The quick answer

For dark dog walks, choose a familiar well-lit route, keep your dog appropriately controlled, make yourself and your dog visible and check your walking equipment before leaving home.

By late autumn, the after-work dog walk is basically a night walk.

It doesn't need to feel like one.

 

Use the boring route sometimes

We're big fans of interesting walks.

But darkness isn't always the time for improvising through an unlit park because Maps says it saves four minutes.

A familiar, well-lit route often makes more sense.

Visibility isn't just for your dog

Reflective or illuminated accessories can help make a dog easier to see.

But remember the person holding the lead.

Use appropriate visible clothing or accessories when you're walking around traffic in poor light.

If your normal Pawda harness is black or beige, treat it as exactly that: a normal harness.

Add purpose-made visibility equipment separately when conditions require it.

Keep the lead under control

A long stretch of lead is harder for other pedestrians and cyclists to notice in darkness.

Bring your dog closer in congested areas and around roads.

Put the phone away near crossings

You don't need to document every walk.

Particularly while crossing roads, navigating junctions or passing cyclists, look at what's happening rather than what's happening on your screen.

The message can wait thirty seconds.

Tell someone if you're going somewhere isolated

This isn't dog-specific.

It's normal personal safety.

If you're walking somewhere quiet late at night, let somebody know your route or share your location with someone you trust where appropriate.

Do the ten-second check

Before leaving:

Clasp secure?

Harness adjusted?

Collar and identification present?

Phone charged?

Poo bags?

Good.

Go.

 

• Autumn Dog Walks in the UK
• The Modern London Dog Owner's Guide
• Dog Collar Tags in the UK
• What Makes a Good Everyday Dog Lead?