I bought two of these for my dogs. They're good souls but have the sense of a drunk knat. In a previous encounter they ran up on a black bear soaking it's rear in a pond and scared the large fellow half to death and chased him down the hill. While I applaud their courage and need to defend I didn't want to repeat the encounter with a different ending. Bought two of these bells and alas I see no bears or deer anymore on the trails. The silencer works well in the car so you're not getting a migraine as you drive with your dogs playing leap frog between the seats. Easy enough to release the bell when you're ready to go and away they travel. Doesn't seem to mind them any as it doesn't hinder their ability to romp and find questionable animal remains to eat before I can get to them. Would buy again, probably saving our silly trio from becoming random animal leaving so I suggest you get yourself some as well.I love that you can hear the bell or not hear the bell with this design. There is a small magnet that you can easily position by the bell clapper so that it doesn't make noise for times like when you are driving in your car. The bell is easy to attach to your backpack, coat, etc. and it makes the right amount of noise (loud enough to announce your presence to any bears nearby but soft enough that you can still have a conversation with your hiking partners).The bell was easy to attach to our dog leash handle. Only wish the bell jingle was a little louder. We live in a neighborhood in northwest CT with at least three bears who roam our yards and streets regularly. When dog walking, I'm aways on the lookout for bear. The jingle bell helps, but it's not that audible unless you're closer than you'd want to be to a bear!I didn't buy this bell to drive away bears so I don't know if it works for that. I wanted a loud bell to hang low on the door so my dog can ring it when he wants to go out. It works well for thatNot sure if it really work against an animalI saw several reviews about not being loud enough, but it seems loud enough on my dogs' collars to alert any wildlife which could be alerted by a bell whilst not ruining my own enjoyment of the nature.After walking up on bears numerous times I decided to buy this. I still see bears occasionally but they are walking away rather than being startled by me. If you hike, bike or run in bear territory this can’t hurt to have and seems to help.I put this bell on my backpack for hiking alone in the Great Smoky Mountains. I love the little jingle and I felt good that I had it. It has a Christmas jingle sound which is supposed to alert a bear to stay away because someone is there. I did not encounter any bears on the trails, but I was happy I had this. It has a magnet also inside a little mesh pouch for when you don't want to jingle. I was happy with this purchase!I like that fact that the bell can be heard over a wide area, especially in woodland. We attach this to our puppies harness and when she goes off chasing squirrels we can hear where she is and not panic that we have lost her, it also gives the squirrels an advantage, a they too can hear where she is! The only problem we have with this bell, is the velcro fastening strip. It can come lose while wearing, if it has not been Velcro tightly enough. A better idea would be a heavy duty press stud. Luckily when the bell came off her harness, she stopped and waited by the bell for it to be re attached. It is good that it has the magnet to stop the bell from chiming. Adults and children all think the bell is a good idea, although some children are looking around for Santa and his Reindeer to arrive, but in the middle of June there is a good explanation.This is a nice sturdy bell and the tinkle is not too high-pitched so it doesn't hurt my sensitive ears. I bought it so that I could hear where my dog is when I can't see her, but it didn't work very well for that purpose. I stop being able to hear the bell long before she is out of sight, and on her return I usually see her before I hear the bell.She wears a reflective jacket so that I can spot her in the distance or between trees and bushes and that is so useful that I wouldn't let her off the lead without it. However, I only used the bell a couple of times before realising that it didn't do the job I wanted it to.It was designed to alert wildlife to the presence of the dog and I am sure that it does that very well, the ears of bears (not in UK of course) and other animals being sharper than mine and it is well made so I have given 5 stars.I use these bells for my German Pointers who got into the habbit of finding deer in the woods and then giving chase, lucky they will always break the chase when i use a dog whistle. These bells stop the need for that as they give the deer enought notice to hide or move on and since the dogs have had the bells on their collars they have not been able to find a single deer. The bells are well made and make a good sound (as long as this does not bother your dogs which it doesnt seem to with mine). A few people have said they lost the bells after a couple of days due to the velcro coming undone - I got round this by glueing the velcro fasten together and then i just thread the collor through the loop of the bell when I'm taking to dog out. My dogs wear these everytime they go out now and I have had a lot of comments from people saying what a good idea it is as it gives the wild life a chance when walking such quick dogs. Plus the beaty of these is when I get back to the car you just pull the magnetic tab over the bells and they cant ring anymore so they dont annoy you while driving. Very good product.These are the best dog bells on the market. Have bought in every colour. They sound like a Swiss cow bell and are fabulous for a few reasons : Secure velcro fastener that stays on. Warning to other animals (all cat owners take note pls put bells on your cats so birds can escape their teeth. Great if dog is off sniffing in bushes you can hear him. They look fab but I don't have them just for appearance - these are necessary for a multitude of reasons. 10/10 - shall keep buying.I use this bell on my guide dog, so I know where he is and can hear when he's getting up to no good in the kitchen! The bell is perfect for this (I use a couple) but unfortunately the velcro doesn't last long; after a couple of months the bells tend to fall off his collar, and as I can't see it's difficult to find them. As other reviewers have said, the dodgy velcro issue can be solved using superglue, and thereafter removing the bell by threading it off the collar. That's a bit of a faff, but worth it to know where your dog is.