Blizzid's new winter layer has a bit of a background.
It began when Wanaka couple Mark and Angie Hook took pity on their Rhodesian Ridgeback Jack who struggled to cope with the freezing Central Otago climate after his owners moved to Wanaka from Dunedin three years ago.
The cold canine's refusal to go outdoors coincided with a trip to the United States where the Hooks saw the ‘‘incredible market for animal paraphernalia.''
Ms Hook's sister-in-law Clare Cossen, of Hokitika, had worked for years as a designer for New Zealand outdoor clothing and equipment manufacturer Macpac and was called upon to fashion Jack a jacket.
Happily braving the elements in his new garment, Jack inadvertently became the original model for D-fa jackets, as Ms Cossen's foray into canine coats launched a new idea and, ultimately, a new brand of high-performance dog clothing.
‘‘We thought maybe there's an opportunity there for us to bring human design technology to the dog category, which had been treated very badly by manufacturers . . . very tackily,'' Ms Hook said.
‘‘You were either faced with a choice between acrylic argyle or a scaled-down horse cover.''
The D-fa brand launched in Queenstown, Wanaka and online a few weeks ago and features the sporty Sub-Woofer - for adventure or working dogs facing harsh elements, and the 100 per cent merino Ice-Barker.
The life jacket-inspired D-fd (or dog-flotation device) and the Pant-suit - a cooling jacket - are still being developed.
The jackets come in seven sizes and fit about 90 per cent of the many dog models the Hooks have tested them on.
The couple plan to eventually launch their dog gear in the United States where they were first inspired.
As well as protecting people's prized pets from the weather, the Hooks recognised working dogs - although perceived as hardier - were equally susceptible to the elements, so they volunteered to become official jacket sponsor to Southern Lakes Alpine Search Dogs.
Which is where Blizzid comes in.
Treble Cone avalanche rescue dog handler Matt Gunn owns Blizzid and is the founder of Southern Lakes Alpine Search Dogs.
The group is comprised of five Wanaka and Queenstown skifield and valley-based operational dogs - including Blizzid - plus two in training and their volunteer handlers.
It operates under the umbrella of New Zealand Land Search and Rescue and does not receive any funding. While not recognised as a formal organisation, the group is a way of sourcing sponsorship for the health and maintenance of all avalanche rescue dogs in the region.
Mr Gunn said skifield-based rescue dogs were an avalanche victim's best chance of survival when caught in the backcountry without a transceiver or training.
‘‘In the first half-hour, if you survive the initial trauma, you have an 85 per cent chance of survival. After that, your chances halve every minute,'' Mr Gunn said.
A shallow snow pack and cold temperatures meant this winter was shaping up to be a ‘‘high hazard'' season on the skifields, with ‘‘big time'' potential for fatality in the backcountry.
With this in mind, Mr Gunn said forming a relationship with D-fa was going to be ‘‘huge'' for the group, in terms of keeping the dogs protected and warm at all times and, consequently, always ready to respond to emergencies.
Several Southern Lakes Alpine Search Dogs already wore jackets, but these tended to be outdated and less functional.
‘‘We've struggled to find an appropriate garment for all the dogs . . . existing jackets are custom one-offs, so we wanted to find something that was accessible for all doghandlers. I haven't come across anything nearly as good [as D-fa]. There's just nothing out there.''
D-fa also plans to reengineer aspects of the rescue dogs' lifting harnesses - used when the animals are dangled from helicopters or chairlifts or pulled from holes.
