Don't Pack Away The Dog Life Jacket In Winter

Just because summer has gone and your dog can no longer swim, due to the cold weather, don’t be fooled into thinking you can pack away the dog life jacket now that it’s winter.

If, like me, in autumn and winter, you still take your dog for walks near water, whether it be alongside lakes, rivers or the sea, you should still protect your dog with a dog life vest.  At this time of year, more so than ever, your dog needs the invaluable protection of a dog life jacket, as icy cold water presents far more problems to your dog in the event of accidently slipping in than the warmer waters in summer, even if your dog is a champion swimmer, normally!

Unfortunately incidents in winter involving dogs drowning are still too numerous to mention, as due to the cold water, hyperthermia sets in very quickly and therefore drowning is more likely.  Secondly, dog owners often risk and lose their own lives going into frozen lakes trying to save their dogs.  A dog life jacket can save your dog's life in icy water or frozen lakes.

I live in the Lake District in the UK where even in winter on a crisp, frosty but dry day, I love to walk my westie dog, Dougie near the lakes – often these are the winter scenes that are so beautiful, it would be such a shame to miss.  So with me wrapped up against the elements and Dougie kitted out for the cold weather, we set off on a walk by a lake to take in all that our area has to offer in winter but Dougie still wears his dog life jacket to be safe.

To keep my westie warm and safe, for winter walks near the lakes, I bought him an over- the- head design dog vest (like a tee shirt).  It can be long or short sleeved but the important thing is that the garment is light and close fitting, then I put the dog life jacket on top of the dog vest.  So, he’s warm, the dog life vest still can do its job and it is also waterproof if the rain comes on. 

How do I know the dog life jacket still does it’s job – well this summer, on a day when it wasn’t too warm, I let Dougie swim in his dog vest with the dog life jacket on top (I was alongside him in the water) and it still had superb buoyancy , so that’s the answer to keeping your dog safe and warm, as well as giving protection as a waterproof dog coat all at once, when you want to take your dog on hikes near water in winter.

Read my review of the best dog life jacket for your dog and you can kit your dog out with dog vests and dog life jackets at www.edoglifejacket.com and www.edoglifejacket.co.uk