Happy #dogsinyellow day: The vest that helps tell the world my anxious dog needs space

Bruno has a yellow jacket that tells other dog owners that he needs space, but not everyone heeds its words.

Bruno looks very fetching as a “yellowjacket”

Today is #dogsinyellow day, which is an awareness-raising event run by an organisation called My Anxious Dog that is geared towards educating the public that dogs in yellow need to be afforded a little more space and understanding than the average mutt.

I started walking Bruno in one of My Anxious Dog’s yellow “Need Space” vests about six months ago, after growing tired of having to explain to other people why Bruno had such an OTT reaction to their dog approaching him.

At least when he’s wearing his vest, it feels like we’re sending the equivalent of a warning shot out to the other people in the park that we’re best avoided and left alone, so please do not approach.

That said, the biggest problem we have is that none of the bad-mannered, off-lead dogs who come crashing into Bruno’s comfort zone can read, so don’t tend to take much notice of what his vest says.

Having him wear it does give us a little more leverage where these dogs’ owners are concerned. Particularly if Bruno’s reaction to their furry, four-legged space invader is to bark, lunge or excitedly leap around them.

Any of the above reactions usually prompts these owners to step up their efforts to recall their dogs. And when they move in close and clock his vest, it provides them with a bit of context as to perhaps why Bruno has reacted the way he has and means the next time they see us (or any dog in yellow) they might do a better job at keeping their pooch away from it.   

The biggest difference I’ve noticed since I regularly started taking Bruno out in his vest is that owners are a lot more apologetic when their off-lead dogs bother Bruno than they used to be.

Although, sometimes, taking him out into the world in a bright yellow, reflective sleeve means we do draw the eye of some curious types who want to know why he has to wear it, which can be a problem if they insist on walking towards us to ask. Because Bruno doesn’t like strangers.

If there is no chance for us to speedily change direction and walk off away from them, I’ll answer their questions as quickly as I can (before Bruno gets a chance to degenerate completely into a barky nuisance) and then leg it.

Sometimes they ask if he’s wearing it because he’s a rescue dog (“Yes. Bye!”). Or if he’s in training for something (“Yes! But that’s classified. Bye!”). or if there is “something wrong with him, which is a question Bruno usually answers himself by barking his head off at them.  

The worst people, though, are the ones that spot the vest and seem to view it as an invitation to dole out some unsolicited advice on how they think I should be training or treating Bruno. It may surprise you to know, but it is invariably men who do this and the advice they give is usually utter toilet.

For instance, there was the guy who told me the “best thing” I could do for my nervous, flighty, non-recall trained dog would be to take off his vest, harness and lead and just let him run free with the other off-lead dogs in the park.

And, when I told him that’s not going to happen because Bruno doesn’t always play nice with others, he said that’s precisely why I should do it. So the other dogs can “put him in his place”. What an idiot.

On balance, I’d say the yellow vest is more of a help than a hindrance on Bruno’s walks and it’s very rare that I take him out anywhere without it. So much so, I ordered a second one so that we always have a spare for when one of them ends up in the wash.

My hope is that, in time, people will be so used to seeing yellow dogs they will instinctively pop their dogs back on lead when they see one out and about or will be so well-educated on the reasons why a dog like Bruno is wearing a vest, they won’t need to bother coming over to ask questions

It won’t stop the blowhards who seem to take great delight in telling others how they should and shouldn’t be raising their dogs, because those fellas like the sound of their own voices too much. But I’m hopeful we’ll get to a place one day where more people will respect what it means when they spot a dog in yellow.