IT was about 7 p.m. at night and a monsoon was raging outside as I drove home at the end of my day.
I signaled to turn right onto my street and out of the corner of my eye noticed someone step into the street in front of me.
I hit the breaks hard and with my heart beating in my throat I watched a pedestrian and their dog casually stroll in front of my truck - oblivious to me - on their way to the other side of the street. I sat there for a few seconds waiting for my pulse to return to normal while watching the pedestrian and their dog on the other side of the street. The person was wearing a dark jacket with a hood pulled up blocking their peripheral vision and the dog was black. Not a stitch of reflective tape or clothing on and it was so windy they probably didn't even hear my truck approaching. I was just thankful that I was paying attention.
With our daylight hours so limited at this time of the year, many of us have no choice but to walk our dogs during the darkness of the early morning or the darkness of the early evening. Mix that with the wind and rain storms that descend upon us on a regular basis and we are left with some pretty dodgy situations to be out, be it walking the dog, going for a run or driving your vehicle.
It seems to me that common sense would dictate when out in highly inclement weather, in the dark, when visibility is compromised for both drivers and pedestrians, one would cover themselves with reflective clothing or tape to ensure drivers are able to see you better.
Unfortunately, common sense doesn't seem to be that common anymore.
Ideally you want to combine your reflective gear. A dog collar with a single strip of luminescent tape is not nearly enough to make you and your dog visible.
The best choice is a lightweight vest that is almost as large as your dog is long. Also, the smaller the dog the more reflective gear the owner should wear. A dog that is 70 pounds wearing a full body reflective vest will be far easier to see than a 10pound dog. Owners should wear reflective bands on their ankles as a driver will be able to visually catch the movement produced from walking faster than if it was on a place on the body that does not move.
Pet stores sell an abundance of reflective gadgets for dogs. They have highly visible lightweight vests with reflective markers on them. There are collars that are reflective and some even have flashing lights on them. There are leashes that literally glow in the dark. The prices of such accoutrements range from $15 up to $50+ but it is a small price to pay for the safety of you and your pooch.
If you are an online shopper just type "canine reflective gear" into your favourite search engine and an endless list appears for your shopping pleasure.
For pedestrians, running and bicycle shops have a wide selection of nighttime safety products, from reflective vests and caps to Velcro reflective ankle and wrist bands. Again, all fairly inexpensive and highly practical.
It takes but a few moments to adorn oneself and one's dog with these reflective safety devices and although you may not see the value in it when you are walking down a street lit with street lamps, trust me, the person driving the car will greatly appreciate the time you took to make yourself as visible as possible - especially on those nights when Mother Nature decides to throw everything in her bag of bad weather tricks at us.
One more thing, do not walk your dog off-leash along the street at night. Walking dogs off-leash along a street is a pet peeve of mine in general and doing so at night is just asking for something bad to happen. Use a leash, preferably a reflective one and keep your dog controlled so that everyone can get home safe and sound.
