Product Review: Dexil Friendly Dog Harness

The Dexil Limited Friendly Dog Harness is a brightly-colored step-in harness embroidered in big bold letters. It is designed to convey the message from a distance and let the world know right away that your dog is totally chill and would love to visit. Dexil offers ten different color/message combinations to announce that your dog is blind, deaf, in training, working, nervous, adoptable, not ok with other dogs, should not be fed, or in need of space. There are limited-slip and buckle collars, mesh harnesses, and long and short leashes available to match. The step-in harness is available in one size for dogs with chests 23-36" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

I've been seeing these harnesses for sale online for quite a while, and I think they're probably a good idea. The only Dexil gear I've encountered in the wild so far was a collar and leash set on a boisterous and highly active blind dog. It was a completely awesome way to let the world know why he was happily bonking into everything.

Our Friendly Dog harness was a thrift store find, and Brisbane is wearing it ironically because he's not actually friendly enough to merit making this announcement. While he is well-trained and tolerant of most situations, he can be selective about who he interacts with. He's already pretty cute and fluffy, I definitely don't need to dress him in an open invitation for the world to put their hands on him.

Sisci and Brisbane could both happily wear Dexil Ltd's Caution harness. The No Dogs harness or Nervous harness would also be appropriate.

Photo by Erin Koski

What I like about these harnesses is that they are super easy to read. The width of the straps and the font makes the message clear at a glance. The collars are even wider, and it's nearly impossible to mistake the simple print for a decorative design.

Pros: Very adjustable. Bright and easy to read. Sturdy and high quality.

Cons: Some messages may be prone to misinterpretation. Does "No Dogs" mean you can totally pet my dog? Does "Nervous" mean you should try to make friends with her? Am I more liable than usual if my dog is wearing this Friendly Dog harness and bites someone? Also, the big long straps between the buckle and the leash rings tends to weigh down the top of the harness and make it slide to the side on smaller dogs.

Bottom Line: If I had a deaf or blind dog I would definitely get them a whole set of Dexil gear. I could definitely see using the "Caution" and "Training" gear, too. This harness obviously belongs on a scary-looking, intimidating marshmallow dog.