An Ode to Barn Dogs

I grew up with dogs all around me – my own family dog, Kassidy, was a grumpy, loving and loyal Bichon Frise. My extended family had Goldens and Shepherds. My barn family had everything you could imagine – from Kody, the unbelievably smart German Shepherd, to KC, the search and rescue yellow lab, to Alice, the loyal lab who did stalls with us almost every day of her life.

I’ve known so many barn dogs from all over. There was Jack, the stereotypical Jack Russell “Terror” who chased the barn cats and could jump our 5’ fences. There were Bagel, Biscuit and Pippa – two Jugs and a JRT – who would hack with the eventers for miles of trails and always beat at least one of us back to the barn.

I even had my own while I was in Aiken – Wilco was a rescue who needed one more chance, and he very quickly adapted to farm life while we waited for me to bring him back to New Jersey to live with his new family. He slept until noon with meon my days off, and did night check with me in the middle of the night. He was constantly by my side, even though it was obvious that running around a farm all day was tiring for the slightly-out-of-shape pup.

Right now, I board my horse with Aztec, Ranger and Nokomis – all three are boxers. Aztec is one of the most loyal dogs I’ve ever known – she will follow her two-leggeds around the farm and hang out while we ride, keeping an eye our for deer or geese or anything else she may be told to chase away. Ranger is a white boxer, and the joke is that he heard somewhere that white boxers are deaf, and now chooses to ignore us when we call him into the house. Ranger spends his days chasing chickens (and ignoring us when we tell him to knock it off!) and chasing the Gator – for some reason he loves to bark at the wheels. Nokomis is a lot more sassy – he’ll run and play with Ranger, sure, but when he’s done he’s done, and he’ll go wait by the door to be let in the house.

Everyone who’s ever had a horse could tell you about the barn dogs in their life. There’s something to be said about a country dog who won’t wander far from you, who knows where to meet you at the end of your day, and who will keep you company while you pick stalls or hack out alone. They work just as hard as we do, and they deserve a little extra support.

I’m currently in the process of adopting a small hound dog, and (with Aztec’s permission, of course) am hoping to be able to bring her with me to the farm while I work and teach. I know that working long hours on a farm can be just as hard on a dog’s body as it is on our own, so in my “new dog” shopping list, I’m including several draper products. They help me and my horses so much that I can’t help but feel as if my new dog deserves Draper as well!

Number one on my list is absolutely the Bolster Bed. This therapeutic dog bed is exactly what I was looking for when I first started searching for therapeutic dog products. When tired dogs are home after a long day, they can curl up in this super comfortable bed and let the Draper Celliant fabric work it’s magic. I know for sure that my little hound is going to LOVE her Draper dog bed.

I know that I’ll have a draper therapeutic dog blanket on my couch, too, right next to my draper therapeutic blanket for humans. It’s only fair that on rainy days when I curl up and watch Netflix, that my dog be able to do the same, too!

And… because I just can’t help myself, I’ll definitely get her a pair of the Draper therapeutic doggie wraps. I know how much my Draper Body wrap helps my sore joints, and I see a clear difference in my mare after rides in my Draper Perfect Polos – so why not treat my dog to the same therapy?

Guest blog written by Kim Magaraci from South Jersey.