Customer Reviews

Solvit HoundAbout Pet Stroller, Large, Sapphire Blue

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The HoundAbout is the BEST dog stroller on the market! I own it. My dog has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy with Chinese herbs and acupuncture. These sessions can last up to 3 hours at the Oncologist's office. Initially, I just wanted something to keep her off the concrete floor as well as something comfortable, but the HoundAbout is much more than that.

After lengthy research, I decided on the HoundAbout. I have not been disappointed! My dog is comfortable the entire visit. The padding and design have the dog in mind. Visibility is excellent, yet the dog is safely contained. I love the durability of it as well as the wheel system. Unlike the cheaply built dog strollers on the market that use small, hard plastic wheels, the HoundAbout uses larger pneumatic bicycle-type tires that can be changed when tread wears thin. Also, with a tire that can be aired up, the ride is much smoother than the competitors hard plastic wheels and is easier to push, even in dirt. Another plus is how the HoundAbout breaks down to be put in the car. Yet, it is fast and easy to set back up. I would highly recommend the HoundAbout for anyone looking for the best dog stroller available. I believe that it will last a lifetime and would never need to be replaced!

We bought this stroller for our 10 year old shepherd mix. Coastal Pet Supplies offered it at a great price and with reasonable shipping costs. The item arrived within a few days of placing the order. The Solvit Hound-about was easy to assemble and it is made of very high quality components. It is also easy to break down for travel. We had previously purchased a smaller stroller for only slightly less money. I would definitely recommend spending a little more and choosing this stroller. It has so many features that I like, it would be hard to say what my favorite is. I suppose that I would say that it is easy to navigate as well as roomy. My dog likes it, too. I think she feels like a princess in there.

I looked for a long time at all different types of dog stroller for my elderly springer spaniel - I settled on the Large stroller (might have gotten away with the medium but he is a large, not fat, springer at 50 lbs and the medium was rated just to 50). I esp. like the rear entry and the fact he can sit up/turn around/lay down in this stroller. Bentley can now come along on our long walks - we even have our Brittany spaniel pulling the stroller (he thinks he is a sled dog)

I liked the idea that you could collapse the stroller and put in the car to take to a bike pth, etc BUT you need a station wagon/SUV, etc to transport - it takes around 5 minutes to take apart and put back together, but the large takes up my entire cargo area of my Volvo wagon (which made me wonder if I should have gotten a medium)

One word of caution, if you want to pull it behind a bicycle as a dog trailer, I would recommend buying that version (the Trackr) and getting the conversion kit for a stroller - it doesn't appear to be a conversion kit for a stroller to a trailer.

Also, the cup holder is joke - we can't tighten it up tight enough to put anything it in (it spins around)

Glad we bought it - and it appears sturdy enough that it will last for use by our Brittany when he is too old to walk long distances...

I have three dogs, my oldest dog Sabrina is a 115 lb black lab that is 14 years old. She can't walk without her legs collapsing. When we take our other two dogs for a walk Sabrina would give us a very sad face. I could not stand that look as I know how much she loved going for walks or trips in the car. So I researched different dog and children strollers. There are only a few strollers that can handle a very large dog. I selected the HoundAbout because the wheels look solid, like a bike tire, the design looks as if would turn and be very stable. The other stroller did not have this type of design. Also it had more conviences as pockets to put your stuff in, cup holder for you, leash attachements inside, a solid floor with a nice padding, screens and rain flaps. My husband thought i was crazy. When we got the stroller, it was just as I thought. The construction is great, the design is stable and the conviences are good (for me...) the inside the floor is solid so it does not sag. The padding is okay, the screens give plenty of ventalation. The only thing i dont like is the brake. There is one brake. The break does not hold well with the weight of the dog. the cabin is roomy and she can move around inside. Getting her in is sometimes a challenge. I have to park it up to the front door step so the cabin floor is somewhat even with the step. This way Sabrina can get into it without stepping up. Also when she gets out, we park it up to the front curb. This also makes it easier for her to get out. When I started taking her for walks, people would do a double take because they expected to see a child not a large dog. Sabrina loves her walks and all the attention she receives. I love this stroller and now Sabrina has a bette quality of life!

Our dog is 83 pounds and we bought the largest stroller. It was supposed to support a dog up to 110 pounds. The arm to the front wheel broke off after about 20 uses. I did not jog with it, always walking with my dog inside. The metal used in the frame is fragile and not sturdy enough to stroll your dog in this. This would be a great product if only the company used quality materials.

I ordered the large Solvit Houndabout from Amazon for my Labrador who had recently had a leg amputation due to bone cancer. He was getting around great, but I thought we could go on longer walks with the Houndabout; he could get in to rest, and get back out when ready to walk again. I received it next day! It was easy to assemble, and very high quality. Unfortunately, my dog succumbed to liver cancer, before ever having an opportunity to use the Houndabout. Amazon made the return process so easy, though. UPS picked it up, and my account was refunded within a couple of weeks. Though I never got to officially use the Houndabout, it is very high-quality and superbly designed. Perfect for elderly, ill, or arthritic dogs, or post-surgery, allowing them to still get around and enjoy life. I highly recommend it!

I have two small-medium dogs that I like to take for walks. Recently, one of the dogs permanently injured his leg so I purchased this stroller so he could continue to come along on the walks. I've learned from the past, when I had purchased strollers for children, that the only strollers worth buying for long walks are the jogger strollers with bicycle type wheels. Regular stroller wheels tend to break apart after a few months worth of use. I looked hard to find a pet stroller for a decent price that was also a jogger stroller and was pleased to find the HoundAbout pet stroller.
Pros:
It is a jogging stroller - I can actually get a good workout with this-I put both dogs in the cab when they get tired and can continue on walking instead of having to go home.
It seems to be of good quality.
Fairly easy to assemble
Unlike some pet strollers, the cab is large ( I sometimes put both my dogs into the cab without a problem. 55 lbs total )
Both back and front netted windows for viewing-well ventilated
Cons:
A pricey investment if you don't need to use a dog stroller very often or if your dog doesn't like it
The size can be awkward (63 x 28 x 42 inches)-even though the stroller can fold up for storage, if you use it several times a week you won't want to fuss with that so you need a space to put it.
Not the smoothest of steering- due to the stroller's length, the front wheel doesn't maneuver corners as well as smaller strollers. This is not a problem with most terrain but might be a problem if you take your pet on hilly, tight hiking trails.
Could use a side storage pocket.

I can't attest to the durability of this stroller for I have only owned it for a few months.

I purchased the houndabout a few weeks ago. The materials and strength have been great so far.

I was able to put it together myself in about an hour. There was one nut missing, and the tires needed to be inflated, but the nut wasn't critical and i was able to get one at a hardware store easily the next day. The tires I was able to inflate with a bicycle tire pump easily.

I was worried that I would not be able to fit this in to the trunk of my car as I want this so i can take my 16 year old lab shepard to parks and places away from home, but with some simple disassembly it fits just fine. I unscrew the top bar on the inside, fold down the sides, and take the wheels off. The front wheel you need to screw by hand to undo, and the side wheels have spring releases.

The only trouble I had was the middle piece of material that goes over the opening. I could not easily lift my dog in and out. I had a friend that is a seamstress cut that flap and install a wide strip of velcro, sewing up the cuts to prevent any fraying. Now access is completely a cinch and much easier on her back as i lift her in and out.

The back opening is great for her to step up into to get in with me helping her with her back legs.

The whole buggy, plus the padding needed to be aired out for several days. it has a very strong chemical smell from the material... after it outgassed for a few days, it was much better.. suggest if you have good weather to let it air out outside.


This has definitely added to the quality of life for my dog.
IN the last few months my dog has been less and less able to finish our walks without her back legs giving out. Now i just take this along, and when she can't go further, or looks like she is getting too tired, I put her inside... and she can still enjoy being out. She even puts her head up like she's in the car when i go at a light jog. Just today I tried it on a local trail through the woods, and it did great.. with the back flap zipped down.. my dog has extra security to lean back as we go down over some of the bumpy trails. S

I highly reccomend this. I got it through amazon with free shipping and that was a bonus. Shipping, etc.. all great as usual with Amazon.

We looked for a few weeks to find a good deal on this stroller. We already knew it was the one we wanted based on its features -- sturdy construction, roomy enough to carry both of our 50 pound dogs, and big wheels for easy pushing. We were excited when we found it on amazon.com for about $100 less than we had originally seen it listed for on other sites. The item arrived quickly and took about 30 minutes to assemble. We have used it numerous times and it always meets our expectations. I especially like the little zipper compartments; I use them to hold keys, dog treats, leashes, etc. Also, the insulated water bottle holder is a great addition and I use it every time. The dogs quickly adapted to riding in the stroller. One dog is 10 years old and starting to have problems walking, but our other dog is only 1 year old and already has arthritis in most of her joints (both elbows, both knees, both hips). She can only walk for a few minutes at a time until the pain and discomfort becomes too great. I hated our walks being cut to 10 minutes so I couldn't wait to buy the stroller when we found it. Now, after 10 minutes, the little dog just hops right into the stroller and the other dog and I keep walking. If I walk more than 40 minutes or so, then the other dog hops in the stroller too. Now, I can keep walking for 1.5 hours or however long I want without having to return home because of the dogs. We all love this stroller and would highly recommend it!

SEPTEMBER 4TH - OK, I'VE HAD IT FOR 3 MONTHS AND THE LONG METAL PEICE THAT HOLDS THE FRONT WHEEL SNAPPED OFF TODAY. I AM GOING TO BUY ANOTHER STROLLER AS MY DOG IS PARALYZED. BUT, I HAVE TO SAY I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED. AND IN READING THE "FLIMSY" REVIEW, SAME THING HAPPENED TO THEM..... PLEASE NOTE WALKS WERE SHORT ( ONE BLOCK) AND THERE WAS NO JOGGING. THIS STROLLER WAS NOT WORKED HARD AT ALL.


********** REVIEW BELOW WAS WHEN FIRST PURCHASED. I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO ADD, UNFORTUNATELY ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE, THAT IT IS NARROW INSIDE FOR A GERMAN SHEPHERD. WHILE SHE DOES FIT, IT IS VERY TIGHT. I COULD HAVE USED A LARGER, ROOMIER STROLLER.************


I purchased this through Amazon for my 75 pound female German Shepherd who has DM.
DM is like Lou Gehrigs disease ( spelling), and her back legs are slowly becoming paralyzed.
She can walk with a sling, although you are literally holding up 75 pounds.

Positives:

Shipping was fast.

Very easy to push the stroller and the dog. Lightweight feeling and I am a small woman.

Many cons below, but I would highly recommend it for an owner that wants to get his/her dog around.

I rarely write reviews, but I felt it was important to let the Amazon audience know this is a highly necessary LIFE SAVER item.


Cons:

Did require some assembly, I had my handyman in the building do it, took a good 20 minutes for the handyman.

Wheels need some air, I took it to the bike shop and had them do it.

While it fit through my front door, did not fit into tiny elevator doorway.
( however wheels easily come off in 1 second, and just take one wheel off to get through a small doorway.)

Not that roomy for a large German Shepherd, but she fits.

G-d bless everyone who does purchase this and cares for an elderly or handicapped pet.