Sofia (and Toby)
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topawsandrufflect.bsky.social
Sofia (and Toby)
@topawsandrufflect.bsky.social
sofia: dog owner, city girl, blogger at https://rufflectionreviews.wordpress.com/
toby: resident canine, reactive dog in training, american village dog
someone convince me i won't ruin toby's life when we get another dog on sunday 😭
August 6, 2025 at 11:31 PM
our new car setup!

Toby has officially been part of the family for three years today (!), and just this week I finally finished his new car setup. After several years of a backseat hammock in my SUV, I finally decided to upgrade to a car kennel. And after lots and lots of research, I decided on a…
our new car setup!
Toby has officially been part of the family for three years today (!), and just this week I finally finished his new car setup. After several years of a backseat hammock in my SUV, I finally decided to upgrade to a car kennel. And after lots and lots of research, I decided on a RuffLand Medium kennel! I didn't see many folks who had their kennels in the backseat when I was looking it up before I decided which kennel to buy.
rufflectionreviews.wordpress.com
March 13, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Going to pick up a biothane long lead, and what I find really fascinating is that these are beloved in the online dog community but there aren't any available from most pet stores? I was hoping to buy one IRL but unfortunately none of my fab local pet stores carry any :/
March 2, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Ruffland Medium SUV backseat setup info: If anyone else was wondering, and is looking for info-- the Ruffland medium fits very well in an SUV backseat. Mine takes up one passenger seat + the middle seat, and there's room for a passenger (though it would be a bit squished) in the remaining seat.
February 27, 2025 at 7:04 AM
told my dad i was going to get some ratchet straps to attach my new ruffland in my backseat and he was like "psh, those would crush that thing" and i'm like. ah. i think you don't understand how much research into dog car crates i've done. i do not think ratchet straps will crush it.
February 26, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Does anyone have an emergency info crate tag maker that they love? Looking for the kind that you attach to the crate door with info like photo, name, temperament, emergency contact info, etc. as my dog is reactive and shouldn't be removed from his crate in case of emergency. Open to all suggestions!
February 24, 2025 at 4:52 AM
getting a crate for my car soon and wow, all the guides for how to secure them are for trunks? i have an SUV but the safety cage doesn't extend to the trunk and it is Not recommended to put pets back there, so i'm trying to figure out how to secure it in my back seat and like.... Yikes!
February 17, 2025 at 8:27 PM
😌 Finally picked a crate to order and now I'm working on designing a custom crate tag with my dog's info. Crate will need to be ordered in a few weeks due to travel, but the crate tag can be ordered today, as it has a 4 week lead time right now. Exciting stuff!!!
February 5, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Toby got to enjoy some free enrichment earlier today by licking out the empty yogurt container before it got tossed in the recycling!
February 2, 2025 at 10:20 PM
I'm privileged to be in a place where I *can* afford to get a nice crate for my car. Currently doing research to see what feels like the best fit for me. Making a decision is SO HARD. Gunner/Cabela are super safe but I'm petite and they're really heavy. Need access to backseat sometimes.
February 2, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Has anyone used/heard much about MiraPet collapsible crates? I'm intrigued by them, but there doesn't seem to be too much out there. Main use for crate would be car travel. (And yes, I know about all the more expensive options, I'm still trying to decide what will work best for me!) #dogsofbluesky
February 2, 2025 at 1:43 AM
I live in a very temperate climate but I just checked the weather before taking the dog on his walk and it's 38 feels like 28 and ahhh no thank you, that's Too Cold, I would so much rather stay inside on the couch 😭
February 2, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Our Home Goods always has a big pile of enrichment puzzles, so naturally when I went specifically to look through my options today, they had none. But I did find a new holee roller in a bigger size, so I can improve the DIY snuffle ball I made the other day!
January 31, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Looking to get a car crate for Toby and before taking the plunge and buying a new Ruffland crate, I'm poking around on FB Marketplace and :') all of the ones I can see are like 1.5 hours away, so... not actually saving anything. Could get a Diggs Enventur for same cost as a new Ruffland though LOL
January 30, 2025 at 9:13 PM
this is how we feel about boring spreadsheet tasks at work
January 29, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Toby had a Really Good walk today! The only time he went over threshold was when a woman jogging (one of his triggers) with a dog (another trigger) started to get too close by going off the opposite sidewalk and into the road towards us. Otherwise he did really well the whole way!
January 29, 2025 at 2:11 AM
toby’s nighttime walking gear

Up in the PNW, we have long winter nights. In December, the sun sets around 4:15 in the afternoon. While I try to avoid walking at night (it's cold, it's dark, it's harder to see other dogs who might trigger Toby!), it's a necessary evil, sometimes, and that's when…
toby’s nighttime walking gear
Up in the PNW, we have long winter nights. In December, the sun sets around 4:15 in the afternoon. While I try to avoid walking at night (it's cold, it's dark, it's harder to see other dogs who might trigger Toby!), it's a necessary evil, sometimes, and that's when it's great to have a set of light-up gear for the night.
rufflectionreviews.wordpress.com
January 28, 2025 at 8:43 PM
spent some time putting together a DIY snuffle ball with some old socks and a small holee roller, but he's not so sure about it yet! if he ends up liking it, i might pick up the next size up of the holee roller to be able to fit the socks through the holes a little bit better.
January 27, 2025 at 10:53 PM
I want to get Toby a puzzle toy (like the Nina Ottosson ones), and I think he'd find the basic ones boring, but he's not super food motivated, so it can't be too hard. Does anyone have a favorite that's mid-tier challenging (or adjustable for different levels of challenge) that their dog loves?
January 27, 2025 at 7:44 PM
gear highlight: krebs recycle 2 ft heeler leash

One piece of gear we use every single day, multiple times per day, is Toby's 2 ft Krebs Recycle Heeler Leash! Left: A silver and blue rope leash that is a two foot long loop. The leash has heavy duty silver hardware, and a logo saying "krebs recycle"…
gear highlight: krebs recycle 2 ft heeler leash
One piece of gear we use every single day, multiple times per day, is Toby's 2 ft Krebs Recycle Heeler Leash! Left: A silver and blue rope leash that is a two foot long loop. The leash has heavy duty silver hardware, and a logo saying "krebs recycle" on it near the hardware. When we first picked up this leash, I wasn't sure it would get a lot of use.
rufflectionreviews.wordpress.com
January 27, 2025 at 6:36 PM
felt bad texting my dog trainer on one of her weekend days but all her scheduling links went down and as a small business employee... I Know That Panic
January 26, 2025 at 11:13 PM
toby hasn't historically been much of a chewer but all of a sudden he's obsessed with the earth naturals no hide rolls, i got him a medium beef yesterday and he chomped through it already. this is both baffling and exciting, and maybe not great for my wallet
January 26, 2025 at 9:54 PM
toby looks like a basset/poodle mix, but he's actually an american village dog! his sisters' DNA came out as poodle/cocker spaniel/GSD/pit bull/pekingese, but he came out as 100% american village dog! he's a rescue from mexico and around 5 years old 😌
January 26, 2025 at 7:15 PM
hi, welcome, we are here to talk about dogs!!
January 26, 2025 at 7:10 PM