Huskymutts Mingus and Dottie are all about having fun, but like any dog, they’re always concerned with safety first. This month they put safety gear to the test for you — Dog-E-Glow LED leashes and collars. Check out our review below!
[Disclosure: Mingus and Dottie were sent collars and leashes by Dog-E-Glow to try. All views and opinions are our own.]
The practical benefit of Dog-E-Glow leashes and collars is obvious: they’re equipped with LED lights to make your dog more visible in the dark. They look and feel pretty much like standard leashes and collars, but sewn into each Dog-E-Glow leash and collar is a flexible tube with red, pink, blue, or green lights spaced about every 2 or 4 inches (for collars and leashes, respectively). The leashes have a reinforced, padded handle, and the (adjustable) collars feature quick-release clasps for safety. Dog-E-Glow products are available in a variety of cute patterns, including a collegiate collection for the dog who wants to sport her fandom. Despite being lightweight, both the leashes and collars appear well-built and sturdy, with durable stitching on strong, weather-resistant nylon.
The lights in Dog-E-Glow leashes and collars are activated by a button located on a small battery pack. Depressing the button once causes the lights to burn constantly, while depressing the button twice will cause the lights to blink. An on/off toggle switch on the battery pack allows you to turn the leash or collar completely off when not in use, preventing the lights from being turned on accidentally and draining the battery. (Each Dog-E-Glow package contains two extra batteries, which are easy to replace by sliding a little tray on the battery pack in and out.)
Mingus and Dottie especially enjoyed testing the Dog-E-Glow because it meant — what else? — taking walks. The glowing collars and leashes don’t seem to bother them at all, and I’m impressed by how bright the LED lights shine and thus how visible we become to motorists and other walkers. While the leashes are patterned on only one side, the LED lights are visible from both sides of the leash and up to 1000 feet away. Walking around our neighborhood in the dark can sometimes be a daring exercise, and I like the clear visibility that Dog-E-Glow provides. Plus, the glowing accessories sort of make my dogs look like they’re from outer space, and that’s always cool.
One beef? The handle on the leash, while padded, is a little stiff and uncomfortable, but I would think and hope that with continued use it might soften up a bit. I also prefer shorter leads in general, especially for walks in or around traffic, so a 4-foot option would be nice, too.
As my dimly-lit and somewhat grainy photographs hopefully demonstrate, Dog-E-Glow is great at enabling your dogs to be seen outside in the dark — including by you. We have a fairly wooded backyard, and Mingus especially seems to enjoy lurking and hiding in dark nooks and crannies at night. Joke’s on him now — it’s rather hard to hide with a glowing ring of lights around your neck. We plan to take our Dog-E-Glow collars and leashes with us when we go camping, and they’ll come in handy those evenings at the dog park where it seems to get dark all too quickly. (I should note that, while weather-resistant, the collars and leashes aren’t waterproof. So if your dog does a lot of night swimming, you’ll want to remove the collar first.)
Final verdict? Easy to use, affordable, and practical, Dog-E-Glow light-up collars and leashes are a well-designed solution to a common problem — keeping our dogs visible and safe in the dark. You can check out the collection at Dog-E-Glow.
