MANY OF US have witnessed a dog poking
his or her body out of the window of a moving
car. Certainly, most of us are aware of the dangers of leaving a pet in a hot, parked car.
Waiting at an intersection in 2004, Costco
member Sue Stipanovich saw a large dog
hanging more than halfway out of a truck. The
Costco member wondered if there wasn’t a
way for dogs to be able to enjoy time in a car,
but safely.
After spending two Saturdays at a local
hardware store to scout materials and two
more spent tinkering, she came up with the
BreezeGuard ( www.muttmanagers.com), a
powder-coated steel screen—with half-inch
openings—that keeps pets safely inside the
car while allowing for a cooling breeze on
warm days.
Stipanovich, from Woodinville, Washington, initially made just one BreezeGuard
for her own vehicle, but interest from
Doggie in the window
WHEN GREYHOUND enthusiast Barbara Karant ( http://karant.com ) set out to do a photo book on greyhounds, she faced the challenge of keeping the dogs’ attention while she worked. Her solution? Chicken strips from Costco tied to a string.Th e professional architectural photographer and Costco member donates a portion of the proceeds from her book Greyhounds (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008) to greyhound rescue. She ncourages anyone interested
in adopting a greyhound to visit
www.adopt-a-greyhound.org.
—Stephanie E. Ponder
Chickenhounds
others prompted her to
make them for sale.
Each BreezeGuard is
handmade by Stipanovich and her husband,
Tony, for the specific
make and model of the
car. They are installed
from the inside to allow
for free movement of the
window glass.
Even though they’re designed to keep pets
cool, she reminds everyone that if it’s too hot
outside for you, it’s too hot for your pet.
Her second bit of advice? “I recommend
that people park close to their destination,” she
says. “First, there’s lots of foot traffic to keep an
eye on your car. Second, you’re advertising my
product.”—SEP
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HEAR FROM YOU!
IF YOU HAVE A NOTE, photo or story to share
about Costco or Costco members, email it to
connection@costco.com with “The Member
Connection” in the subject line or send it to “The
Member Connection,” The Costco Connection,
P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088. Submissions cannot be acknowledged or returned.
