Seattle Dog Spot

If you’re at all like us, getting the dog(s) ready for a walk takes almost as much preparation as a weeklong trek in the wilderness.

Poop bags, leashes, treats, balls – these are the provisions we must take with us… Read the rest

If you’re at all like us, getting the dog(s) ready for a walk takes almost as much preparation as a weeklong trek in the wilderness.

Poop bags, leashes, treats, balls – these are the provisions we must take with us for a successful journey. Unfortunately, these things are usually scattered in different places throughout the house (or our cars, or our coats, or our pants pockets), so we must go on an elaborate treasure hunt to track everything down.

Then we have to stuff everything into our jacket pockets which may or may not have the remains of the provisions from the previous walk. And when the weather turns warm and we aren’t wearing jackets, we just have our pockets to carry everything.

Citizen Canine Bag - From TomBihn.com

If you have these same problems, I’ve found something that holds everything you need for dog outings all in one place so you can just grab it and go: the Citizen Canine bag from Tom Bihn, a Seattle-based company started in 1972.

The Citizen Canine bag was clearly designed by a dog lover who understood the daily hide and seek game we play to find all our doggy provisions for walks.

Here’s why I think dog owners should have one:

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

The main function of the Citizen Canine bag is to carry treats and poop bags, but it can hold much more.

The top 2/3 of the bag is for treats, but it’s also big enough to hold a tennis ball or other similarly sized toys, and it has a drawstring you can tighten to keep everything inside.

The bottom third of the bag has a spool that holds a roll of poop bags that feeds through a hole in the bottom of the bag one at time. The bag comes with a roll of poop bags on the spool and ready to go.

No more finding wayward treats or poop bags in randon pairs of pants or in your dryer - they all live in the bag.

But you can fit MUCH more in it. The bag has a zippered pocked in the front big enough for a cell phone, credit cards, and money and another one in the back for your keys or a training clicker (Note: if your cell phone has a thick cover you may have trouble fitting it in the pocket).

The bag also has 2 straps so you can either clip it around your waist or over a shoulder, and the straps have a couple of clips that can hold a leash, a Chuckit! Ball Launcher, or anything else you might need.

The Citizen Canine bag is like a Swiss Army Knife because it carries everything you need in one convenient package.

DURABILITY

Tom Bihn constructs the bag from U.S. 1050 denier Ballistic nylon, which was originally used to make flak jackets for World War II airmen, and Dyneema^®, the strongest and lightest fabric in the world. Dyneema^®is 15 times stronger than steel, 40% stronger than aramids (used to make bullet-proof vests) on a weight-for-weight basis, it floats in water, and it’s water resistent.

The company made this bag so tough that it has a Lifetime Guarantee, which means it will probably outlast you. And if for some reason you send your bag back to be repaired, the same seamstress who made the bag will fix it.

THE COMPANY

Tom Bihn is one of the most eco friendly, socially responsible, locally-oriented company I’ve ever seen:

From TomBihn.com

• The company is not just based in Seattle, it makes its bags in Seattle.
• Instead of throwing away unused scraps of material, it sends them to Krebs Recycle (another Seattle Company) which uses them to finish the cut ends of the recycled climbing rope they use to make their leashes.
• The company gives back to nonprofits in its community and around the world. Click here to see the list of organizations it supports.
• Through the end of 2011 the company will give $5 of each Citizen Canine purchase to Old Dog Haven (which is also happens to be Seattle DogSpot’s 2011 Wagger Award winner).

The Citizen Canine bag costs $55. You can definitely find cheaper bags out there, but instead of trying to justify its higher price with consultant enhanced doublespeak, the company provides a refreshingly honest explanation for the bag’s price:

“TOM BIHN bags are carefully constructed of fine quality materials and components in our own Seattle factory. They’d be less expensive if we had them produced in China or Vietnam, but then we’d lose control over the quality of the finished product and the quality of the jobs we create. Our turn—around time (the time between designing a new product and being able to ship it to customers) is quite fast, especially for a small company. We could use cheaper materials, but we’ve been making bags for a long time and plan to make them for a lot longer still: we don’t want folks complaining about this or that part breaking or wearing out prematurely. There are plenty of less expensive products on the market and it’s up to you, the consumer, to decide if the quality of our products justify their expense.”

South Seattle Store - From TomBihn.com

In my opinion, the Citizen Canine bag is a fantastic product made by a fantastic company.

You can buy the bag on the Tom Bihn website, or you can go to its store in South Seattle on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays from 10AM-4PM and some Saturdays (check website for  dates). Not surprisingly, dogs are welcome!

If you want to read more about Tom Bihn, check out this article on the company from Seattlepi.com.

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