Dog Walking Safely in Walsall at Night!  

Longer nights and colder weather make it a little more difficult to get out for all of the exercise our dogs need. But a dark evening can actually be a nice time to go for a stroll with your best furry friend, because the crisp air and exercise can be quite refreshing for you both, especially if you’ve spent lots of the day indoors.

Safety for you and your dogs is of the utmost importance, though. If the evenings are the only chance you have to get out for exercise, it’s good to be cautious and to have a plan in place for returning home safely.

Firstly, you want to be sure that you are both protected from the cold weather. If your dogs have short hair or if they’ve been groomed recently, Sam Oakley owner of Pampered Pets @ Sam's Studio recommends you keep your dog well groomed over the Winter months. It takes much longer for their coat to dry when it’s thicker so they’re left cold and shivering for longer. Having shorter well groomed coat will aid in the drying time of your dog, it’s good to dress them in sweaters or rain coats to keep them warm and clean. It’s also better for you to have extra layers of clothing that you can take off if you get too warm.

Try to find a brightly lit area to walk when you’re going at night. This helps protect you, but it also makes you and your dog easier to see for people who are driving through the area.

If you’ll be walking near traffic, remember to dress your dog and yourself with highly visible clothing. You can purchase reflective dog leads and collars to make them stand out, and you can also put reflective stripes on your own clothing. Light colors and reflective materials will immediately jump out to drivers. But let your dogs walk near the hedge rather than the edge of the street, because they might try to jump at something or slip their feet into the roadway. Try to always walk on roads with pavements, but if you need to walk on roads with no pavements, always walk on the side where you’ll be facing oncoming traffic. Facing the traffic means you can quickly step out of the way if a car is coming too close to you.

Think about packing a little bag of items that could help you out during a late-night walk. Plastic bags and a poop scoop are necessary if your dogs relieve themselves along the way. A whistle, flashlight, some money and a mobile phone are also good to have in case of an emergency. You might even take a little snack for you and your friend in case your pleasant walk takes you a bit further from home than you had planned.

Try to walk with a friend or family member whenever possible. If you have no one to walk with, let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to return. That way, they’ll know that you may be in need of help if you haven’t checked in with them by a certain time.

While we need to take extra care when walking our dogs in the winter, the most important thing is to have fun with our little friends. Taking these few extra precautions will mean that it’s safe for us as well as fun.

                                                 Sam Oakley.

                                                         Pampered Pets @ Sam's Studio.