In Love with Lupine

After months of lusting over it and another couple months of waiting for it to land in Manila, I have to say, this is one of the happiest purchases I've ever made for Odie.

Yay!

I learned about Lupine when I read about it in Boo & Bon's blog. Love at first sight. It was the perfect set I was looking for! Matching leash and collar made of webbed nylon, with a choice among 1/2-inch, 3/4-inch, and 1-inch thickness. Lupine is proudly made in New Hampshire, USA, and comes in different patterns, each one tickling the fancy of dog owners since 1990. Oh, and the best part? They offer a lifetime guarantee, even if chewed.

Lupine products are being sold in Hobbes & Landes' Petropolis, and I did consider just buying from there. Their prices are pretty steep though, around $45 total for a lead and collar set. I have this (stupid?) habit of not buying things when I know I can get them somewhere else for much less. On the Lupine website, the whole set was gonna run me around $26. It was sometime in August when I saw an ad on the side of my Facebook newsfeed. LivingSocial US had a deal for half off on a Lupine collar and lead set. Half off. 50 percent. Thank you, America! I spent $14 for a medium collar and a 6' lead, both in the Wet Paint pattern. I had to add $4.99 flat rate shipping, bringing my total to $18.99 instead of spending $45 if I bought it locally. Not bad at all!

Lupine 6' Padded Handle Lead in Wet Paint pattern

Lupine medium adjustable collar in Wet Paint pattern

The lead and collar set finally arrived after nearly two months as there was a delay in shipping due to a typhoon. Odie has been using it for a little over a month now, and has endured daily walks, a trip to Pedigree University (saving that for a different blog entry), and a few training classes at Pet Centrics. Maybe that's more than enough of a test run for me to review it.

I already knew that a 6-foot leash would be too long for us, especially since we go to public places with relatively thick crowds. It was the one advertised as part of the deal though so I got it anyway. I already commented on the Lupine website that they should also offer the 4' leash because that's a safer length for most dogs who live in the city. Shortly after, I got an email from them stating that they could replace the 6' lead with a 4' lead if that's what I wanted, at no extra cost. Too bad the item was already delivered at my cousin's place and I didn't want to trouble him with sending it back and all. But wow, I forgot how great the US is in terms of consumer rights. Sigh. If only it were the same in the Philippines.

As for usability, it's really difficult to work with a longer leash because I already got used to average length. I hardly use the padded handle, and I fold over the excess leash. Sometimes I even coil it around my hand even if I know it's bad. I should have had it replaced when it was still in the US. Oh well, gotta wait for Odie to destroy it. The length is good for wide, open spaces though, which we don't really have a lot of.

Now he's even more handsome

Prior to making my purchase, I already had questions about the lifetime guarantee. In the US, you just go to a store to have it replaced, or mail the return label and the destroyed leash to Lupine. I knew that the Handyman hardware store also sells Lupine products, so I asked them if they will still honor the lifetime guarantee if I purchased the product in the US. Sadly, Handyman will only replace Lupine products if you bought it from their store. I then asked Hobbes & Landes about it because I really wouldn't want to go through the trouble of returning the product to the US on account of shipping costs. They told me that I could totally have any and all broken Lupine products exchanged in any of their Petropolis stores, no questions asked, no need for receipts. That's customer service right there. Suck it, Handyman!

I have no qualms about the collar because it does the job, and it looks pretty. What I'm happiest about Lupine products is that the patterns are all made entirely out of webbed nylon. A lot of patterned leashes are just printed so they peel of easily. This one may fade after a while, but the pattern will not get destroyed and look shabby. It also makes the dog and the human feel more confident when going on walks because the medium and large leads have bigger gate snaps instead of regular snap hooks. There's a bit more work involved in getting the leash on and off the collar (I had to practice getting it on and off, and teacher took a while to figure it out during training class), but it looks a lot more secure.

Lupine gate snap for 3/4" and 1" leads
Photo courtesy of Lupine

To sum things up, I think that the Lupine lead and collar set is a great investment. I wish I could have gotten another set to serve as backup when one set gets destroyed, but I do have a backup leash right now which works okay, too. I'm a lot happier that I was able to get it for half the price, and am very pleased with the customer service that both Lupine USA and Hobbes & Landes provide. Now I don't have to worry about replacing broken leashes and collars! Although I would love to also get a matching training tab to use in agility training (and maybe eventually, competitions), as well as a 30' training lead for use in parks and open spaces. All in due time. But maybe Odie's godparents are reading this. Hello!

Lupine 3/4" training tab in Wet Paint pattern
Photo courtesy of Lupine

Lupine 3/4" training lead, 30' long, solid blue and tail feathers
(Odie wants the solid blue one, just so you know :D)
Photo courtesy of Lupine