just can’t see him.

April 2021

April was a busy one and it’s the start of one of my favourite times, bluebell season! So lots of fabulous client shoots as well as brand shoots for my friend Debbie at Redhound for Dogs Whippet Attire, K9 Connectables interactive toys & The Lounging Hound and their beautiful beds.

May 2021

Well, May, what I can I say? Well, I think I said most things in the post Solo Van Tour but very briefly, as I wasn’t able to travel abroad, so I did something that was scary, but also amazing, and hired a van for a month to travel round the UK. I learned how to drive a massive van, I learned how to live in a tiny space, I had tantrums, I explored, and I found out a lot about myself and had the.best.time. I knew that it was unlikely that I’d get this kind of opportunity again for a while, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

June 2021

With more of the restrictions lifted, I was super excited to go and see my dear friend Debbie at Redhound for another little shoot. I also had some beautiful new headshots done by Joanna Cleeve which I adore; to me they show a new person emerging, someone who is gaining confidence, who is yet to go through more hardships but knows her internal strength will carry her through (sounds a bit woo woo, but that’s how I feel when I look at them now!).

But the biggest thing was returning to a place which stole my heart, the Lake District, to look at properties! I found one that needed a lot of renovating, but was a good location in west Cumbria, close to the Lakes and the coast, and put in an offer. Little did I know just what I had let myself in for! 😂

July 2021

I don’t think I realised just how many brand shoots I had in 2021! I did my second shoot for the fantastic Nash Dog who make bamboo drying coats, which I’m reliably informed, even dry spaniel ears! As well as wading into a lake to get some cracking action shots for a client shoot and yet another visit to my friend and rock, Debbie.

On the 26th of July I celebrated another year of the day I created – National Dog Photography Day, which I started as a way to celebrate our love of photographing dogs back in 2018. This year it trended #2 on Twitter despite stiff competition from the Olympics! It’s talked about in national and worldwide press, and celebrities join in too so it’s pretty incredible to me to watch the day unfold.

August 2021

With the offer on the house being accepted, August was a bit of a whirlwind sorting out the logistics of moving over 350 miles away, as well as getting in some of my favourite walks and trying to see as many friends as I could. I managed to get some shoots in though thankfully as it was another of my favourite times to shoot, heather season!

September 2021

September saw me packing up a massive van and driving half way across the country on my birthday, what a way to celebrate! I moved into a house which needed completely stripping, was filthy and had some fairly big issues to deal with. But it was mine. September was also about taking a bit of time to breathe. The emotions of the year had been intense and sometimes overwhelming so I took time to walk in nature, and wonder where the heck I was going to start on the house. I hardly took my camera out in September, but just appreciated the moment….also, it rained a lot!

October 2021

This month there was a mini shoot for the lovely ladies at Country & Twee, a foraging day and a walk with someone who I can call a friend even though until October, we had only met briefly, the fabulous Rachel Spencer and Patch! Rachel (who helps pet businesses with PR) and I met at a conference, became business accountability buddies and the rest is history. I love the fact that I’m still meeting amazing people in my 40’s!

I travelled back to Sussex for a couple of shoots and caught up with friends which was fantastic but I felt drained for days afterwards! I think the toll of the year was starting to get to me a little.

November 2021

My trip down south was at the end of October, so at the start November I popped in to see Debbie again and photographed some of her gorgeous new products in beautiful light. The rest of November was buckling down doing things on the house and exploring.

It was also the month that my divorce was finalised, a very strange feeling.

December 2021

December saw a mini “Petrepeneur” Christmas party with the lovely Rachel which consisted of much hilarity as we turned up to a ‘pod’ with no bedding, cutlery or plates! We hadn’t thought to check! So after a quick stop at B&M, we drank too much champagne from £1 mugs while we ate our microwave meals and sandwiches with a £3 cuttlery set. It was an absolutely brilliant night!

It also saw me back in Surrey for shoots and catching up  with friends, revelling in the practically balmy southern weather – the hounds were even coatless at one point! Unfortunately, it also saw me having to self isolate over Christmas, a pretty sorry affair and I saw the old year out with one of my best friends over Zoom.

There are things I wish hadn’t happened last year, and situations I would have liked to avoid, but mostly I tried to do what I thought was best knowing I don’t want to look back with regret. The positives are, I have still managed to make some incredible memories, I unexpectedly met someone who I really rather like, I’ve learned a lot about forgiveness and not holding on to negativity, and that you can’t always do what’s right for everyone.

I’m starting 2022 happy, healthy, healing and motivated. I’ve got some pawesome plans for the business which I can’t wait to share with you. If you have got this far, congratulations, and THANK YOU!

I sincerely hope that you are starting 2022 happy and healthy too!

Kerry x

Yesterday we went on our first beach walk since lockdown, and on the way out of the car park, on the road leading out of the beach, I noticed a little dog close to the edge of the pavement coming out of a side road – it took a few seconds to see the owner as he was several meters behind and the dog was on a retractable lead.

Why I don’t think you should own a retractable lead.

I have pretty strong feelings about retractable leads – I don’t think any dog owner should have one, and here’s why:

When we first adopted Boo, her recall was non existent so I thought a retractable lead would be a good idea so she could roam around a little. I was on a walk with a friend when Boo took off and because she was able to build up speed because of the length of the lead, the handle snapped out of my hand and went with her. Thankfully, a few seconds later she was stopped by the fact that the handle got caught round a fallen tree branch. What terrifies me though is if that would have happened further out into the woods where I wouldn’t have been able to see her – she would have been stuck and unable to get back to me.

Dented pride.

Did I learn my lesson? Oh no! When Shadow had an small injury and needed to be walked on lead, I decided to dig out the retractable lead again. The same thing happened as I bent down to pick up poop, Shadow spotted a dog he wanted to say hello to and because my attention was on cleaning up after him, he got to the end of the lead before I knew it, and because he built up speed, pulled me right off my feet, knocking the wind out of me and denting my knees and my pride.

Suffice to say, we now have long bungy leads (by Ruffwear) if one of the dogs ever needs to be on lead as it gives a little spring rather than a hard stop, and when we were training Boo, we used a long training line instead.

As well as my personal experience – I have had to swerve from dogs running into the middle of the road when the owners couldn’t stop the lead quick enough, seen people get tangled off and pulled over and a multitude of other accidents. I’ve also heard horrific things about burns on hands when the ‘brake’ fails on the handle, not to mention that if the dog is on a collar rather than a harness and they are able to build up speed only to be stopped suddenly as it reaches the end of the line. 

What do you think?

What are your thoughts on this? Have you only had positive experiences with retractable leads? Or have you had a similar experience to me? Do you have other options you are think are better?

Kerry x

 

Professional dog photographer covering Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire.
kerry@furandfables.com

 

Beautiful Bluebells

During lockdown, I had a really big burst of inspiration – I rediscovered the stunning bluebell woods within walking distance of our home. I went there as often as I could to document the lifecycle, which is really short, and get some shots of my hounds posing. It made me realise that it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that drive to photograph just for myself. I absolutely love my job – I think maybe when I’m photographing for clients that fulfils my creative need to a certain extent, but it means I forget to go out and photograph just for the fun of it! You can see my project here: https://www.furandfables.com/the-bluebell-diaries/

For this post though, I wanted to put together a little gallery of my favourite action shots, both from my project and from client shoots too, because who doesn’t love to see dogs having fun in such a stunning location. I hope you enjoy! (You can click on the images to view them bigger)

Do you have a favourite? I’d love to hear which one it is in the comments.

Kerry x

Meet Bernie, the St Bernard! Bernie’s human mum bought a gift voucher for her partner and wanted to do a bluebell shoot, however it wasn’t meant to be. Bernie had some complications and we had to bring the shoot forward, and I was so nervous about how he would be on the shoot.

I needn’t have worried! Bernie had a pace maker fitted and was like a new dog! He gets tired quite easily, but that’s to be expected for a dog his age, look at this happy face.

The shoot took place in the garden of the family home as Bernie couldn’t walk too far, and the temperamental British weather was kind to us with some beautiful early morning golden light and frosty ground. He was joined by Luna the Cavapoo who is nervous of dogs, but adores Bernie, the gentle giant that he is.

My job can be difficult at times, I get to work with dogs who are in the prime of their lives who are cruelly taken away from us too soon, to older dogs who may not have much longer, so when I get to do a shoot for a dog who has turned such an huge corner it’s a really amazing feeling.

There’s one thing for sure though, Bernie absolutely adores his human – the bond was so visible to see. The above shot makes me giggle – Bernie has had this bib (pretty necessary for a big dog who produces a lot of drool!) since he was a puppy when it was far too big for him – he obviously grew into it!

Here’s what Bernie’s humans had to say about the experience:

“Kerry was amazing to work with, very professional but also fun and caring!

From various emails and phone calls before the shoot to helping throughout the process she was great!

We have one dog who is very nervous and one was is very old and was very unwell, she helped to put them both at ease on the day and moved mountains to make sure our shoot was done earlier than originally planned. Her website is very easy to use and very professional given she runs it alone! Everyone commented on our photos and how beautiful they were! We will defiantly be rebooking her in the future!”

If you’d like to book a shoot, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com – I can’t wait to hear from you! Kerry x

Professional Dog Photographer right on the Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire borders.

I love working with brilliant dog brands, and I’m lucky enough to be able to be quite choosy on who I work with. So when I was asked by Nash me to do their launch photography and sent me the details of their dog drying coats, I was sold! Responsible packaging, using natural bamboo & twin layered they sounded fantastic. There was one thing though, it was a week before Christmas and they were hoping to launch in the new year, could I do it they asked? Well I was certainly going to give it a try!

After chatting with them to find out how the look and feel of the shoot should portray their product (luxury, practical, stylish, active) I enlisted the help of my water loving top dog models Eko, Boris and Twiggy the spaniels, and Laula the Nova Scotia Duck Toller.

Because the courier managed to not deliver on time (of course, just before Christmas, did anything get delivered on time!?) we went ahead with the lifestyle section of the shoot anyway, which of course, for a dog drying coat, involved lots of wet dogs! I think this is the first time I’ve been thankful for the grey miserable weather we have been having.

When the coats arrived I was so impressed with the feel of them, and I’m happy to report, that the dog models humans were massively impressed with their drying quality!

Boris the Spaniel’s mum couldn’t believe how quickly his ears dried (as well as everything else obviously) in just a short car journey, she said they usually take hours! Laula’s mum is a convert too – considering they are a new brand, to have such amazing feedback is so great to see.

As well as doing a few shoots in the car, we decided the other place a dog drying coat would come in handy was probably at the pub! Any excuse 🙈😉

The Nash brand also now includes drying mitts and covers for dog beds/car boots too so you can have a full selection. I also know they have been very kind to my dog models so they really are a lovely brand. It’s been a pleasure working with you Nash!

You can find Nash at www.nashdog.co | Instagram | Facebook 

If you have a dog brand who could benefit from a professional photoshoot to not only help you stand out from your competitors, but also help you stand out to your clients, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com and I can send you my price list. You can also check out what I can offer you here: https://www.furandfables.com/shoot-overview/brands/

 

 

Meet Monty. Monty is a coated Xolo – a breed I hadn’t come across before! Monty is smart, funny, has a plethora of gorgeous expressions. Monty is also anxious and a little skittish. He is pretty wary of new people and definitely doesn’t want to be touched if he doesn’t know you. He’s also very food motivated.

I learned all this on my initial call with Monty’s mum, so I knew to go into our shoot with some yummy roast chicken and a calm attitude (very difficult for me when all I wanted to do was cuddle this gorgeous boy). Before long, Monty was clambering on me to get to the chicken, and I knew we were going to be okay!

During the shoot, I kept my distance and kept calm, eventually though he was readily running up to ‘the roast chicken lady’ and even let me scratch his chin. The best feeling in the world though was when we moved location to a few minutes down the road to capture Monty in the red ivy in one of the gorgeous streets of Midhurst. When he saw me walking down the street, he almost pulled his human off her feet to come and say hello (I’m under no illusion that the chicken was the main event for him! 😉

Isn’t it amazing that dogs can make us feel so loved just by wanting to say hello!?

So if you are worried about how your dog would respond to a photoshoot, it will honestly be fine! I have had owners who think their dogs are too ‘naughty’, too nervous, are anxious of other dogs. By talking to you, we figure out the best way for the shoot to happen to make sure you are both completely relaxed.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or drop me an email! You can find full details of the packages I offer here: www.furandfables.com/shoot-overview/dog-photography

I’m based just near Haslemere, Surrey, which borders West Sussex & Hampshire.

Kerry x

It’s taken me a while to put this post up, over a year in fact. Mainly because I wasn’t quite ready, which seems ridiculous as this didn’t happen to me, but what did happen to me was that I broke a little bit, and even now, sat here writing this, I can feel that tingling in the nose which means I could tear up at any moment. So I’ll hand you over to Amy, who wrote this post, and you will understand my emotional response. –

Professional photography, and why a mobile camera is never enough.

By Amy Wilton
August 2019.

So I have been thinking about writing this for a long while. We are so fortunate that in this day and age we have so many ways and devices that can capture moments. From top of the range DSLRs, simple compact cameras, tablets, and mobile phones. The list goes on!

We’re so lucky to be able to capture snapshots of life so readily. My phone is absolutely full of photos! However I also do photography myself, so whenever I can, I always ensure I take good quality photographs of my beautiful hounds (and family, when they’ll cooperate) on my camera. I used to be better at ensuring I made time to take photos for me, but the last year or so life has got in the way in one way or another.

That said, I did have thousands (and I mean thousands) of photos of my beautiful dogs. Especially of my special oldie dog Holly. We rescued Holly when she was 7 years old; she’d spent all those as the victim of unscrupulous breeding. She’d been pushed from pillar to post, each one breeding another litter from her. By the time we had her, she was a poorly skinny scrap of a dog. Her teeth were rotten and you could see most bones in her frail little body, and yet, she was the sweetest little thing with a heart of gold.

So there began her rehabilitation, and our bond. Immediately, I was the one out of the whole of my family she bonded to. Anywhere I’d go, Holly would follow. Another room, the bathroom, my sweet shadow would follow. A few months in, she then started to be able to detect when my blood glucose levels were going out of range (I am a type 1 diabetic) and would warn me before I got symptoms.  Her story was then shared and she won the Daily Mirror’s Animal Hero Awards for ‘Caring Animal of the Year’ in 2015, and then appeared on ITVs ‘The Secret Life of Dogs’ in February 2017.

I always made sure I took many photos of this special girl on my camera, but equally I wanted photos of Holly and I together. Sometimes handing your camera over to someone else, no matter how hard you both try, just does not quite work. Not quite the angle, the focusing being a little off, despite the amount of times you try to explain ‘Put the square in the view finder on the eye…back button focusing.” Etc.

So you then resort to phone photographs, which are great. They’re instant, easy to set up and you can just hand it to someone to point and shoot. You can share them straight to social media, even better. However, if you do photography, you’ll know the quality in the photo just never quite compares.

So I knew at some point I wanted to commission a professional photographer to take photos of Holly and I. Someone I could put complete trust in, and I knew would take the photos that I was truly after. Along came Kerry. I had long admired Kerry’s work and after winning a family photoshoot a few years ago, and her becoming a friend. I just knew I wanted her to take some of Holly and myself together. To help capture and put into a photo, that bond that we had.

The shoot was booked in for the Sunday and had been for a while. I then got a hospital app through for the Wednesday prior to have my troublesome wisdom teeth removed, and I thought, “Yeah I’ll be fine!” Actually, I was released the same day then readmitted to hospital on the on Thursday with a huge infection.

I managed to leave hospital late on the Saturday, but of course didn’t tell Kerry, or reschedule. I still looked like a hamster with very puffy cheeks but I thought, time is not on our side. If I rearrange, I don’t know when the opportunity to do this will be. Driving over, we had road closures that made us over half an hour late, so arrived rather frazzled. But we still went ahead, despite everything.

I am SO glad we did. Just over a month later, my poor girl had to be let go at age 15 ½ years. Those photos became invaluable. So many memories and emotions tied to them. My heart broke in two; this sweet little girl who had been there for me throughout my teen and adult years was gone.

It meant choosing photos was hard. Really hard. I couldn’t actually choose until nearly a year later. The photos were so beautiful; but it was so painful to look at that them when it was so raw. But when the time came Kerry was there, understanding and supportive. I am over the moon with my photos.

So all I can say to anyone thinking of doing a photoshoot is don’t hesitate, book one. Phone photos just don’t compare. You never know when you’re going to lose a loved one. Once they’re gone, they are the things you truly cherish.

October 2019

 So I finished the above post, not long ago and had been meaning to send it to Kerry. But I hadn’t, for one reason or another. Again, life gets in the way. So, as I hadn’t, it wouldn’t be right to send it without adding the following. It has the made the above even more poignant, and tinged with ever more sadness. But some things need to said. 

 A week or so ago, I messaged Kerry in floods of tears. My Grandad was right at the end of his life. He was young really as far as Grandad ages go, at only 72. But the chemo that was supposed to help knock the cancer back had done the opposite and caused his kidneys and liver to fail in less than 2 days. I knew when I saw him in hospital; it would be for the last time.

 I had to go back home, and through tears I started going through photos of the happier memories, and the way I wanted to remember my Grandad. Not the very poorly, weaker version of him I had seen the previous day. When photos are important to you, you seek solace in times similar to those. So that is what I did.

 Then I came across some of the first photos Kerry had taken for my family. I won one of Kerry’s competitions back in 2014 for a family photoshoot. So we packed up the family, including my Grandad as he was visiting with the hounds, and had this shoot on the beach with Kerry. To this day they are still my favourite of all five of us (plus the hounds!) together. The ones especially of my brother, my Dad and my Grandad are truly special.

 So I guess this is a thank you to Kerry. Three loved ones she’s taken photos of for me have now been cruelly taken away from me. But I have some beautiful photos to remember them by. Thank you doesn’t really quite cut it does it?

 So if you’re reading this and are thinking “Maybe I should book that photoshoot…” please don’t delay and remember time is precious. The memories captured are priceless.

---

I’ve been photographing dogs for about 6 years now, and I’ve lost count of how many clients have contacted me to say their dog has passed, not all old either, some in the prime of their life. Every single time, it breaks a little part of me. Firstly because I bond with the dogs I photograph, but secondly it reminds me that my own dogs wont be around forever. If you’d like to know more, or want to book a shoot, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com and lets create memories. 

Kerry x

Working with Dog Brands

This year I have been doing more dog brand photoshoots and I have been LOVING it. There was one thing I promised myself when I decided to help brands with their product photography, whether it’s collars or beds, I knew I wanted to make sure that I only work with people who had a similar ethos to me, who’s products I personally really like.

 

Choosing who to work with

Because I share so many of my images on social media, I felt that if I were to put something up of a product that I personally wouldn’t buy, it would feel a wrong, especially if any of the people who follow my pages or blog bought something which was substandard.

 

Say Hello to Ollie & Co

With that in mind, welcome Ollie & Co, the newest brand to be photographed by Fur & Fables!  After speaking with Kirsty, I really liked her enthusiasm and clear vision of what she wanted for her brand. Not only does she make luxurious velvet collars & bow ties, she’s also branching out to provide you dog owners out there with products for the home too, from dog grooming to gorgeous smelling candles.

Tailoring the photoshoot

In our initial chat, as well as some indoor shots, Kirsty thought that her collars were suited for a more ‘town’ environment so I stepped away from my usual locations in the countryside and turned to a couple of the pretty cafe’s and streets in Midhurst & Haslemere. I have to say, I’m super happy with how the photographs turned out! 

Although I have a dog model database & can source other breeds, Kirsty decided my hounds would be all she needed, and they did me proud! In particular, Shadow really is nailing the modelling malarky, he is so enthusiastic about working for treats.

If you have a dog brand and you’d like to raise yourself above the competition and would like to work with me, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com. I can send you my pricing plan and we can set up a chat about how I can also help with your social media reach. You don’t even need to travel for the shoot if you are happy to send me the products like Kirsty did! Kerry x

Dog Photographer based on the Sussex, Surrey & Hampshire borders.

 

The best harness fit for Whippets

Updated January 2025

As a commercial pet photographer, I have photographed 100s of dogs, I get asked quite a lot about these harnesses so I thought it may be useful for anyone who was thinking about one for their hounds, my experience is with Whippets but you can take a lot away from this article for most dogs.

Why I choose Ruffwear

There were two reasons I was looking at harnesses; my old boy Jasper was quite sensitive around his head when he had his inner ear removed, I felt a harness would be much gentler for him, and then there was Shadow.

When I first adopted Shadow, I realised that we would need a harness for some of our walks, basically wherever there was going to be any excitement, if he saw anything even remotely fun then he would leap four foot in the air and dance around like a maniac. Not great when the only thing he is tethered to is a collar round his neck.

It’s notoriously difficult find harnesses for sighthounds, most fits seem to be too loose because of their deep but skinny chests. I was pleasantly surprised by the RuffWear Front Range Harness, because of the amount of adjusting we could do at several points, it fitted perfectly. I also loved the fact that rather than being strips of thinner material like a lot of harnesses, this has wider, more padded sections and the front almost feels like a chest piece.

The front range harnesses are great for general walking, however Shadow learned how to back out of it. So I checked out the six point Webmaster – problem solved! Again this is super adjustable, it fits him really well and with the added benefit of the harness coming further towards where the waist tucks in, it’s Shadow proof. I went for the addition of the stomach protector as he had previously had trouble with an awful rash after going through long grass. Hey presto, I have the perfect harness!

I used the front range harnesses for all the other hounds with great success. I had the small size for all five hounds, that shows how adjustable they are as they are very different in height & weight! I can also pop them over  Redhound for Dogs fleeces, although they now have lots of great whippet coats and jumpers with harness holes.

I got asked quite a lot of questions about the fit, so I have popped a little video up here: Ruffwear Harness Fit

When do I use them?

We use them quite a lot, like if we are going somewhere super busy like DogFest or now I live in the Lake District, I really need that useful handle to help my dogs over stiles and do a bit of scrambling. Anywhere there is too much going on for us to be trying to direct the hounds from collars, somewhere like a dog event isn’t easy on their necks as they are constantly trying to hoover up dropped food or follow exciting smells.

Update January 2025:

This blog was initially written in 2017. I am still using Ruffwear and now I have moved to the Lake District, they are much more frequently used, alongside the Roamer Bungee lead they are indispensable! I’ve changed Bertie over to the Flagline Dog Harness with Handle as for some reason he didn’t like wearing the Webmaster, not an issue I have had with the other dogs, but he’s very happy with the Flagline!

If you have any questions about my experience with these harnesses, please don’t hesitate to ask, and I’d love to hear if you have them for your hounds too!

With thanks to additional models Buzz, Ozzy & Ollie who are also RuffWear wearers 🙂

Kerry x