Eventually we found a cut vest manufacturer who would custom build some vests for us to our specs. We didn't want to start with their pattern, we wanted to design our own pattern for our Dogos, which would allow a greater freedom of movement yet still offer good protection. Surprisingly enough, they agreed to work with us to develop a whole new pattern for Dogos. We, along with Ken Rankin from Rankin Dogo Kennels, drove out to their location on the other side of the state, and worked up several prototypes. Over the next couple of months, we sent back some ideas and refined the design, until we had a pretty darn good vest. We used orange straps on these vests, because no one else did, and we wanted to be able to pick these new vests out from the old, solid black ones. We used these vests for years, and at the time, I never saw a better fitting or performing vest. Many people that hunted with me liked the design so much, they called in and ordered some based off of our pattern. It seemed like all of our problems were solved. Then I ordered some replacements vests based on our pattern to replace some worn vests, but the vests I received were not based on the design we had worked so hard to develop. They were more like the original stiff, immobile, restrictive vests that they originally had sent us. It turns out that our pattern got lost somewhere, and they recreated  one from memory, but it was not even close. They offered to cut apart one of the last 3 vests that we had remaining, and use it to make a new pattern. I briefly considered this, but then I thought better of it. Those last three vests were the best fitting and best designed vests I had ever used, and I was reluctant to part with one. We decided to keep using and repairing those original vests ourselves as long as we could instead of cutting one up. There are still vests being made off of that "recreated" pattern, and there are many copies out there still being sold from other manufacturers . About the only thing they usually have in common with the original design we worked up so carefully, are the orange straps. Every once in a while you see some with the chest plate or side plates too...that was from our design.  The overall pattern is not even close.

Some of the original vests we had custom built for us...