relax outside!

Lighted dog collars can be so entertaining that it’s easy to forget they were designed for safety. Glow sticks and reflective tape are similar. They were originally designed as safety devices too, but they can be so entertaining that new novelty products were developed from the original designs. I don’t know who came up with the idea that a dog should wear a collar with bulbs that light up like a Christmas tree. Of course it originated as a safety precaution, but in the dark out in the yard at night (especially on a black dog), a lighted dog collar can be very amusing.

The first time I saw a dog wearing a lighted dog collar was on the beach at night. I just saw a glowing line speeding along the beach toward the water. At first, I thought I was hallucinating, but when I took a closer look, I realized that the glowing line was attached to a dog’s neck. His owner was strolling along a good distance behind, but was easily able to keep track of his dog and call the dog back when he got too far ahead. That alone convinced me that every dog should wear a lighted collar at night, and I went to the store the very next day to buy a lighted dog collar for my Golden Retriever.

Honey ( my Golden) freaked out the first time we fitted her with the lighted dog collar. We let her run around in the safety of our fenced yard in the dark. She acted as though something was chasing her, and kept trying to bite and attack her own neck. It was kind of like watching a cat chase its own tail. After a while she got used to the collar and stopped noticing it. It was then that the real fun began. We played fetch with her by tossing a glowing frisbee across the yard for her to catch. We laughed every time our dog caught the frisbee and ran it back to us with both the frisbee and the lighted collar glowing in the dark.

For all the entertainment value, the greatest benefit is that I can always see her when we’re out at night and so can the occasional motorist we encounter on our nightly walks. Out in the fields, I can let Honey off her lead to run off some energy and still know where she is at all times. And when walking her in the neighborhood, motorists can see the lighted dog collar long before their headlights shine on the reflective tape on my windbreaker.

I don’t recommend letting your dog run loose in any but the most rural setting, but if you ever do - a lighted dog collar becomes even more important for your dog’s safety.