Update 2006-07-09: Video Here.
So you watch The Dog Whisperer and you’ve seen him skate. But what are those skates he’s wearing? They’re "LandRoller’s" (here’s their selling points) and I recently bought a pair. I’m not featured on their website, and I’m not that talented on them, but I have to say they’re a good way to wear out the dogs. We can get the dogs into a full run for about a half of a mile. That seems to do it pretty well–toungues are lolling, ears are back. I’ve seen both Jasmine and Chloe run for longer periods of time when we’re at the dog park, maybe a bit slower, maybe more variety, so I’m not sure if these are the total solution or not.
One interesting side effect, though, is that these oddly shaped devices will get you a lot of attention. One car full of teenage girls was paying pretty close attention to the dogs. Until they saw the skates. It went from "Poochie pooochie poooooochie" to an aghast, "Oh My God!" A guy pulled beside me a car today and said hey what are those and all of my neighbors seem to be somewhat amused by the spectacle. They might just be watching for a wreck. Like Nascar, but less redneck.
My only remaining question: does the world of skating really need another branded verb? Will everyone be “LandRollering”? Let’s hope we can all stick to “skating.”
9 comments ↓
I bought a pair of LR’s yesterday…
To paraphrase George Jetson, “How do you STOP these crazy things!!!”
Tell us more about your initial trials – EZ or bruisy?
-Nick
Not as easy as I would have liked but it’s been 15 years since I was on anything similar. so what did I expect? now it’s pretty much fine. Fun aside: we have a foster dog right now. He’s an 80 lb, 2 year old sheppard mix. I hooked him up the other day and he pulled me significantly faster than I would like to go. And the sound of the breaks made him run faster! That was 2-3 days ago. Now he’s fine. Pretty funny.
Are you using yours with dogs?
Was thinking of getting a pair of LRs. Been rollerblading my dogs with the original 1st pair of Rollerblades and the bumpy road is getting to me. Was wondering if they are as smooth as they say? Also, is it really that hard to stop them? Sometimes I bail and start to run in the grass–the old blades don’t roll at all in the grass, with the LR’s, will I be able to stop? Nicole
They are smoother than regular rollerblades. For example, I can ride on my neighborhood’s sidewalks but my wife in her blades can’t. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. I went up a ~1″ ledge in them the other day and while I didn’t fall I definitely felt it.
Stopping isn’t too big of deal. I use the break and it works. I’ve never mastered the old T-stop, so I can’t say much about that.
Hope that helps!
Someone commented on the old blog:
I really want a pair of these babys! At 250 a pair….Im afraid I will use them for 10 min and give up. I used to Roller skate,,, a lot, and I miss it. Any injurys yet???
Reid>>> No injuries, but I also have them sitting on my porch unused for quite a while. I’d like to get them dusted off for the season. They are pretty fun.
I just got a pair..and I am scared to death..how do you stop…to lift my right foot to its heel puts all my ballance on my left foot, and then I crash…HELP
sounds like you and i are in the same boat. good luck!
Stopping is a little tricky at first. The way I do it is first have my feet close together. Then, when I’m ready to start braking, I bend my left knee and move my right foot slightly in front. Then I straighten my right leg which presses the brake into the pavement. Try to keep your center of gravity slightly forward. With some practice, you can keep your weight evenly balanced and stop under control. It took me about an hour to get it down. I wiped out once, though, and I thought I broke something. It was bad, but now I love them. Have fun!
Sounds like that’d be a little tricky with my 75lb golden Oliver who’s 1 1/2 and still full of puppy.
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