DIY Glow-in-the-Dark Dog Leash

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Here is a tutorial for a glow-in-the-dark dog leash. The leash is perfect for keeping man's best friend safe on nighttime walks.

We have a Cocker Spaniel named Cooper. We adopted him from the humane society back in 2009. He's sweet, but not the brightest dog we've known. We joke that he's the ditziest blonde in the house! He's so happy go lucky that he doesn't care what we think.

When my teen was younger, he asked repeatedly if we could get a dog. We always had a reason why we didn't want to, such as “your sister is too young to bring a pet into the house.” That excuse lost its merit when she grew beyond the baby stage. So, we decided to make the dog thing work in our favor by offering our son a choice.

Our 10-year-old son had been playing baseball in a local league, but we found watching the games to be difficult. He always volunteered to sit out and when it was his turn to hit, he never took the bat off his shoulders. When we asked him why he liked to play, he said he liked being in the dugout with friends and the free snack afterward. Each family paid a snack fee at the start of the season, so the kids got to run over to the snack stand after the game and pick out a drink and something to eat. Game after game we went to watch and cheer on our son, but he never did anything. He frustrated the coach and a few other parents, and just made the situation uncomfortable for us. We asked if he would be interested in not playing, but we'd give him money to go to the snack stand whenever he wanted. He wasn't interested. When spring sign ups came around we asked him if he wanted to play baseball or get a dog. Of course he picked dog!

We took a few trips to the humane society to look at dogs. We didn't do much in the way of research ahead of time. We were just looking for a nice addition to the family, something not too big but nothing too fragile either. Finally we found an adorable buff (blonde) Cocker Spaniel that they named Nibbles. He was happy and energetic and we decided he was the one. Our son came up with his new name of Cooper.

Over the years, Cooper has been a great companion. He's gentle with the kids, yet has a good bark when people come to the door. Though we estimate that Cooper is around 9 or 10 years old, he still has the energy of a much younger dog. He runs around in the backyard a lot, but that isn't enough exercise for him. We walk him every day.

He absolutely loves those walks and is ready to go rain or shine, hot or cold. He gets excited when we ask him if he wants to go on a walk. My husband and I even started calling it a “W,” but Cooper soon figured out what it was. When it's super cold I am not a fan of these walks, but they have benefited me too. First off, I'm getting exercise. Walking him has forced me into a regular exercise schedule. It's nice to take a break from whatever I am doing and get the blood flowing. It also gives my husband and I time to talk, away from the children. We usually start the evening walk off with a reflection of our days, a look at the schedule to come, and then we talk about whatever we want. The kids don't usually go with us, so it gives us a chance to discuss any issues they are having. It's just a good time for us to catch up and connect, without any distractions. I hate to think of what my health or marriage would be without our walks.

Now that the days are getting shorter, we are walking after dark. We walk through a residential area, so there are no street lights. A lot of residents have a post light out in their front yard, but we still encounter dark areas. We take steps to make sure we are visible to others when we are out. One of those ways is a glow in the dark leash that I made for our dog. It was easy to make and helps us to be seen at night.

Glow-in-the-Dark Leash

Supplies
glow-in-the-dark rope
contrasting thinner rope
swivel snap hook
Optional: lighter

Directions
Cut a 14-18 foot length of each rope, depending on how long you want your leash. I cut mine to 18 feet.
Loop each rope through the snap hook and make a lark's head knot.

Attach the hook to a stationary object.
Keeping the contrasting rope together as one strand, braid the ropes.
Cross the right section over the middle section.
Cross the left section over the middle section.
Continue crossing the right and left sections over the middle until you get desired length.

Knot or burn off end to keep it from unraveling. Use a test piece of rope to see if you can burn it. I used plastic coated rope and was able to burn it.
Form the handle by looping over desired amount of braid. I wrapped some of the contrasting rope around a few times, tied it off, then burned it with a quick flame to melt it together. Only do this after testing your rope!

 

I ended up with about 3 feet of extra rope that I cut off. A little waste, but I would rather have extra then the leash being too short.

I love how this leash turned out! It's helping to keep us safe and visible at night and our walks are keeping us healthy. We keep our dog happy and healthy by feeding him PEDIGREE® Adult Dry Dog Food. I purchase PEDIGREE® at Sam's Club. During the month of October, Sam's Club will donate a bowl of food to a dog in need when you purchase PEDIGREE® products.

Do you have a furry friend that you love to show off? Upload a photo of your dog to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #LaterShelter for a chance to be featured on SamsClub.com. The best part? PEDIGREE® will donate a bowl of food for every upload. So start sharing those pics and help animals in need! Find PEDIGREE® on Twitter.

Who is your furry companion? Find more dog stories here. Don't forget to upload and use #LaterShelter!

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