Everyday Personal Safety: Why Having More Than One Option Matters

When most people think about personal safety, the conversation quickly turns to what defensive tool they should carry. Pepper spray? A personal alarm? A firearm? Something else?

But we think there's a more important question to ask first: What does your overall personal safety plan look like?

At Guard Dawg Solutions, we frequently talk about layered preparedness. We don't recommend relying on a single way to communicate during an emergency, one source of backup power, or one method of obtaining safe drinking water. Personal protection shouldn't be any different.

Your safety strategy should include several layers, beginning long before you ever need to use a defensive tool. That's one of the reasons we recently partnered with Bestie Defense, a female-founded personal safety company offering an interesting alternative to more traditional personal-protection products.

Personal Safety Starts Before a Confrontation

The most important part of personal safety is recognizing a potential problem early enough that you don't have to deal with it physically.

Situational awareness is the first layer. Pay attention to what's happening around you, particularly when you're walking through parking lots, traveling, exercising alone, meeting unfamiliar people, or moving through an unfamiliar environment.

The next layer is avoidance. If something doesn't look or feel right, change direction, create distance, move toward other people, return to a business, get back into your vehicle if it's safe to do so, or simply leave.

We generally think about personal safety as a progression:

Awareness → Avoidance → Deterrence → Response → Escape

The last word in that progression is important. The objective isn't to “win” a confrontation. The objective is to recognize danger, create an opportunity to disengage, and get to safety.

Unfortunately, avoidance isn't always possible. That's when having additional options becomes important.

Where Bestie Defense Fits

Bestie Defense caught our attention because it approaches everyday personal protection somewhat differently from traditional tactical products. The device is designed to look more like an everyday accessory while incorporating several personal-safety capabilities into one compact package.

Rather than requiring someone to carry separate devices, Bestie incorporates a personal alarm, defensive spray, and built-in strike surface. Those capabilities provide different options depending on how a situation develops.

For example, the personal alarm provides a way to attract attention and potentially disrupt an escalating situation. The defensive spray provides another less-lethal option intended to help create distance between you and a potential attacker. If an encounter becomes extremely close, the integrated strike surface provides another defensive capability.

Bestie also offers different replaceable defensive-spray formulations. Depending on the particular canister selected, options are available incorporating OC pepper spray, CS tear gas, and UV marking dye. Because laws regarding defensive sprays and their formulations can vary, it's important to verify the laws that apply where you live and anywhere you plan to travel.

No single one of those capabilities is a complete personal-safety solution. That's really the point.

They provide options.

Why Everyday Carry Matters

One aspect of Bestie that we find particularly interesting has very little to do with specifications.

It has to do with whether someone will actually carry it.

There are plenty of extremely capable personal-protection products available today, and traditional tactical equipment works perfectly well for many people. But other people simply aren't comfortable carrying something that looks or feels tactical. As a result, the defensive tool they purchased may spend most of its life sitting at home or buried somewhere in a bag.

Bestie took a different approach by designing its device to look more like an everyday accessory. Available in Rose Gold and Matte Black, its jewelry-inspired appearance is intended to blend more naturally into someone's normal routine.

From a preparedness perspective, that matters.

A defensive tool you actually carry is more useful than one you leave at home.

That doesn't mean Bestie is the right solution for everyone, nor should any personal-safety device be viewed that way. It simply provides another option, particularly for someone who wants an approachable, less tactical-looking addition to their personal-safety plan.

We can see that being particularly relevant for a college student walking across campus, someone walking or running alone, a commuter returning to a vehicle after dark, a real estate professional meeting unfamiliar clients, a frequent traveler, or simply a family member who isn't comfortable carrying more traditional defensive equipment.

Equipment Is Only Part of Preparedness

There's another principle we emphasize frequently at Guard Dawg Solutions: Owning emergency equipment isn't the same thing as being prepared to use it.

The same applies to personal-protection equipment.

Whatever device you choose, you should understand how it operates, where you're going to carry it, how quickly you can access it, and what its limitations are. Ideally, you should also practice with it before you ever need it.

Bestie offers practice canisters, which is something we particularly like. If you're going to carry a defensive spray, experiencing how the device operates under controlled conditions can be valuable.

The first time you figure out how a defensive device works shouldn't be when you're facing an actual emergency.

It's also worth periodically thinking through some ordinary situations. If you're walking to your vehicle and notice someone following you, what would you do? Where could you go? If someone approached you aggressively, could you quickly access your personal-safety device, or is it buried at the bottom of your purse?

Those aren't questions intended to make anyone fearful. They're simply part of thinking ahead.

Why We Chose to Partner With Bestie Defense

We try to be selective about the companies and products we recommend through Guard Dawg Solutions. Our standard for an affiliate partnership remains pretty simple:

Would we recommend this product to our own family for real-world use?

Bestie fills a niche that some traditional personal-protection products don't.

Not everyone wants to carry something tactical. Not everyone has the same level of training. And not everyone is comfortable with the same type of defensive equipment.

Preparedness isn't one-size-fits-all.

What we like about Bestie is that it provides another layer of personal protection that someone may be more likely to incorporate into their everyday routine. It isn't a substitute for awareness, good judgment, training, or a broader personal-safety strategy.

It's another option within that strategy.

And when it comes to personal safety, having options matters.

Learn More About Bestie Defense

We've created a dedicated Bestie Defense page at Guard Dawg Solutions where you can learn more about the device, available options, and why we decided to partner with the company.

👉 Explore Bestie Defense at Guard Dawg Solutions

Guard Dawg followers can also receive 20% off qualifying Bestie purchases of $50 or more using discount code GUARDDAWG.

👉 Shop Bestie through our dedicated partner link

Using our affiliate link helps support Guard Dawg Solutions and our preparedness education and training efforts at no additional cost to you.

Affiliate Disclosure: Guard Dawg Solutions may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made through our Bestie Defense affiliate link, at no additional cost to you.

Final Thoughts

Personal safety doesn't mean living your life expecting something bad to happen. It means being aware of your surroundings, thinking ahead, and having a plan if circumstances unexpectedly change.

Start with awareness. Avoid trouble whenever possible. Have additional options if avoidance fails. Understand the tools you choose to carry and know how to use them.

Most importantly, remember the objective isn't confrontation.

It's creating the opportunity to disengage and get to safety.

That's the same philosophy we apply throughout emergency preparedness: anticipate the problem, build layers into your plan, and give yourself options when things don't go according to plan.

Be Prepared, Be Protected!

Guard Dawg Solutions