Personalized Leash Holders

If you're like me, you're always looking for the appropriate place to store your dog's leash. I know, doesn't seem like a huge issue, but it can at times feel like a "where did I put my keys?" type of scenario. When I tried to put Riley's leash in a cute, vintage-y bucket near my door, she dug it out when I left the apartment and chewed all the plastic clasps off of her collar, rendering it useless. I resorted to leaving her leash on the counter, which is clearly not the most sanitary option.

One company, Pets Unleashed, makes wrought iron leash holders for your pet. You can put it in your foyer, mudroom, whatever. Not only will you not misplace his leash again, but it'll be out of reach so your pet won't be able to chew it up when you leave him unattended.

Pricing depends largely on how many letters are in your pet's name. For example, it's $54.99 if your dog's name has three letters, $64.99 if his name has seven letters, etc. For more information, go to their site: http://www.petsunleashed.ca/index.html

So cute, right?

Collars for Plus-Size Dogs

If you’ve got a larger dog—like a Husky, Bulldog, or German Shepard—Dean and Tyler makes some really amazing leather and neoprene accessories. Their collars feature vintage-style brass plates or studs, and most come in both brown and black leather.

Prices range from about $60 and $130, so these collars are not cheap, but they’re definitely sturdy and stylish. To see their entire product line, click here.

Preppy Dog Collars

If preppy is your thing, one Boston-based company—Four Preppy Paws—has an entire line of collars, harnesses, and leads tricked out with gingham, seersucker, and ribbon. They even make personalized dog collars and leashes. (Each collar retails for about $25.)

To check out more of their designs or order online, view the Four Preppy Paws website. (Thanks, Lindsay, for sending in!)

Outward Bound Gear for Dogs

If you’re the outdoorsy type—and you tend to take your pooch on NOLS-ish trips on the weekends—it’s worth looking into RuffWear. They have some really cool accessories for dogs of all sizes. For instance, if your pup goes boating, kayaking, or dock-diving (and may or may not have subpar swimming skills), you could get him a Float Coat (as in, a life vest).

A "float coat" from RuffWear

I love the idea of these because they’ll give you piece of mind—whether you’re far from shore or your dog just isn’t in peak swimming condition. Another pretty cool accessory are dog packs for when you take long hikes. With one of these, he can carry extra water, food, and even first aid supplies.

The Palisades Pack from RuffWear

To see more RuffWear products and performance gear, go to http://www.ruffwear.com/.

Leash Lights for Nighttime Walks

Yep, the days are officially getting shorter. But with warmer temperatures, you’re likely still spending lots of time outside with your dog during evening hours. To see better and be more visible to cars at night, try out the Flexi Dog Leash Light. It’s self-fastening and contains six LED bulbs for more than 10,000 hours of bulb life.  The only downside is, it only works if you have a retractable leash. The cost? Just $8.99 and it includes 2 lithium batteries. If you’re interested, you can find it here.

Leash Light

If you don’t have a retractable leash, you could try out Pet Blinkers. It's a flashing light that attaches to your pet’s collar or leash so that he is visible up to a half a mile away at night. The cost for these is also $8.99. To buy, click here.

Pet Blinkers