The dark winter nights are here and so it’s time to think about keeping safe when out walking your dog. At one time there was little you could do other than hope that the drivers were watching the road and would see you and your dog, but these days are a number of items that you can buy to ensure that you are seen and safe even in most badly lit of areas.
The first thing you can get is some kind of reflective collar for your dog; this will show up in the cars headlights. You could get one that is completely reflective, or you don’t fancy that, you could buy one that has reflective parts to it. An alternative to this would be to put a temporary reflector – such as one you’d attach to a child’s jacket to the dog when you’re taking him out.
The dog’s leash is another good thing to have reflected, although having it in some kind of luminous colour won’t just show a driver that there’s a dog nearby, it will also let you see where the dog leash is so that you don’t fall over it. If you can’t find one of these to buy, or you use a retractable leash that isn’t night reflective, buy some luminous/reflective fabric paint that glows in the dark, and paint a line up the centre of the leash (keep it taut out of the hand grip until it dries). Depending on how this works on your particular leash, you may have to apply this again during the winter as it may wear off with the leashes retracting mechanism making it scuff against itself, but it should work well for letting you see where the leash is especially if your dog’s managed to get himself a good 3-4 meters away from you!
Lastly, you also need to think about your own personal safety in the dark. If you don’t want to wear a bright jacket, at least wear a reflective strip around your arm, or across the back of your jacket. You may also find some things at a cyclist’s supply shop that you mightn’t be too reluctant to wear! Remember that winter clothes are dark, and at night motorists may not see you (especially if they’re gossiping on a mobile phone, or to someone in the car) so wear something that will be picked up in their headlights and make sure both you and your dog can be seen in the dark.