It feels like a mission walking alone. How long until it's dark? Is my location shared with my family/friends? What if I get abducted and my dog gets lost? At times, scary dog privilege might not suffice.
A few years ago, I was walking my dog at night in our apartment complex. I started getting catcalled by this man. He started walking towards me. Instinctively, I started speed walking, but he still kept following us. My dog Sarge at the moment thought we were play-running and he helped me go turbo.
The ladies can back me up with this but getting catcalled and "hit on" by strange men is not an unusual incident that we sometimes get desensitized to it. However, assault against women and the LGBTQA+ community is sadly not an unusual incident either. But I don't think we should restrict our hot girl walks with our fur babies.
Now .. before you come for me saying "Concealed carry should be in a waistline holster". Let me just mention that I 100% agree with you. But despite women being the lead demographic who need armed protection, most conceal carry Fanny Pack are not marketed to women. Specifically, women who think Sharpay is better than Gabriella (If you know, you know).
Columbia University researchers surveyed people if they feel safe or unsafe walking alone. The study included all genders from 12 different countries. Approximately 70% of women stated sexual assault was their biggest fear when walking alone.
I was inspired by a TikTok trend of women who implied that they felt more empowered to walk their dogs, go hiking, and run errands with their kids alone because they conceal carry. There was a good proportion of women using pockets, purses, and fanny packs for concealed carry (aside from waistline holsters).
Despite women being the lead demographic who need armed protection. Most conceal-carry Fanny Packs are tactical or military-style fanny packs. Yes, women can obviously be part of this market but I'm referring to the audience it's not reaching. Specifically, women who think Sharpay is better than Gabriella (If you know, you know).
We designed The PawsOff dog walking fanny pack for my fellow dog moms. Made of neoprene material, it has two small pockets and one main pouch. The front pocket can be used for dog training treats, waste bags, or keys. It has a rubberized hole to slip dog waste bags for easy grab instead of having to go through your pouch/bag for it. Whether you have a concealed carry gun, stun gun, pepper spray, etc. the main middle pouch has adequate space and a holster garter to secure your self-defense weapon of choice.
There is no 100% guarantee of safety. But we hope that when you grab the PawsOff Fanny Pack to walk your pup, it reminds you that even if you have to be cautious because the world is dangerous, it is still yours to explore. Ms. Beyonce Knowles said it before. Who runs the world? GIRLS.
Columbia University researchers surveyed people if they feel safe or unsafe walking alone.
Sethi, S., Velez-Duque, J.(2021). Walk with women: Gendered perceptions of safety in urban spaces. Leading Cities, Boston. from
chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://static-media.fluxio.cloud/leadingcities/CjGjwG7p.pdf