Running at night with your dog
This article could also have been called running safely when you are a woman with her dog. It seems crazy to have to write an article on this subject but unfortunately if you read this article it is that you are also looking for how to run safely. Especially if you run at night and alone with your dog: inevitably you have asked yourself the question of your safety and the safety of your dog one day or another. Today, I'm going to tell you about the equipment you need to see and be seen for you and your dog and I'm also going to tell you about the equipment you need for your safety.
Being visible and seeing: human material and dog
Running with your dog is really great. Does your dog have boundless energy? the cani cross or cani-trail are perfect sports for him! A little reminder: canicross is a canine traction sport where master and dog are connected by a elastic lanyard. The dog is equipped with a pulling harness and the master of a canicross belt or a harness according to his preferences.
It is a canine sport that is practiced almost all year round. Although it depends on where you live since past 20 degrees outside, your dog will quickly have a hard time tolerating the heat and it is not recommended to plan a session otherwise beware of heatstroke.
Living in the south of France, I practice canicross rather in winter and at the end of the day after work, which means that I run most of the time at night. I hate running around town; I find it super dangerous so I run more on paths between the vines or on small roads out of the way. I therefore need to be visible to signal my presence to vehicles that I might pass to avoid accidents.
I use for that:
-
Joggers with reflective stripes
-
Trail bag with reflective stripes
-
Velcro straps for the arms
-
Flashing lights on my backpack
I also need to see clearly. So I chose a frontal. There are dozens of different models and at all prices. Some that can be recharged or others with batteries (to be avoided: thanks to the battery budget and not at all green!). I am rather in favor of putting the price on it. At night, it is better to see clearly and far to identify the danger. There are often several levels of intensity. I won't be able to help you much in his choice. I advise you to read and rummage through the blogs where there are comparisons.
Of course, my dog must also be visible. Wow race! Musher is equipped with a canitraction harness with reflective strips on which I fixed a light strip and luminous necklace on which I fixed an additional light, a light tracking system. I also equipped the elastic lanyard with a light so that the vehicle that we might pass can get an idea of our overall size… I opted for equipment with a fixed light, nothing flashing. Like us, I'm pretty sure that this flashing light can bother them.
You may as well decide to run with him in free. It is therefore all the more important that you can spot your dog quickly and well. Equip it with a fluorescent vest so that it is visible. It also exists in mode reflective bandanna. I find it less effective because smaller. I also discovered fluorescent dog coats. There are now even fluorescent and even luminous riding harnesses. In short, a whole range of equipment to walk or run with your dog in safety.
I also present my opinion on lots of other luminous and reflective products in the article: “Walk at night with your dog”. You can find more tips there!
When I choose luminous equipment for my dog, I pay attention to its waterproof side… Musher is a Labrador who will never, ever avoid a puddle. You therefore need equipment that is resistant and not only to small splashes! I also look at the battery: rechargeable or battery? If it's tails: will I be able to change it myself? I'm not a fan of the glowing gadget that you use in the winter and throw away. A little respect for our planet anyway!
Running Safely as a Woman
Running at night is a somewhat special feeling: we are more vigilant to noises and smells. We meet more wild animals. We have an entire playground to ourselves. What freedom! Musher like me both like to run at night. Except that it's also a time when I feel more vulnerable, more in danger. Oh I'm not a big lover of boars but it's not them that I fear the most. The one I fear is the psycho hiding in a bush watching his prey and making you end up in the sad news pages of your local newspaper… or worse, in the show “Bring in the Accused”. I'm a bit cowardly in life, it's true... but my fears are unfortunately fueled by dirty stories of joggers whose bodies are discovered by hunters or mushroom pickers from time to time... Running alone, when you're a woman, doesn't is not without risk. But fear does not avoid danger, I refuse to stay cloistered at home all winter on the pretext that it is dark...
My dog is the first bulwark against helmet cracks that I can meet. Musher is black and of medium height; it's a labrador. At first glance, she can dissuade a zinzin tempted to come and piss me off, but she's a bit “potato” bitch who says hello to everyone and who, past the surprise effect, isn't really scary. She is not an attack dog and she shows no signs of aggression which is fine in everyday life but not effective against psychos.
So I decided to run equipped and adopt some good reflexes. I share with you my little tricks for running alone and safely when you are a woman, well as safe as possible… The first is of course to leave with my charged phone in your pocket and my external battery in the trail bag in my back. When you go running or walking with your dog, it's to clear your head, think about something else, relax... but you have to stay connected for your safety! A fall (at night it's more frequent than you'd like...), a damaged pad, any problem: you have to be able to prevent it!
Above all, I advise you not to run with music in your ears when you run with your dog, night or day. So you keep an attentive ear to avoid any danger for both of you, like a car coming up behind you, a boar that will soon come out of the bushes...
For me, one of the best defenses against weird types is noise. There are whistles, which I advise you to have around your neck to catch it easily, or even audible alarms that are easy to trigger in the event of a problem. There are also apps like Red Panic Button ou My Panic Alarm which alert your loved ones in the event of an emergency and allow you to be geolocated. Tear gas or pepper spray are also a good solution, but in the event of a "surprise", you have to be able to take it out of your pocket and orient it correctly so as not to take everything in the face... it's starting to do a lot for equipment to be used in panic mode. I always have on me, on my belt, in evidence (!), a knife. That I do canpaddle, canicanoe or any other sport, I have it on me permanently and in full view. First of all, it's very useful for picking mushrooms, getting out of old fishing nets, spreading a little nutella on bread when it's snack time, but it sends a little message to crackpots that I can come across like “Don't bother me, I'm not going to let myself be done. ”
To avoid being spotted, change routes often. It will save someone from waiting for you where you go every Thursday evening… I'm a bit of a counter-example in this area, but of course, the first piece of advice is to avoid running in areas that are too isolated. For my part, I think that there are fewer crazy people per square meter in the middle of the vineyards of my pretty countryside than in a park in the middle of a big city, but I don't have proof of that. thing is certain if you come across someone you don't feel, trust your feelings and don't hesitate to turn around or go home sooner than expected.
In any case, the first instinct to have is to tell someone that you are out running with your dog. Indicate your route and your running time so someone can panic if you don't return with your dog and call the emergency services. I use Endomondo to track my running performance. This app also allows my friends connected to it to follow my outing in real time. So when I leave, my boyfriend always keeps an eye on the app so he knows where I am.
The very last piece of advice I can give you is to join a group of canicrossers… Running between canipotos is great and much safer. And if you don't have any groups or clubs near you, find a friend who would like to come run with you or follow you bike with his dog or alone.
I hope I didn't scare you… I'm more of a fan of night outings with my dog. So, I can't see hills and long straight lines, so my racing experience is very different from in broad daylight. I love the freedom I have at night, feeling alone in the world is rather exhilarating but you have to equip yourself accordingly so that running at night with your dog remains a pleasure.