Thundershirts Are Go

The latest idea from America to keep dogs calm in noisy environments has arrived - It’s called the Thundershirt. Originally developed for dogs that get disturbed when thunderstorms hit, has now found a new use as sales of the vest are escalating as we approach the fourth of July firework season. Three test “victims” Moses, Joker and Rowdy all tried the shirt all with some success.

Overall the results showed that the tight-fitting garment worked better when put on before the storm arrived to allow the dogs to get acclimatised. Dr Joe Landers, Cincinnati vet, who oversaw the tests, said the idea behind this vest is sound.

Melisa Lancaster’s dog Joker, used to wake her up whenever a crack of thunder shook the house wanting a cuddle, but since wearing the vest he seems a lot calmer when the vest was fitted before the storm arrived, working on the theory that he now feels swaddled and more secure.

Thundershirts are available online from $40 and available in different sizes.

Luckily here at Epic, we had a volunteer to test our own version of the garment, tests were inconclusive as he is so used to hearing the fireworks on our in-store plasma screens, he normally sleeps through them anyway, so not the best test subject on reflection.