Updated with a new product
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Since Martok is a Mantle Great Dane he is mostly black and consequently blends into the night. Many of the dogs in our neighborhood have safety lights of some kind on them when they are walking at night. We have actually learned to recognize different neighborhood dogs by the color of the lights they wear. On one of our walks we found a pendant light that another dog had lost. So that became Martok’s light, until he lost it. Obviously a design flaw there. So off to the internet to find a replacement.
Pendant Safety Lights
It seemed like a pendant was an easy solution since it can be attached to his existing collar. Ruffwear has a nice one which is rechargeable and water proof, but also expensive. He lost his last one… do I want to spend that much? I like the rechargeable nature and it even changes colors so there is a cool factor. But being cheap, I ended up getting a 6 pack of pendant lights. Each one is a different color but they use coin cell batteries.
I discovered that clipping it on his collar meant he was wearing it all the time and it jingled with his license tag so that didn’t last long. When going on walks, Martok wears a Easy Walk harness, so I clipped one on each side. That’s been working well, he is visible from both sides. Of course the cheap nature of the product has meant that we have lost some or the clips have broken. We have also run out of the supplied batteries and personally I’m trying to reduce my use of disposables as much as possible. So I’ve been in the market for a new solution.
Lighted Collars
Many of the dogs around us wear lighted collars. The most simple ones are a silicone tube which can be cut to size which an LED shines through, fiber optic style. There are battery or rechargeable versions. These can’t be used as a collar for your leash, they don’t have a hook and are designed to be pulled apart.
Fancier ones are fabric with LED strips built in and can be used as a regular collar. They tend to be rechargeable and water resistant as long as the charging port is sealed.
Lighted Leashes
While we were COVID safely social distance visiting some friends, they sat inside their screen door and we sat outside on the porch, they saw Martok’s pendant lights. This prompted them to bring out a light up leash to show us. I was impressed, it has a really comfortable handle, adjustable length, is bright enough to see in the daylight, rechargeable and water resistant. They of course come in different colors. The lighted section is just on the top half but there is reflective stitching down the whole length.
A few days later I spent some time talking with the company owner at Spotlite Pets. He created the leash because he felt his dog could not be seen in the urban setting (aka Los Angeles) they were walking in. He had a problem and solved it and is now sharing that solution.
So now Martok has a fancy light up leash which no one else in the neighborhood has, such a trend-setter he is. I’m still going to get him a collar since he needs off leash visibility as well and the pendants aren’t really big enough to light up a Great Dane.
Update 2022:
I did get a Spotlite Pets collar for Martok. Unfortunately it has become difficult to charge. It will charge but you pretty much have to hold the plug or it will stop charging. So out with that one and in with a new brighter and cooler safety light.
His new light is a NiteHowl LED safety necklace. It doesn’t work as a collar like the Spotlite did, it is just a light. But it is much brighter and you can choose from 3 different colors or have it change colors. It is rechargeable and cut to fit. It does not come with a charging cable but uses a common micro USB. The one downside is that the charge only lasts 5.5 hours.
