Running with Your Dog at Night or in the Dark

This below is what you'll see if you're walking or running down our street in the dark hours, very early in the morning or after the sun has set in the evening. What are these strange blinking lights, only two feet off of the ground?

Many people run in the dark after work; some run in the dark before work!  And while runners pay attention to their own safety, what about the safety of their dog?

Phil is an early-riser, and thus so is Joey. Since Joey was a puppy, Phil has been taking Joey out running at 5 a.m. In the winter and autumn, it's dark at this hour. Also, it's often dark in the late afternoon when Joey gets walked or run again.

Phil has his own see-in-the-dark vest and wears caps with see-in-the-dark stripes. And what about Joey?

First, he has purchased little lights for runners - and he clips them on Joey's collar. Joey wears two or three of these lights - one on either side of his collar. Dad turns them on to flash quickly.

This was especially helpful when Joey was recovering from his car accident, as you see below.

The blinking lights serve two purposes: They help Phil to see where Joey is, and they help cars to see where Joey is. Though there aren't many cars at this hour of the morning, when a car is out, the last thing a driver expects to see is a dark chocolate Labrador Retriever running on the street, so the flashing lights are a great warning beacon.

Occasionally, Phil places a bicyclist's reflective leg band around Joey's (somewhat thick) neck - fastening two together with the velco portions to go fully around.

In this case, it's everybody's safety that is of concern.

There is no doubt that Joey loves running - and we aim to keep him running as long as possible!