Colored Dog Badge
Simple rationale: Give the outside world a status update on your animal companion.
Green means “Go”, Red means “Stop”.
The Dogs are equipped with a changeable LED badge, preferably in the region of the upper chest. The color displayed tells the world about the status of your dog.
Green: free to greet strangers and other dogs, OK to pet (with permission), social skills well developed.
Red: active performing service task, social skills underdeveloped, possibly ill etc., but for any reason tells the world to steer clear if possible.
How can this be done. There is a product by Ruffwear that can do this for under 25$. I own this product and bought it this fall at REI. I only give it 1 of 5 stars due to a design defect involving attachment mechanism. The electronics are fabulous.
https://ruffwear.com/products/the-beacon-dog-safety-light
Three color/pattern options, (easily changed with button on side), LED lights, rechargeable via USB. Overnight charge gives all day performance. (6 to 16 hrs depending on color/pattern).
Back to the HUGE design flaw, the clasp mechanism which clips around the dog’s collar seems sturdy and is very easy to apply, but equally easy for the dog to dislodge with a shake of the head or scratch with a foot. You will love the product for 5 minutes until it becomes lost.
Option 2 for attachment is the concentric circle like mechanism often found on keychains. The tear dropped shaped attachment can connect with the D-loop on the collar. The attachment takes 60 seconds, but if you plan to leave your dogs collar on overnight, you will quickly become frustrated with the process of attach/disconnect.
The solution that worked for me, was to spend more money. Adding the 40$ price of a harness which has a special chest connector for light attachment, makes for the perfect combination.
https://ruffwear.com/products/everyday-dog-harness-front-range
The front range dog harness was bought for everyday exercise, but not for overnight sleeping. The design features to improve dog comfort while wearing the harness was what prompted my purchase. I believe the chest loop is designed as an alternate leash attachment point. Mounting the LED light to the chest loop took a little more time (5 min), but with no plans for removal. At the end of the day the harness is removed, plugged in to charge. The next morning, light activated, harness applied for all day use. The light mounted on the chest location is perfect and exceptionally effective.
My golden retriever, Genie, and I have been using our new found perfect combo during walks around town. Genie is always in a green, give me love, state. Talking with passersby, they not only love the light, but think is should be made a rule because it is both simple and effective. I’m not trying to endorse legislation, but promote a great dog solution involving two products, one of which is problematically flawed.
Pictures Below:
Other thoughts: the blue color option could be used by police or security dogs. A GPS like ability which could both track your lost pet and track your daily walks. The ability to connect to the light via bluetooth to your phone to both control the color options of the light, but to download the GPS data to your phone (which might not always be present on your walk). Given the need for a design change, I propose that Ruffwear donate all the defective dog beacon lights to Grand Traverse county, for a pilot program for the Green/Red dog light program here in Traverse City.
Dr. Scott D. Jay M.D., Ph.D.
