Nite Ize LED Collar Light

For Christmas, we bought Banjo and Millie both the Nite Ize LED lights for their collars when we go out for walks at night. We live on a street that is pretty quiet, and both dogs are trained to stay in the yard, so we allow them off leash in the yard only. Banjo is particularly well trained and isn’t terribly difficult to see at night, but Millie on the other hand, with her impossibly hard-to-see-at-night dark chocolate fur, speeds like a bullet around the yard, and is a bit tougher to keep track of. And since she is so small, there’s also the added concern of any predators thinking she might be a rodent for dinner. So we were very excited to add this safety item to their collars at night (which has also proven very useful during the weekly power outages we seem to get in the winter). Overall, my feelings are mostly positive about the light’s functionality, however it hasn’t proven terribly reliable. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly:

PROS

• The light attaches very easily to your dog’s collar so you can take it on or off as you please. We mostly leave it on though, as it isn’t all that large and cumbersome for the pups.

• The light is very bright. You can see your dog from quite a distance, which not only helps you to keep an easy eye on them or locate them if they are to wander off, but also helps protect you if you walk your dogs on a leash at night. Cars will be able to see you, which is an absolute must for protecting yourself and your dog in the dark. (Side note: One night when Banjo took off into our fairly large backyard, Millie flew off after him. The Nite Ize was the only thing that let me know where she was. And I had the added amusement of watching her run straight into our vegetable garden’s arbor in the dark, or rather, I saw a floating orb fly straight into the arbor.)

• The Nite Ize has two settings, steady light or flashing. It’s nice to have the option depending on what your purpose is. I suppose when walking at night, a flashing light might be best, whereas when it’s just me and the pups in the yard, the steady light will do. The light also has a 5 color rotation, which I don’t know if it is useful or not, but it sure is fun to watch your dog resemble a disco ball.

CONS

• Banjo’s broke after two days. I’m not sure if his was just a lemon, but it stopped working almost immediately. The battery didn’t die (if you hold the on button down, the light will come on, but as soon as you let go, it turns off). That was definitely disappointing, but again, could just be a fluke. 

• The power button is a little tough to press. If you have a dog that doesn’t like to sit still, it can be a little difficult to turn on or off. Definitely not a dealbreaker though.