Dog Life Jackets in Winter

Dogs near frozen lake

Dog owners should make sure their dogs are wearing dog life jackets in winter, when walking anywhere near water or frozen lakes and rivers, as far too many dogs and dog owners are still drowning every winter.

Here are 2 reports of unfortunate incidents which happened in the UK last month (Dec 2010)

A month ago, a lady was walking her dog through parkland, close to a lake that had frozen over.  Her tiny dog was running around, playing in the snow off his leash with the owner in view.  Suddenly the dog ventured onto the icy lake to explore and before the woman could get to her small dog, the thin ice gave way under him and the woman started screaming loudly, as the dog quickly disappeared under the ice.  “The dog was really struggling and whimpering. It was quite horrible to see him like that”, reported the shaken woman afterwards.  Fortunately an extremely brave man came to the rescue, swiftly took off his outer clothing and waded into the icy lake and scooped up the tiny dog in his arms, saving his life.  Even though the lake was not deep, the dog’s ability to swim was severely restricted by the extreme cold.  Fortunately this tail has a happy ending and the little dog is fine now, although a dog life jacket has now been hurriedly purchased.

Just before Christmas two young men were out for a hike with a dog, near a fast flowing icy river.  The dog suddenly decided to follow some wildfowl into the water for a game.  The sturdy little dog was not wearing a dog life jacket and was instantly in trouble, frantically fighting to keep his head above water and the dog owner instinctively dived into the river to save his best friend.  The icy conditions in the water were such that the current was just too strong and coupled with the freezing cold temperature, the river got the better of this fit young man, swallowing him into the depths.  His friend on the shoreside panicked and too went in the water to try and save his friend in trouble.  Sadly both men were dragged under the icy water and lost their young lives, as did the poor dog.

We don’t want to frighten you but these incidents are happening all over the place and the above reports are typical and sadly becoming all too frequent in winter.

Instead of a dog jacket, protect your dog with a really good dog life jacket – little tip – for extra warmth, layer up with a dog vest or doggie T-shirt underneath the dog life jacket and your dog will not only be warm enough but also safe anywhere near water.  Ensure the dog life jacket you use has a grab handle on the back, for easy rescue and that it is a bright colour with reflective strips for high visibility.

The only other safe alternative is to keep your dog on a tight leash near water or frozen rivers in winter or not to walk near them with your dog.

For more tips on cold weather tips for dogs read this informative article from American Dog Blog