Dog Life Jacket

My dog's life jacket is one of the most important items in our river adventure gear. We each wear one every time we are on the water. My dog’s life jacket fits her well and keeps her above the water when she is swimming.

Hot summer days, we enjoy exploring ponds, lakes and rivers.  We have a long list of exciting trips and we look forward to our next paddling adventure and always have my dog's life jacket and mine on every trip.

Daisy is my best paddling adventure buddy, and I wear my life vest and Daisy wears her dog life vest every time.

Some days the life jacket feels too warm to wear. They don't look cool, they spoil my tan lines, are a few reasons people don't wear life jackets.

The many reasons to have them are plenty.

The dog life vest is easily visible, has a handle, pads the dog from bumps and bruises, and keeps her afloat.

Canoes and kayaks tip over easily and often. When boats flip the occupants get scattered. Wearing my life vest I use more energy to round up gear, than to swim and stay above water. Daisy wearing her dog life vest is more visible to me and has a handle on the top to help pull her out of the water.

Most dogs can swim. Daisy's dog life jacket holds her higher out of the water than if she would without her dog life jacket. She can swim further with the jacket and be less tired.

Daisy's dog life jacket is well padded, and protects her back and ribs from bruising if she is bumped by the paddle, rock, tree, or the boat.

My life jacket is well padded and makes carrying my boat to and from the water easier, by resting the boat on the jacket, not on me.

The handle on the top of Daisy's dog life jacket has been very handy on many occasions in the water. I've needed to help Daisy cross a brisk moving river that was well over her head and would have carried her downstream before she'd get to the other side. She'd probably get caught up in a strainer before making it across the river alone. I was able to walk through the river, and keeping Daisy on the downstream side of me, and holding her by the handle of the dog life jacket, I was able to walk & she swam across the deepest part of the river, until Daisy could gain her footing at a comfortable depth.

The handle on the top of the dog life jacket built up my dog's confidence in the water, knowing I could help her through difficult situations.

My dog life jacket built confidence in my dog. My dog never swam. Daisy was a "splasher". Like me, she plays in the shallow water. The few times she jumped in over her head, she was frightened and I needed to get into the chilly thigh deep water to boost my dog out of the river, then climb out myself. We were walking not paddling. Daisy had her harness for me to help lift her out of the water.

When in the water for a long time, a dog life jacket holds my dog's head above water and she can rest and save her energy. Parts of this river are well over her head.  Her dog life jacket keeps her head above water in moving current, and protects her body from bumps on rocks, logs even my paddle in the boat might bump her.

I think of my dog life vest, like the seatbelt in my car.  Years of commuting 70 miles round trip, and only one accident.  A driver hit my vehicle resulting in $10,000 of damage to my vehicle. 

WOW!

I wasn't hurt, because I ALWAYS wore my seat belt. This was the one day I NEEDED my seat belt and it saved me. My seatbelt did its job when I needed it.

The same theory applies to my life vest, and my dog’s life vest.  We have them on when we need them. I never seem to have my camera the times when we did need our life jackets. 

Beautiful rivers and lakes have many beautiful lush green trees and plants thriving on the river edge.  Storms and high waters cause the trees to fall, and make interesting formations and islets in the streams above and below the water surface.

A multitude of mishaps can put us into the water for unexpected and refreshing swim. You and your dog are excellent swimmers, a life jacket for you and a life jacket for your dog will help keep your head above the water, while you round up your gear that might be floating off without you.  Knowing my dog is wearing her dog life jacket and has her head above water, means I can round up my boat, paddle, lunch box, car key, cell phone or anything else that might be floating away from us. Daisy's bright color dog life jacket is beautiful and easily visible to me. I can get a look at her and round up gear, and eventually have us all together nice and soggy inside our boat.

Our life jackets also aid us in getting back into our boat while out in deep water.  We may need to paddle a swamped boat to shore, but we’re both safe and together because of our life jackets.

Stay safe everyone.

Wear your life jacket & have your dog wearing a dog life jacket.