Most people think a dog can swim pretty easily. But what if that dog gets tired? Or hurt? Can they still make it to shore? Probably not. A dog life vest can make all the difference in an emergency for your favorite pup.
When Riley was a puppy, he did not like water. He hated water so much that he walked around the puddles in the road and refused to go outside in the rain to do his business…this mean our covered patio had to be hosed off regularly when it rained. This translated to later on when we would go to the lake or creek/river and wade into the water or go swimming. Riley eventually got comfortable enough to walk into the shallow edges of the lake and wade into about his chest; that was as deep as he would go. And from there, he would bark at us. We were too far from him and therefore not deemed safe by Riley standards. He can swim (he’s fallen off a few floaties and will swim out about 10 ft from shore before turning around), but does not like it and is not a strong swimmer by any means.
When I started introducing Riley to SUP, I was not concerned with him jumping into the water. I didn’t even think he would fall in more than once. But, I was concerned that he would fall in if we got caught in the wake of a boat or something on the lake. My bigger concern was that once he was in the water, he would head straight to shore and not return to my board. Now, to many, this doesn’t sound that bad. Think about it for a moment, though. How wide is that lake? How busy is that lake? How cold is that lake? If he starts for the shore ahead of him, he may be swimming to the furthest shoreline because that is what he sees. Then, part way across the lake, he would drown because he takes in water instead of air, he gets tired, a boat hit him, etc. There are a multitude of things that could happen. Enter the life vest.
The Helios Life Vest gives me peace of mind and has given Riley confidence in the water when he had none. We researched a lot of vests before we settled in on the Helios. That process of research will be explored in another post later on in the SUP Pup series. This post is focused on what we love and what we think could be better about the Helios.
The Fit
The Helios fits Riley like a glove around the chest. This is the most important measurement for most dogs, but especially barrel-chested dogs. When we tried on the Helios, the chest fit, the back fit, and the neck…was too big. This did not deter us. It was the first vest that hit all of the markers we wanted and needed on a life vest. So, what was a little sewing to tighten the neck strap? About 10 minutes on my mom’s sewing machine, that’s what it was. We were lucky enough to find someone on Facebook Marketplace selling a Helios in Riley’s size still with tags on it (so I got to save myself some of the expense!). We tried it on, and he was running and jumping, sitting, laying down, and rolling over. It was like he had nothing on at all, though the vest is quite bulky on its own. We knew this was the vest. He was comfortable!
There’s a velcro and 3 clip systems that hold the vest on the dog. Velcro under the chest is connected first, 2 supporting clips wrap around the velcro here as well. Around the neck is another strip of velcro to secure the two sides together, then a third clip to provide additional securement. The vest fits snuggly, though not tightly, which provides room for the diaphragm to expand when needed (i.e., heavy breathing).
Handle
On the back of the vest is a sturdy grab handle that runs the length of the dog’s back. I prefer the one handle set up as opposed to the two handle system where there is a handle at the neck and mid-back on the vest. I just find the one handle to be easy to grab from the paddleboard one handed and does not involve any unnecessary bending over the edge of my board to lift Riley out of the water. The two handle system was just a bit awkward for me when we tried it, so I nixed it right away.
Leash Attachment
Embedded in the ends of the handle seams are 2 d rings for leash attachments. I can attach his leash between his shoulder blades (typical placement for a lead with a step through harness for walking), or I can attach the leash to the end of the life vest at the second clip towards his rear. I use both of these. For walking down to the water, I clip Riley’s lead to the front clip like I would for walking. While on the board, however, I use the back clip as it provides Riley with a little more freedom of movement around the board. My goal is not to need the lead clipped at all to him while on board; however, he has decided to jump in pretty regularly lately now that he has figured out this vest makes him float. When he jumps in, he heads for shore, so I use his leash to keep him close enough to bring back to the board right now.
Muzzle Floatation Aid – No
There is one feature that I was surprised about. On some dog life vests, you will see an extra floatation flap on the neck strap that sits under the dog’s muzzle. This is to keep the dog’s muzzle above water in emergencies. The Helios does not have this feature. This feature was something on my must have list for a life vest for the longest time, but then I thought more about the type of paddling we are doing and realized it was a nice to have feature, but not a necessity for us. If I were to be doing rivers, rapids, oceans, and large….LARGE….lakes, then a floating muzzle would be a requirement. For the quiet lakes and sloughs that we paddle, it isn’t a necessary item as we aren’t hitting any big wakes or turning tides. Our risk of capsizing is pretty well limited to my balance and the occasional boat wake.
Reflective Seams
What was not negotiable for me was visibility. The reflective binding and reflective silver on the Helios was fantastic to see! It catches and reflects light well enough for dusk paddling, which is as late as I would be going out with him.
The Final Test – Does he float?
The final test for this vest was the floating test. Does he float? HE DOES! The dorkus, first time out with his spiffy new life vest, waded into the water to test it out. I kept calling him in a little deeper, and a little deeper. Then he swam about 3 feet out to where his paws were not touching the bottom and stopped. The little bugger just goes limp and starts swirling one single paw in a circle for a minute. Riley figured out he wasn’t sinking and then went back to shore. The next time we went out….he launched himself off the board and decided he wanted to swim to my paddle partner’s board instead of mine!
My only knocks on this vest are really things that have either been resolved, or things that can be avoided with some care.
Features we love:
- strong back handle
- 3 clip and velcro system (2 clips under chest; 1 under neck)
- multiple leash attachment rings
- Reflective binding on vest
- large surface coverage for high visibility
What we don’t love:
- fit of neck strap had to be adjusted
- velcro closure sticks to wet fur
- it can be a bit pricey
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
All in all, I couldn’t have picked a better life vest for Riley than the Helios. The items we don’t love are easy enough fixes not to hamper our satisfaction with the Helios. The price, that was a tough one, but can you really put a price on the safety of your fur baby? I was lucky enough to find a Helios being sold on Facebook Marketplace for half the price. The original purchaser had ordered the vest and it didn’t fit her dog’s chest. When I put it on Riley he loved it and it fit perfect where it mattered. Please do your measurements and your own research into life vests to ensure you select the right vest for your dog and his/her needs.
ASR Adventures 