The Dog Bag Story

What is Dog Bag?

• A flexible dog transport system, designed for a dog's safety and comfort
• A portable "home from home"
• Outstanding quality
• Your dog's second best friend

Dog Bag was designed by two Italian dog owners, Emanuele Bianchi and Giovanni Bertoli, who wanted a transport system that was safer, kinder, more convenient and more flexible than a metal or plastic crate. So, "thinking outside the box", and taking advice from pet psychologists, they soon realised that it would need to be made of fabric - waterproof, softer and warmer than steel or plastic. The fabric would need to be thick enough to be supportive, and immensely strong. It would stand upright with an integral sprung steel frame, and fold neatly away when not in use. It would have to provide sufficient UV protection - it's almost always sunny in Italy! - as well as masses of ventilation. It would at the same time need to be cosy and comfortable as well as being spacious and airy. There'd be strong fixings to help ensure the in-car safety of both pets and passengers, and to comply with all known existing and impending legislation.

Not only should dogs prefer it on technical grounds, but owners should appreciate the extra functionality and flexibility. It would be light to carry, there'd be boot space left free for other items, no rattling noises, no risk of damage to the car, and dog hair would be contained in the bag - to be shaken out later.

"It" became Dog Bag.

Folded Dog Bags need a stuff sack to prevent them from springing open, so why not make this into a useful accessory? The stuff sack became a rucksack, complete with a range of useful sized pockets for accessories. Owners would use the main rucksack for carrying the food and feeding bowls.

In due course Dog Bag would have a range of accessories - for additional protection from cold, wind, sun and rain - and internal accessories for extra comfort. There's now also a 'Home Comfort' range which, as its name suggests, is a collection of practical, comfortable and hardwearing beds that can either be used on their own or placed in a Dog Bag of appropriate size. Familiarity reduces stress.

Dog Bags are expected to last for years, so there is no compromise on quality. The 'High Density Fabric' is an incredibly hard wearing and fully waterproof 1800 Denier ballistic nylon. All seams are taped and double sewn, and beefy YKK zips are used throughout. Nothing but the best.

Dog Bag is now reality, is very sensibly priced, and is selling superbly well. There are four sizes, so no size of dog needs to miss the fun. If anyone can think of ways to improve the range, we want to hear from you!

Here are some unbiased opinions:

from the dog's perspective:

• I don't get left behind nowadays; my bed comes with me and they don't have to find me somewhere to sleep.
• If they're getting a bit boring I can go back to my Dog Bag for some P and Q.
• Until Dog Bag arrived I had to sleep in the car in a cold and rusting cage. (It wasn't my fault I once chewed Aunt Molly's chair leg during the night.)
• Excellent visibility - I can see out whether I'm lying down or standing up.
• I curl up against one corner of my Dog Bag when travelling and I feel safe and secure, even when he thinks he's Colin McRae.
• Dog Bag is nice and airy - it lets the fresh air and nice smells in and my nasty smells out!
• When I'm zipped into my Dog Bag in the boot of the car I can't go running off any more when they open the tailgate - BORING!
• They let me back in the car now even when I'm wet and muddy; "walkies" nowadays are much more interesting, although they still complain if I roll in dead rabbit.
• Sometimes my Dog Bag and I come and join them in the garden, and I can shelter from the sun.
• "Cool in Summer, warm in Winter."
• Compared to metal cages and plastic boxes, Dog Bag is just plain "Cool".
• Sometimes she picks up a friend and the other dogs travel with me, 3 in a bag! When we travel in the friend's saloon car my Dog Bag goes on the rear seat.

from the owners' perspective:

• At last a transport system designed with everyone's safety in mind.
• He's so much calmer about travelling nowadays - he knows it's his bed. We just put his normal blanket in the bottom of it and in he jumps. He doesn't rampage around the back of the car any more.
• It's so light and easy to use - we use it every time we go out, and don't leave him at home half as much as we used to.
• We use the rucksack for carrying his bowl, food, toys and lead.
• It keeps the car clean, dry, and almost completely free of dog hairs.
• The car doesn't have that wet dog smell like it used to.
• The cage we had was so large, heavy and awkward. And it rattled, and it scratched the leather on the back of the seats. And anyway it's too big to fit our new car, so we were looking for a new solution.
• Now we can fit the dog and our luggage or shopping into the boot..
• It's brilliant when we're staying with friends, or even just visiting them. Sometimes we peg the Dog Bag onto the lawn, other times we have tied it onto suitable objects and he's slept in the kitchen overnight. We were never happy with leaving him in the car, and if the car needed to be parked on the street, we just couldn't go away at all.
• It wasn't immediately clear to us how we folded it, but the pictures in the brochure made it clear, and the video clip on the Dog Bag web site makes it look unbelievably easy. Once we'd both folded it once it seems so easy and so obvious that we could probably do it with our eyes shut!
• Sometimes I even take him to the office; last summer we took him to the beach.