So first off please dont laugh. The river is half melted and spring is coming and i think squirt needs a life jacket. The purpose is incase she gets swept down river or if her line snags something it will keep her from drowning until i get there to unsnag her.

Ive looked at alot of reviews online but anyone ever use one?

I've looked into life jackets and it's the same issue with kids you really need to for it to the dog and give it a trial. Very idiosyncratic. Some will keep the dogs head out of the water and some will actually push the head down. Which you can't tell from reviews, you really have to treat it in the dog. Which means address to a pool.

I won't laugh but are you sure about that? Before I started getting Huskies, I had Labs so "sink or swim" was never a problem - just keeping them from going into any plot of water bigger than a small puddle.

While I haven't used one, I'd honestly be more concerned about it getting snagged on something and me not being able to get to them. Everything I seen for a life vest is bulky and while it would keep a dog afloat, I wouldn't be comfortable about them being able to navigate in one ...

Accidently drop a dog off a boat 5 miles out to sea - yeh, I can see one in that case. On a river where there are river banks within swimming distance, I'd be a whole lot more willing to let them swim for shore. Any reasonably healthy dog should be able to swim a couple of hundred yards without a problem.

It would seem i need to take some pictures of the rio grande up near here. There are literally miles where it goes into areas you would need rock climbing gear for where it has cut itself a canyon. And when they open the dam for irrigation season and for texas and nm to get thier allotment of water, it gets fast. And if you or a dog hits a rock at speed its over. Really its all dependent on what spring is like. The last few years because its been warm, the snow melts fast and the river gets fast. Last year snow melted so fast the bridge over the river went underwater and people with waterfront property went underwater.

When i was in middle school my dad got a leonberger. That was a huge mistake with 3 ponds on the property. Also we always had a springer spaniel growing up. And i had a lab malinois that ironically hated water. But none of those dogs tried to jump off a bridge to get to a waterfall pool like squirt did. I blame her lack of water dog heritage for her lack of sense in the water. Seriously how many huskies swim. Especially ones born in new mexico

I really dont think there is a pool anywhere around here that would let squirt in. There was a ruffwear one im thinking about, its the fit and testing it

I've looked at them but never actually bought one because my dogs are always tethered to me. that said, I really used to think that there was no dog who couldn't swim at least a little bit and then kenzi stepped off the bank down at Lake of the Ozarks once. She must have the body density of a rock because she went right to the bottom and didn't come up until I pulled her up by her leash, which is another reason why I have the wiess walkie so if I have to pull a dog in from something I don't strangle them in the process. We haven't tested Kye yet. he loves the water but hasn't tried to get somewhere he can't touch.

Ive seen so many dogs get swept down river and get hurt and then drown because they got hurt. Depending on the current ive seen squirt get knocked off her feet in areas she can stand in. Thats less of a worry with her on a line then the fear of the line snagging something and pulling her under before i get there. I ordered a floating line but that doesnt eliminate it snagging on something surface level like a log. Squirt is a good swimmer, but prefers having her feet on the bottom.