For dark winter walks, gear with lights and reflective materials can save your dog’s life—and maybe even yours.
by Dianne Rinehart // Photography by Jessica Crandlemire
One November evening, I was crossing the street at a four-way stop with my dog, Daisy. Her coat is jet black, so I’ve gone to extra lengths to make sure drivers can see her at night.
That night, she was wearing an illuminated, rechargeable collar and a neon orange vest with reflective tape around her entire body. Meanwhile, I had strapped on an uber-bright runner’s chest lamp that also has red lights in the back.
And still, a driver started up their car at the four-way stop right as we were dead in front of them. Unbelievably, they didn’t see us, until I leapt out of the way pulling Daisy with me and yelled.
A one-off. Maybe.
But accidents do increase after daylight savings time ends each year, so better to keep both of us safe, than be hurt and heartbroken.
“Hit by car” injuries are “the most serious types of emergencies we see in a veterinary hospital,” says Dr. Jacquie Pankatz of Mountain Vista Veterinary Hospital in Collingwood.
“HBC injuries can vary from just a few scrapes and bruises (if the pet is lucky) to life-threatening internal trauma including bone fractures, internal bleeding and systemic shock.”
HBCs are most often caused by a pet on the loose that runs into traffic, so while reflective and illuminated gear will help keep your pet safe, keeping them on a leash is also critical, Pankatz advises.
“A leash or harness that allows for good control is very important,” she says. “The retractable-type leashes are not a good option as a pet can bolt out if the walker is not prepared.”
In other words, every ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
“When a veterinary team learns of an HBC coming in, the team stops everything to jump into action preparing an IV, oxygen support, and ultrasound for emergency assessment,” says Pankatz, “because they never know what state the patient may be in when they come through the door.”
Happily, there’s an array of products to choose from to keep you and your dog safe in the dark—and during daylight hours too.
And it doesn’t have to be expensive if you think about the safety of your pet with each and every purchase.
For example, when you are buying a leash and collar, pick ones with reflective threads sewn in or ones that light up (or both) that alert drivers to your dog’s presence at night. And if you pick ones that are also in neon colours, your dog will be more visible on rainy days and at dawn and dusk.
Happily, there’s an array of products to choose from to keep you and your dog safe in the dark—and during daylight hours too.
A neon-coloured dog coat with reflective tape will take the safety up another notch. Try the Carhartt Dog High Visibility Safety Vest, available at Mark’s, in neon orange with wide reflective-tape panels sewn on, which will also ensure no hunter will mistake your dog for prey when you’re out on the trails in hunting season. Or try WindRiver’s dog vests and dog boots with Vizlite reflective edges, also at Mark’s, or Coastal Pet’s vest at Pet Valu.
You can also buy your dog stylish bandanas with reflective tape sewn onto them. These come in crazy neon colours to draw a driver’s attention, day or night. Try iplusmile dog bandanas available on Amazon for about $12. Or the Ikemiter Dog Scarf, a reflective neck gaiter for canines, if you can believe it, at Walmart.
On the lighting front, you can go as simple as using your flashlight on your cellphone to light the path in front of you—and draw a driver’s attention. Or buy a BK orange neon toque with an LED light sewn into it for $7.38 for yourself, and a clip-on collar light for your pooch, such as the Nite Ize SpotLit LED Collar Light, $10—both at Canadian Tire.
You can add another layer of safety, too, with an LED-illuminated collar or leash. There’s the NiteDawg High-Visibility LED Dog Collar, available at Canadian Tire. Or the Nite Ize NiteDog Rechargeable LED Collar—in neon colours with two settings, steady or flashing—available at the local company See Sawyer Run, Global Pet Foods and Walmart. Canadian Tire and Pet Value also sell the Nite Ize NiteDog Rechargeable LED Dog Leash.
The ne plus ultra of lighting up the life of your dog, however, is the Noxgear LightHound illuminated and reflective dog harness, which gives 360-degree coverage. In other words, it’s not just lighting the way in front of your pooch, but behind and on their sides as well. This is not cheap—it’s $95 at Collingwood’s VO2 Sports Co., and even more expensive on Amazon.
But it is a brilliantly designed, cool product that will make your pup not only safer, but the talk of the town.
Want to go all out? Buy yourself the Noxgear Tracer2, also $95 at VO2 Sports, which is designed for runners and dog walkers alike.
Indeed, upping your own visibility is key to increasing your dog’s, says Pankatz.
Another option is to wear a head or chest lamp along with your reflective gear. Try Black Diamond headlamps, available at VO2 Sports from $65 to $100. Or buy the West Biking USB-rechargeable chest light with an adjustable beam, reflective straps and a back light from Amazon for $25.
So, you may be wondering how a driver missed Daisy and me that November night. Here’s my take on it and what I could have done better to protect her.
First, Daisy is part husky and part German shepherd, so she has a ruff of thick fur around her neck that the rechargeable collar sinks into. The solution was just to put the light setting on “flashing” rather than steady. Bingo, she’s now almost impossible to miss.
As for the driver not seeing her neon orange vest with wide reflective strips sewn on? I can only assume it was because Daisy was below the driver’s line of sight when we were immediately in front of the car.
The solution? Be on high alert for drivers who are not—and layer as much safety into every piece of gear you buy for your dog as you possibly can.
