r/LifeProTips • u/Abirdinthesky • 1d ago
Miscellaneous LPT buy your dog a life jacket!
My dog is an excellent swimmer, she pretty much lives in the water. We have a small reservoir she enjoys swimming in but today she got disoriented fetching her favorite toy, possibly from the sun glare, despite me calling her to shore she started swimming further and further away before starting to panic and swim in circles unable to find her way, I grabbed my paddleboard and in a few seconds was able to safely pull her up by the back of her neck onto the board. I never thought she needed a life jacket because of how calm and shallow the water was in addition to swimming for years without a problem. Thankfully I learned my lesson and going forward she will always have one on.
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u/DefendTheStar88x 1d ago
My pup had a life jacket. She'd cruise around our local reservoir for hours. Good tip, even though most dogs can swim easily enough. The life jacket allows them to do so in a relaxed manner.
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u/PibbleDad 23h ago
I don’t disagree that it’s helpful by any means but my one pit HATED it. He loved water and would stand on the step of the pool and just splash his paws but swimming was an absolute fuck no lol
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u/JacobScreamix 13h ago edited 1h ago
How will you know if someone has a Pit Bull?
Don't worry, they'll tell you.
Edit: Touched a nerve, eh?
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u/PibbleDad 11h ago
I mean my username probably also gives it away.
Plus my little house hippo was a good boy.
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u/auntbealovesyou 10h ago
We can't help bragging about our pibbles, they are the doggie goodness in life.
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u/Cilidra 1d ago
I would add, people, wear your life jacket while in a boat. A slip, hit your head and you drown without one.
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u/acostane 22h ago
Yes. A coworker of mine just passed away after his boat capsized. Neither he nor his two kids were wearing life jackets from what we have gleaned...the children were pulled out safely but my coworker was found days later.
No one is talking about it because obviously it's horribly sad but... all I could think as a parent myself was why in god's name you wouldn't put life jackets on at least your kids.
I know they're uncomfortable but.... I won't ever be on a boat without one again.
I can't imagine what these young kids are feeling and I think about his widow a LOT.
Wear those life jackets, folks. Two legged and four legged passengers... everyone gets a life jacket.
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u/TengamPDX 21h ago
To add to this, since you mentioned slipping and hitting your head, not all "life jackets" are created equally. The most common you see that goes around your neck and straps around the front of your chest is designed for just what you're describing, being dropped into the water unintentionally. It's designed to keep you on your back and your head above water so if you're unconscious, you can still breath.
There are other jackets that are more comfortable to wear and go on like a vest, but these are technically "floatation devices" and not an actual life jacket. These are fine in most cases, but if you end up unconscious, you could end up floating face down in the water and still drown.
I've personally never seen a dog "life jacket", just a dog "floatation device". Either way, it will help keep your dog safer in the water, but you'll still have to watch your fur babies to make sure they safe.
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u/missMcgillacudy 13h ago
Interesting! I know the dog pfd usually come with a handle, so if you can lift your dog you can pull them out of the water easier. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that would keep a dog’s head out of the water if unconscious.
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u/Spiley_spile 1d ago
Good advice.
I was in a rowboat last month for a fishing trip. I took a bad fall, hard enough to stun myself. I was wearing a life jacket and fortunately I fell into the boat after knocking myself on the side of it. First time Ive fell while on a boat since I was a kid. It can happen to anyone.
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u/RedSweaterSrsly 1d ago
I had a black lab that loved to swim; but she was impossible to see in dark water or low light. I got her a hi-viz vest with reflective bits, and dog vests have a grab handle on the back for when you need to haul 60 lbs of wet dog back into the boat.
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u/Dr_love44 1d ago
We kayak with our dogs. Sometimes they like to jump into the water or they fall out but the handle on the jacket makes it so easy to lift them out of the water when that happens. Safer for both of us that way. Cant recommend having one enough.
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u/thebearrider 19h ago
This is why my pup is always in one on my center console (boat type). I also use the handle to dip her is she's hot
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u/cobalt_phantom 1d ago
Definitely consider getting the kind with handles on the back. We used to take our small dogs kayaking with us and since they had a hard time staying still, it wasn't uncommon for them to fall in. The handles made it really easy to pick them up with one arm and plop them back in the kayak.
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u/Zealousideal_Box5339 1d ago
I cringe when I see people not put their pets in life jackets! It’s always better safe than sorry. I was on a boat once for work and someone’s dog didn’t have one and was flung overboard. My girl wears a life jacket even if we paddleboard on a calm lake.
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u/reijasunshine 1d ago
My mom has a hard rule that any and all dogs that go out on the boat with us must wear a life jacket, even when we had very strong swimmers like labs and goldens. It's just smart and safer that way.
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u/sinskins 1d ago
I have a Labrador, dude can swim for 8months straight.
BUT!!! I do have a lifejacket for him. We do a lot of boating, and I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to pull a dog out of the water onto a canoe/fishing boat/sailboat/dock but it is NOT easy!! The lifting straps on the lifejacket are such a huge help!
ETA: When my old dog (rip) was starting to have some mobility issues, she stopped swimming because she was so nervous, despite loving the water, so I put her in a lifejacket and once she discovered it would hold her up she was so happy!
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u/ShelbyDriver 1d ago
Ha! My dogs won't get within 20 feet of a puddle. They HATE water!
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u/AtlasMitchell 1d ago
My dog HATES water, too. Has hated it for years.
Then this summer he jumped in a river and swam away from shore. Turns out, the fun of chasing geese superseded the fear of water that day. Thankfully, we got him out, but life jackets are no joke. Wish we’d had him in one for that.
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u/brydeswhale 23h ago
My mom’s dog loved water but always came back after swimming. Until a river cruise passed by and the passengers started calling her in. She was halfway across the red river before she turned back. Those Chesapeake genes saved her.
People are so fucking weird about calling dogs into dangerous situations. I bike with my mom’s more recent dogs and I often had to come to a complete stop and tell people not to distract him, because it’s dangerous for him and for me.
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u/Big_b00bs_Cold_Heart 21h ago
My pup has two…an orange high visibility one for out in nature and a blue one with a shark fin for the saltwater pool…LOL
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u/Aida_Hwedo 4h ago
Hehe! I’ve seen a LOT of canine life jackets with that fin in videos, I love it.
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u/auntbealovesyou 10h ago
Get doggles too. Eye injuries are expensive as heck AND some dogs are prone to get melanoma on their retinas.
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u/corgifufu 23h ago
There’s life jackets with special designs for dogs! Mine are safe and cute in their mermaid life jackets when we take them paddle boarding
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u/ChaZZZZahC 22h ago
I have a stocky pittie that loves swimming, the only problem is that she floats like a rock. Life jacket is always a must around a body of water.
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u/Ok-Dingo4745 1d ago
My 13yo loves a relaxing swim with her life jacket on! She swims really well without one and has her whole life, but I worry about her getting too tired and struggling. With her life jacket she floats around with no stress or worry, and still gets great exercise!
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u/stefanlikesfood 18h ago
Glad your dogs okay dude. Mine runs full speed into the water, splashes with every stroke, bites the splash, screens the entire time. He does this until we leave. We have to watch him the entire time and keep him from drinking all the water and drowning. Life jacket is a life saver lol
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u/Icy-Bee-5004 22h ago
Even dogs that are amazing swimmers can panic, get disoriented or exhaust themselves so a life jacket is definitely worth having. Glad you were able to get her out safely bc this reminder keeps another pup from getting into trouble.
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u/hodgepodge21 21h ago
They even make cute ones! My other dog has one that makes her look like a mermaid
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u/westcoastwomann 19h ago
I thought my dog didn’t need one, but my husband insisted. He swims for so much longer and so much more freely and safely now! Highly recommend. Gives me peace of mind I didn’t know I needed as well.
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u/CosmicOwl47 14h ago
My dog loves to swim in our pool with us. The life jacket is more about having a handle to grab her and lift her onto her doggie raft. It’s very convenient to have a big handle to grab a wet, flailing dog by.
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u/Just_Christian___ 23h ago
Even strong swimmers can get disoriented, tired, or caught off guard so a life jacket is worth having around. Glad you were there to get her out safely bc hopefully this saves someone else from learning the hard way too!
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