All Things Dog Blog

Carrie Boyko, CEB

One of the most delightful parts of dog ownership is bathtime. Yes, you heard that right. I actually enjoy the process. Sometimes I think it has rubbed off on the boys, as they are so patient, so well-behaved, and so willing. Well, at least during warm weather, which is 360 days a year here in Florida, so we manage to get most of our baths in outside.

Tanner is interested in my new batch of bath goodies, just received from the nice folks at Dogs Unleashed. I couldn't help but fall in love with this bone-shaped sponge. It has one side that is a scrubby pad also, so I can make certain Tanner's tub is clean before we get started.

As you can see our tub is a kiddie pool. During Winter I fill it up early and allow the water to warm up in the sun. Summer's here now, so no worries about water temperature. Tanner is always ready for water in any form I make it available. Rain, sprinklers, ice cubes and swimming all appeal to him.

I'm likely to get a bit wet in the process of bathing Tanner, as he thinks drying off should be done by rubbing his face all over ME. We'll see if I can at least keep my Blogpaws Tshirt dry, as I've gotten an adorable bath apron from Dogs Unleashed. I love the way the neck and ties work on this design. Instead of tying at the neck and separately around the middle, the tie is one loop that goes over your head and runs through the sides to tie it on--pretty slick. Here's a close up pic of the artwork on the front:

Tanner is getting impatient so I signal him into the tub. Water; yes! I snuck his favorite tub toy--a rubber ducky, of course--into the Dogs Unleashed tote bag, along with their towel, bath mitts, sponge and apron. We're all set, so it's time to get to the task at hand.

If there's one sure way to help your fido enjoy his bath, it's to add forms of relaxation to the mix. A good massage makes each and every bath a "Calgon, Take Me Away" experience, that Tanner and Oliver can always look forward to again. Do you think they see me as their masseuse? That's okay; I'll take that job. What Tanner doesn't know is that his feet are soaking while he's getting his rubdown.

Now it's time to get Tanner wet and soaped up. That means more massage, as the process of working the shampoo into the fur of a 70 pound dog takes a bit more rubbing than when I bathe little 10 lb. Oliver, my Papillon.

I'm eager to show off the Dogs Unleashed mitts--my favorite product that they provided for me. I suppose you could use them for drying a small dog, but I decided they would make a great way to wash Tanner's face, allowing me to get around his eyes, ears, mouth and nose without the constant rearranging of a washcloth that I find annoying. It worked great and I'll continue to use these mitts for that job. It's so much easier to get those harder-to-suds areas where you don't want shampoo getting into sensitive eyes.

These mitts have finger sheaths inside of them, so it's as if you are putting on gloves. Each finger slides into its own space, making the mitts much easier to manipulate around your dog's delicate areas. Tanner doesn't consider anything delicate except his eyes, but Oliver likes a gentler touch, so these handy mitts are awesome for dealing with his dainty little....everything!

Since Tanner enjoys a face rub when he does it himself, he found this quite pleasant. At times he actually pushed his face into the mitts, getting a better massage as we worked around his face really well. It was probably the best facial he's ever had. Well, okay; it was the first facial he's ever had. But no seaweed or anything too girlie; he's a buff boy, ya know!

This large, microfiber towel was part of our bath kit by Dogs Unleashed. I've never owned a microfiber towel, although I've heard they absorb better than others and dry faster too. We'll test it out on Tanner and give you a report.

This towel came embroidered with an adorable pawprint, and as with all their products, comes in a number of attractive color combinations. After all, some of us really do care what color towel we dry off our fido with! Check out the pic of the embroidery:

Dogs Unleashed also makes a panel-shaped towel, much like the ones for baby baths, that has pockets in the ends. It looked to me to be a good tool for small pups like my Oliver, but Tanner needed the "big boy" version, so we opted for this one. It was large enough to get him good and dried off without having to resort to another one of my towels.

Usually it takes 2 of our traditional terry-cloth towels to do the job on Tanner, so I suppose that was a good success story. Who knew such a thin towel could absorb so much moisture?

I guess I could have managed to stay dry if I'd worn shorts. My jeans did get soaked while we dried off, but I have to say Tanner still enjoyed his snuggle-rubs against my legs. I guess that's pretty obvious in this photo, huh?

All in all, another successful bath. I'm glad I don't have to resort to leashes. A little affection teams up well with a warm day to make for a nice, relaxing bath. Thanks to Dogs Unleashed for introducing us to some new supplies that will make future tub times a bit smoother. Now I have the fun job of cleaning up. Where did I put that cute, bone-shaped sponge?

After everything is clean and dry, I'll pack it up in the tote bag for storage until the next bath day. Organization is something I can always use more of. Now all my bath supplies, including our favorite shampoo, gets tucked into the cute tote for next time.

Tanner is clean and dry now and we've written up our bath experience. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more--him or me. Now we get to make sure you enjoy it. How about a giveaway of some bath supplies?

I've got two full sets of the whole kit: Tote bag, microfiber towel, microfiber bath mitts (2-pack), Ruff Life Apron, and bone-shaped sponges (in 2-packs). In addition, I'll offer 3 smaller prizes in which each winner will get 1 of the following: Ruff Life Apron, Tote Bag, or 2 Mitts and 2 sponges teamed up as 1 prize. That's 5 total prizes from Dogs Unleashed. Sound good?

This giveaway is good for North American addresses only, void where prohibited, and available to ages 18 and older. Now all you have to do is try to get some entries in so you'll have a chance to win something from this giveaway. Here's how:

COMMENTS are the primo form of entry--super simple since you're already here. Visit the bottom of the post to find the COMMENTS link and click.
You may enter the giveaway once daily per method, but you must use a different Tweet, comment, photo, etc. each time.
Winners will be selected from comments here on the blog that include a method of contact (URL, email, Twitter handle, etc). All Tweets and emails must be followed up with a comment here to be entered in the drawing. Random.org will be used to select the winners.
For 3 entries, drop me an email at AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com with a photo of your pup and a sign that says "We Love Bathtime with Dogs Unleashed". You can print a picture from this post and write the note on the photo for an extra entry. That's 4 entries right there! Your photo may even be featured on our Facebook page, or here on the blog.
Likewise, Bathtime photos of your dog sent to AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com will earn you 4 entries. However, remember that you must follow up the photo with 4 comments to register your entries for the drawing. It will be done via computer selection, so the comment is needed to get you a win!
Leave a comment here saying "I Like All Things Dog Blog on Facebook" for another entry.

Likewise, follow @AllThingsDog on Twitter and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
Subscribing to our blog by email using the dog house subscription box at left is a great way to keep up with our posts, giveaways, Ask the Vet and Trainer columns and more. Leave me a comment for one entry, saying "I subscribe to All Things Dog Blog." RSS subscribers may use this method also. Click this link for more info on RSS.
And of course, hit that Tweet/Retweet button at the top of the post, and then leave me a comment telling me you Tweeted/Retweeted this post. Leave your Twitter handle for verification and we'll be thrilled to give you another entry.
Don't forget to include a method of contact so we can notify you if you win.
Entries will close at 5 PM sharp on Thursday, July 21st. I'll report the winners on Friday afternoon, July 22nd.

It seems that each product review I do is met with at least a couple of emails asking where a reader can purchase the product NOW. Petco's online store is carrying some of the Dogs Unleashed products at these links and other products may be found at select dog boutiques. I also found the Drying (or washing!) Mitts on Amazon, as well as an assortment of their other items on Amazon here (towels, etc). Check your area for upscale shops if you're interested in finding them locally.

I hope you've enjoyed this bath-themed product review as much as Tanner and I enjoyed sharing it with you. Oliver is feeling a bit left out though. You can visit him at 5 Minutes for Fido and see what he's up to. I'm guessing he's trying to nudge his way into this fun also.

Full disclosure: The products pictured in this review were provided to me by Dogs Unleashed for a review. I was not paid to give my opinion and the thoughts included here are my own.