It’s that time of year. Days are short, nights are long. Its daunting to get up and get out in the morning darkness and then turn around and do it again in the evening. Even still, it’s been my routine for the last ten years and I’ve always done it with dogs. There are any number of vests and absurdly colored outfits made for me, but the dogs need to be seen too and herein lies the challenge. I’ve tried it all. The blinking lights that hang on your dog’s collar, the collars that light up and just about every dang reflective vest on the market. Let me share with you my years of testing and wisdom on an entirely esoteric topic.

Gear to Skip: The Beacon, The New Beacon, The Pup Light, Bling Bling Blinker. Pretty much anything that hangs from your dog’s collar. Sure its an inexpensive fix to the problem, but it can only be seen from the right angle, and that is typically straight on. While it is comforting to know that the driver of a vehicle will be able to make eye contact with your dog before hitting him/her, it is certainly unsettling that from any other angle, spotting your beloved trotting about in the dark is nearly impossible.

Gear to Go For: A well-fitting bright orange vest, preferably with reflection tape. Can’t find one with reflectors? Head to your local gear, bike, running, or even some hardware stores, chances are they’ve got it and its cheap. The beauty of this item is it works two-fold: in the dark hours and in the woods during hunting season. Try the Nite-Dawg Light blinking collar in yellow, rather than red (red just isn’t visible enough), it works great if your dog has shorter hair. Long hair covers the blinking, leaving you catching sight of Fido when he is running fast enough to blow his hair back, which is great, but entirely ridiculous and still not safe enough.

Best Buy: A reflective, bright, well-lit leash. I have a fantastic bungee leash purchased from the wonderful folks at Skijor Now. It has reflective threads sewn throughout. Drivers have stopped to say how great it is to see a pedestrian so lit up, because of said leash. I can’t sing its praises enough.

Kathryn is a Missoula-based writer, editor and recovering field biology underling-- i.e., she did all the dirty work in the worst conditions. Call her a tree-hugger and she'll kick you in the shins. When she is not writing, she's out on the trails running her dogs. Good luck trying to keep up with her.
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