DOGS FOR DEFENSE BANDANA

“Every superhero needs a cape”

The origin of the bandana starts sometime in 1985. Dan Hughes received his first dog, not his parents’ dog, not his family’s dog, but HIS dog, a black lab he named Cindy. When Cindy first came home, a neighbor gave Dan the collar of their old dog that had recently passed away. The collar was an odd turquoise color and had a few beads bedazzled on it. Not really the collar of choice for a 10 year old boy or for a Labrador Retriever.  Dan used an old red bandana to tie around the collar to hide it. The bandana would stay long after that turquoise, bedazzled collar would wear out, and then could be found on every dog owned by Dan since.

The Dogs for Defense bandana has two primary purposes. First, Dogs for Defense wants all the company’s K-9 teams to be approachable. People should feel free to greet and interact with our handlers and ask questions. Dogs for Defense set out to create the “approachable professional”. The handlers wear a uniform that is clearly identifiable, and the dogs do the same- they wear a bandana that signifies that they are a Dogs for Defense K-9, and they do so without being intimidating. You will never see a Dogs for Defense dog wearing a vest that says “do not pet”. The bandana is a comfortable way to identify a working dog and removes the need for a harness or vest that can become cumbersome and uncomfortable during long hot days. Second, another unforeseen advantage to the bandana is its ability to trademark the Dogs for Defense K-9s on social media. If you see a working dog on social media wearing a red bandana, you can certainly bet it’s a Dogs for Defense K-9.