Dog Stroller Owners Unite
I used to judge dog owners that had their four-legged babies in strollers so hard. Are you freaking me? Its a dog, not a baby. I thought to spend money on that was insane and that frankly, it made for spoiled and out of shape dogs. Who the hell was I to come off so high and mighty? I’m still not sure, but I have evolved past this - other things, like wearing Crocs out of the house, not so much, but baby steps.
I used to not have any issue walking Nico, my 15 pound Rat-Chi, but at one point in the last year he decided to take a hard stance against cardio, not walking more than two blocks. While in solidarity with him for a bit, my weight increase and general heart health gave me pause to re-consider. If I wasn’t going to turn into an athlete or gym rat overnight, I needed to get my 10,000 steps in as a bare minimum.
Knowing that the exercise is good for us, I dragged him with me and while he loved it at first, he would plop himself down and make very clear too early in that he was at his limit. I wanted to take him with me so he could explore, but I also need more than 2 blocks of walking a day. The solution? A stroller. For the record, I found so many cute strollers, but my biggest hesitation was what people would say. “Is that why he’s chunky? Because he doesn’t walk?” To which I say, nope, he was chunky pre-stroller as he’s over-loved, but still. I found a reasonably priced stroller with good reviews and (literally) pushed my pride to the side. Side note - dog strollers can be insanely pricey, truly rivaling human baby ones, but anyway. Our first walk I was so embarrassed, avoiding eye contact with cars driving in our direction or joggers going past us. My own self-consciousness aside, it was perfect, he got used to it super quickly and was practically standing up the entire time on patrol, it melted my heart, and with no desire to get out after 5 minutes, it was a freaking miracle.
What no one tells you when you buy your dog a stroller is that you join some sort of unspoken club. Other dog parents with strollers give you the biggest smile or even go out of their way to compliment you, almost as if to help shake away any stigma - not just from outsiders, but from the clubs newest members. The biggest thank you to those people, wherever you are, you now have me writing an entire piece on my love of dog strollers. Talk about growth, huh?
Story time aside, I really do love Nico’s stroller (linked here) and it took awhile to narrow down which one seemed the best. Skip the searching and let me guide you in the right direction, I’ve got you.
Super into:
How light it is! Sounds heavier than it is at 11 pounds, but maybe I’m just exposing my lack of fitness here.
How it easily folds - you pull two hooks on the side and bam it folds flat and easily toss-able in your trunk.
The multiple colors you can get it in - I did black because it matches with everything, but they have 5 options in total if you’re more fun.
The fact that its waterproof (and just really easy to clean in general). Seems silly but when you have an accidental aioli spillage on it, you’ll see how clutch of a feature that is.
All the mesh windows - Nico can see out in front of him, on both sides, above him and even behind him if he wants to look at me. As a dog that suffers with separation anxiety, he must know where momma is at all times, and I get that.
The basket on the bottom! I stuff my wallet there, his leash, anything I need, super spacious.
The cup holder, enough said.
The cost - at under $30, this is a steal for the quality. My only other contender that passed my rigorous shopping criteria was $300, so that’s saying something.
Wish it had:
A 4th wheel - I know we’re normally not even into third wheels, but hear me out. While this stroller claims easy 360 maneuvering, its not so effortless. I think this is a combination of the less than stellar wheels and the general low quality of this stroller, but the 3 wheels also really mess with the balance. It tilts forward naturally, and I have 100% dropped before. Thankfully, it was gentle fall from grace in the learning curve period, but lesson learned nonetheless.
An easier zipper! You can zip up the front so there are no jumping out hazards, which I enjoy immensely as Nico can be quite spicy and confrontational. Now, thats given I can actually zip it up. The angle is so wonky and you need to get it just right to work properly. Can confirm its not just me, as others have also struggled.
The price and quality of this stroller are unmatched, especially when evaluating it versus its competitors. It has already been used more times than I anticipated and allows me to take Nico to the most crowded places safely (for him, the strangers and myself). It doesn’t come without judgement, as there’s always going to be former Natalie’s walking around, but I can attest to the fact that they don’t stick around too long. The nice thing too is, I put my dog’s happiness above all else, my own pride included, so now I’m not even phased.
