Tessie Harnesses

Tessie Cards was set up in December 2007, and has a website selling cards, collars, tassels and snoods. It is run by Helen Ford, a member of Leeds 'Owlers, who runs her lurcher Chip in open tournaments. In January 2009, Helen went into making harnesses for club members and after much interest from other clubs, we have brought them to Flyball Fever.

The harnesses are strong webbing, with an outside padding of either lycra or fleece. Fleece is the traditional padding material, but we also offer a padded-out lycra version which is proving to be very popular. The flyball mud just brushes off this fabric after being left to dry, and it is less hot for summer.

The harnesses are created by hand and are made-to-measure. All sewing is done on an industrial sewing machine and the fittings are high-quality, with two hard plastic clips and a stainless steel lead ring.

The dog modelling on this page is JetSetGo FD FDI FDG FDA. Her harness is made from purple webbing and hot-pink lycra. Jet is an excitable dog on the line, and can pull like a small truck, so she has been a good test for these harnesses.

series of photographs detailing parts of the Tessie Flyball Harnesses

Tessie harnesses have been thoroughly tested by Border Collies, Working Sheepdogs, Labradors, Lurchers and a variety of crossbreeds. Our flyballing test dogs trained and raced in their harnesses indoors on turf, indoors on rubber matting and outdoors in all weathers.

Tessie Flyball Harnesses are offered exclusively through Flyball Fever.

two photographs of black crossbreed Jet Set Go FD FDI FDG FDA modelling her Tessie flyball harness

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the other harnesses we have on offer. The above example is lycra, and below are fleece ones. Both materials have their benefits. Some people think lycra is cooler, easier to clean and quicker to dry, whereas fleece is the more traditional fabric of choice.

How to Order

Prices

Fleece Harness £15 + p&p
Lycra Harness £17 + p&p
Postage is £1.50 (+50p for additional harnesses), or you can collect from Helen Ford (Leeds 'Owlers) at shows. The shows we will hopefully be attending this year are; Wickersley, Doncaster (June), Newark (July), Rotherham (July) and the British Championships. We also attend a few agility shows; Otley (June), EMDAC (July) and JDA (August).

To order, please email tessiecards@googlemail.com with the following details:

Name
Contact Number
Address
Flyball team (if applicable)
Dog measurements - see below
Breed of dog
Preferred method of payment

Payment can be made via paypal, cheque, postal order or cash at shows. Final details of payment can be confirmed on ordering.

Prices may vary for much smaller or larger harnesses, so please do contact to find out more. Also discounts may be available for bulk orders.

Harnesses take 1 to 2 weeks to make, please inform me if the need is urgent and I will try to accommodate this.

Tessie Cards has already had many satisfied flyballers order harnesses this year, including; Leeds 'Owlers, Kellington, Rotherham and High Flyers.

Measuring Your Dog

Because Tessie Flyball Harnesses are all made-to-measure, we do ask for a series of measurements from you. Hopefully the diagram above will help you correctly measure your dog.

X: Measure around your dog's neck where the front portion of the harness usually fits.
Z: Measure where the rear portion of the harness would sit. Depending on the size of the dog, this is just behind the front leg. This part of the harness does have adjustable straps.

A: Find your dog's withers by feeling gently along their spine until you can feel a bony section above your dog's shoulders. Measure from there to where you would expect the harness to end, this will be a few vertebrae from the withers
B: Measure from the start of the sternum (where the harness would sit at the front, around the neck and to the withers.
C: Measure from where the harness would sit on the neck, to where it would end on the chest. This will indicate the length of the breast part of the harness.(This measurement is between the front legs, and runs from the chest to the start of the neck)
Other: To further help us, please provide the neck measurement for where a collar would sit, the weight of the dog and the breed of the dog. This will help us to determine whether we need to ask for another set of measurements. If you are feeling especially keen, a side on photo would be good too (see Jet's above.)

If you're not confident measuring your dog or are unsure where you should measure to and from, someone from Tessie may be available to measure your dog for you at a flyball tournament. We will be at Doncaster Cantley Park (June 21/22), Newark Showground "Dogs Unleashed" (July 4/5), York Racecourse (Aug 2/3), and The British Championships (Aug 16-18). We also attend a number of agility competitions over the summer, including Otley - Harrogate (June 13/14), and EMDAC Midsummer Madness (July 14-18).