Spiky vest designed to protect Metro Vancouver dogs from cougars, coyotes
Posted March 13, 2021 11:07 pm.
Last Updated March 14, 2021 4:28 pm.
NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Coyotes, cougars, raccoons, birds of prey, large dogs. Two women who work at a veterinary clinic in North Vancouver are well-aware of some of the big dangers facing little dogs in the outdoors.
After seeing so many petite pups wounded by other animals, Alison Columbus and Janice Voth started designing prototypes for a protective harness that would deter predators and prevent serious injury.
“We just thought, there has to be something that we can do about it,” Columbus says.
“There’s lots of predators out there. It’s just kind of a scary world for smaller dogs because everything’s bigger than them.”
The end result is a practical design that has the added bonus of making any canine that wears it look pretty punk rock.
PredatorBWear is a spiked vest made of breathable mesh, and with recent, deadly cougar attacks in the Tri-Cities, and warnings about aggressive coyotes in Stanley Park the founders are hoping their product might help ease the fears of dog owners.
“The spikes themselves are hollow plastic so they’re really lightweight,” Columbus explains.
“There’s a collar attached to the harness and it has spikes on it as well to protect the neck. The spikes are strategically placed where the animal is most likely to get grabbed by a predator.”
The spikes themselves are fastened to the harness with Velcro so they can be removed and reattached in case of an impromptu trip to the dog park or run-in with a furry friend.
Columbus says reaction when they launched in December of 2019 was mixed. They encountered questions about whether their product was necessary. They faced criticism from people who “didn’t always have nice things to say about little dogs.” But they decided to go ahead anyway.
“We had more encouraging people than anything else,” Columbus says.
The vest was designed in Columbus’ living room, with her 14-year-old Cavalier-Bichon cross, named Abby, nearby. Now, the pair have filled orders for people in Australia, Spain, and Israel.
According to Columbus, there’s been a definite uptick in interest and sales amid the pandemic.
“We’ve seen a lot of people getting pets that didn’t have pets before because now they’re home more. The people that are home or are taking their pets out on hikes and they’re taking them out on more walks. I think that they’re seeing — more than before — the need for it. Before they would just take them for a quick walk around the block after work but now they’re out and about and hiking, and there’s more interactions with dogs, there are more coyotes.”
Columbus says the clinic she and Voth work at sees a few injured dogs each month. Recently, they gifted a vest to a toy poodle named Sebastian who lost a leg after being attacked by a bigger dog three years ago. A few months ago, he was brought in injured again.
“He’s the cutest little thing, and we have a soft spot in our hearts now for Sebastian. There are a few dogs that stand out because sometimes the wounds are quite severe.”
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Columbus says there was no way to humanely test the harness, since it would require creating an unsafe situation. She hasn’t heard from anyone whose dog was saved by the product, which is okay with her since that means none of her customers’ dogs have been attacked while wearing it.
“We’re trying to raise awareness for small dogs, because a lot of people think that their dogs are tough enough and they’d be able to handle themselves. We just really want to get the word out that this is just something that will keep them a little bit safer.”
