Star’s Harness

TL;DR

Star’s harness and collar are from Wild Piccolo. They were chosen for their design and fit to improve comfort without compromising style. Their cork material is a water-resistant vegan alternative to leather that looks just as great and is kind to her skin. The adjustable Y-shaped harness design allows for unrestricted free movement of her joints.

Why Wild Piccolo

Wild Piccolo’s WP Y-Harness was chosen for its clean Y-shaped design and adjustability. It has a minimal aesthetic sans patterns and obnoxious branding. It’s just a clean look with contrasting steel hardware in a vegan leather-like material called cork that is water resistant. Collectively it’s a combination of design and function that is unmatched by any other dog-wear brand.

The WP Y-harness has a unique design element which helps make it more accessible than a typical Y-harness. Instead of being sewn into it, the girth strap is loosely threaded through the back strap, making it removable. Removing the girth strap from the back strap eliminates the leg loop, so it’s possible to fit the harness without needing to guide Star’s paw through any loops. It’s a nice feature for a husky with ticklish feet.

Wild Piccolo boasts some impressive ethical credentials. Their products are handcrafted in the UK to be vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable.

Star’s harness was custom-crafted just for her in obsidian black, which looks incredible with the contrasting hardware. She has a matching buckle collar to carry her GPS activity tracker and name tag.

How it was chosen

The search for a Y-harness was born out of frustration with the fit of Star’s Norwegian harness from Hunter that she used for most of her life. It lacked adjustability, which meant the only size that fit her securely was slightly too small and restrictive.

There is much debate online about whether the design of Norwegian harnesses can restrict shoulder movement. Dog Gear Review provides an in-depth and well-researched breakdown of this debate. Norwegian harnesses are more accessible than a typical Y-harness, so a correctly fitted Norwegian harness is still a good option.

Star’s first ever post-puppy harness was a custom-fit Nordkyn harness from SnowPaw Store. They specialise in equipment for sled dog breeds like Star, so that’s where the research began. One brand they stock, MANMAT, is the world leader in manufacturing dog sledding harnesses through cooperation with leading mushers. Their SMART harness formed the foundation for choosing a Y-Harness.

The goal was to find a harness that encompassed the adjustability and Y-shaped design of MANMAT’s SMART harness whilst retaining the minimal aesthetic of her Hunter Norwegian harness. The YP Y-Harness from Wild Piccolo is the perfect combination of these requirements.

A note on Star’s collar

Not nearly as much thought or research went into choosing a collar. Star has spent most of her life without one, wearing only a harness. Switching to a Y-Harness, which isn't efficient to put on, meant that a collar would be beneficial for playing in the garden.

Wild Piccolo’s buckle collar in the same obsidian black colour matches the YP Y-Harness beautifully. It’s made from the same excellent cork material as her harness and is equally adjustable. The buckle closure makes it easy to put on and take off, and the width is narrow enough to hold her GPS activity tracker.

Wild Piccolo doesn't currently sell buckle collars on their website, and Star's was custom-crafted just for her.

In the Journal