FDL is pink and pricey – Issue 4

Best of FDL 10/12-10/18: kennels for travel, Diaper Genie, best nail grinder

Oct 19, 2020

Welcome to the Fine Dog Living weekly newsletter – curated content from the FDL Facebook group + a little editorial riffing by me, Lisa Murnan.

Safety first

I’m a big believer in crating dogs in the car. Luckily Todd and I haven’t been involved in any accidents (I’m knocking on my wood desk right now) but we’ve seen the aftermath photos of many terrible accidents where dogs riding in good solid safety-tested crates made all the difference in the world.

Our kennels are custom-made by Brad at KBC Kennels in the St. Louis area – although KBC has standard kennel sizes, Brad is amazing at building custom setups. He designed ours to fit the back of our Nissan van and included fans and lights for every kennel with a remote control to rule them all.

I could not talk Todd into pink kennels, unfortunately.

But if pink kennels are your thing, check out RuffLand (formerly RTK/Ruff Tough Kennels). Not only do they come in pink (sometimes… it seems like they can’t keep that color in stock), they also have a lot of other nice features: they’re one solid piece (so they’re strong, easy to clean, and don’t have ledges that take up unnecessary space in your car), have multiple door placement options, and a variety of sizes and other colors.

Check out Sue M.’s beautiful pink RuffLands!

And Laci W.’s gorgeous RV setup with 3 large, 3 intermediate, and 2 medium RuffLands! (I’m so jealous!!!! I want this! TODDDDDDDD.)

I also hear about RuffLands going on sale at LL Bean from time to time (with free shipping, which would be great since the large kennel shipped as one piece is going to be in a box the size of an oven. 😄)

If you do get a RuffLand, be sure to check out the extra door latches, per some of the comments:

Make sure to get the extra latch kit, or the door can pop off in an accident.

Other high-quality safety-tested brands often recommended by FDLers:

Unfortunately, none of these kennels are cheap. We’re talking hundreds of dollars for individual crates and thousands for banks of custom crates or the Variocages. But it really helps with peace of mind.

Genie-us idea

A few months ago Emily K. recommended using a Diaper Genie to clean up poop in the dog yard, and that idea resurfaced this week. Apparently putting poop into the Diaper Genie works great to minimize smell and insects. And why wouldn’t it? It has kept baby nurseries bearable for years! 💩💩💩

Emily put individual bags of poop into the Diaper Genie, but Marie G. took it to the next level and dumped poop straight in (which would totally be my modus operandi – with 11 dogs I’m all about the scooper. I wonder if the Diaper Genie could handle rocks, too…). Marie says it works great, which means I may have to buy one and give it a try.

They really aren’t that expensive (around $35) and you can find used ones pretty easily on Facebook Marketplace.

The Diaper Genie does not come in pink but you can always paint it, add stickers, or top it with a shower cap with your choice (which also serves to protect it from the rain since it wasn’t designed to be used outside).

Check out Emily’s fanciful unicorn shower cap on her Diaper Genie!

Best nail grinder

Dani S. asked “Anyone find a good nail grinder that's actually quiet and does a good job?”

The recommendations were overwhelmingly in favor of this combo, which was called “the best combo ever” and “groomers’ best friend”:

Dremel 8050 Micro ($120)

Diamagroove Boxer diamond bit nail grinding tool ($150)

But Leeeeeesaaaaaa, why does everything FDL have to be so expennnnnsivvvvve?!?!

I hear ya. But according to groomers and others in the know, this combo is a one-time purchase and worth every penny. The Dremel 8050 Micro is quiet, cordless, and comes with a light on the end of it. And the Diamagroove apparently lasts forever, makes the Micro even quieter, and doesn’t get hot or grind skin/pads.

And Christmas is coming up soon?