What to Wear While Walking Your Dogs: Winter Edition Part II

This past year has really been the first that I’ve consistently walked outside through the winter. Before I had dogs I had no reason to bundle up against the cold and trudge through snow and ice to exercise. The gym is now a distant memory but not only have I gotten used to spending an hour outside in the elements every day, I’ve come to enjoy it.

Getting out to walk is really important for our dogs because they don’t have a backyard to release all that energy from laying around inside. Exercise is important for physical health and mental stimulation and it’s also a great time to appreciate your surroundings and bond with your buddy. There really is nothing like the quiet stillness of walking by snow covered trees and feeling the icy cold air turning my nose pink with the dogs trotting along beside me.

A portion of our 3.5 mile walking loop follows a busy road where people we know often see us and honk or wave. I can’t count the times I received texts last winter telling me I was crazy for walking my dogs in single digit temperatures and climbing over snow piles. Sometimes I thought I was crazy too. But our walking routine can’t just stop because winter arrives. Around here it gets cold and we get snow and that’s just the way it is until late Spring.

Obviously we try to take the best care of Ares and Chaos so safety is a priority for them and for us. We’ve cleared it with our vet that the dogs can be outside for their 45min -1 hr long daily walks down to 0 degrees, assuming they have the proper protection. Dogs can get frost bite just like humans so when the polar vortex rolled through we played it safe and stayed inside. If snow blows in we still walk as long as visibility isn’t obscured because the pups have waterproof, fleece lined coats. We take the necessary precautions to make sure our short haired dogs are dressed appropriately and we are too.

I posted about the layers I pile on for winter walks earlier in the year, but as the temperatures have dipped back down this season, I’m going to reshare what still works and a couple updates I’ve made. I’m all about looking cute and trying trends, but when it comes to braving the elements, practicality rules. This girl gets really cold really easily and turning blue is not my best look. I have found, though, that I don’t necessarily have to sacrifice one for the other.

I recently discovered Cuddl Duds clothing and their Fleecewear with Stretch Leggings may be one of the best gifts of my life. These suckers are the real deal, completely fleece inside and out. It’s like wearing a blanket tightly wrapped around your legs when you put them on. I have a black pair and a gray pair and I could honestly have one for every day of the week. It’s pretty awesome that leggings are in style because they are so easy and comfortable. But their practical purpose is that they keep the lower half of my body toasty even below freezing. Boots pull right over the top and with some warm socks, you’re good to go. Shipping is always free on the website and the brand is now sold in Kohl’s department stores. At $28.00 a pair they are worth every single penny.

Keeping your core warm is important to keep your blood pumping and circulation up but it’s easy for layers to get bulky fast. While dressing like Randy from A Christmas Story might keep me warm, it’s not going to do me any good while walking my dogs. I need range of motion to maneuver around ice and up snow banks. And as I’ve told you guys before, I’m less than graceful in general so adding ice and snow doesn’t always bode well for me. If I start to slip I usually can right myself after a grand scene of flailing limbs, but if I can’t move them, I’ll go down every time. That’s why thermals, fleece and Columbia Omni-heat are awesome for staying warm without pulling a Randy.

I continue to wear thermal tops from Old Navy and Target because they are inexpensive, practical and cute. Not only do I wear them as my first layer of dog walking attire, I sleep in them, run errands in them and stick them under a vest or jacket and I can be stylish and comfortable. Winning all around.

Last year I purchased a fleece jacket from Old Navy and wore it as my second layer over a thermal when temperatures dipped below freezing. But I wore it so much the zipper broke. I still wear it around the house but it’s not as effective at keeping me warm without the zipper so this year I found a similar jacket in white at Target for $15. Steal!

My final layer varies depending on how cold is it. Another recent online discovery is Marleylilly.com. If you are like me and go crazy over monogrammed items, get your butt over there now to check it out. Since my monogram will change after Chris and I are married next year and my mom generously gifted me 2 new vests from the site, I’m rocking my new monogram early. Throughout the fall I’ve been wearing both my gray fleece vest and my brown puffer vest, sometimes just over a thermal and sometimes as a third layer over the fleece jacket. Since vests are very on trend right now it’s perfect that they are also very cozy!

My Columbia Omni-heat coat is my not so secret weapon for fighting off the winter days that are just biting cold. And at least if you ask me, we have a lot of those, especially when you consider the wind whipping through these KY hills. A Christmas present from my parents last year, I still can’t over how it’s so thin but so warm. The swishy outer material is water proof and the inside, which looks like something from Xenon: Girl of the 21^st Century to me, works to trap my own body heat and use it to keep me warm. Genius.

I’m still wearing my awesome fleece hat I found at baby Gap 2 years ago and my infinity scarf and glittens that were also Christmas presents from last year. I’m not really concerned with who will see me or what they will think when I’m out walking my dogs, but it is fun to feel cute in my bright colored coat and hat with my leggings and boots. I guess it’s just lucky that clothes designed to be warm are very in right now. Yay!

I just broke out the dogs’ winter gear this past weekend since they are a little tougher than I am. So far it’s only been either a coat or a hoodie, but soon they will need to layer up too. We still love our Zack & Zoey’s hoodies and alternating between our RuffWear coats and Boutique coats. I find it so funny that the boys love wearing their snoods and readily stick their heads through when I hold open the hole. Apparently my dogs also take pride in looking fashionable whenever possible. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.