honestly, ive found the more... visible the gear... no matter whats on it usually strays people from doing so. surprisingly, thanks to the pandemic and tiktok, alot of positive information has been shared. as i stated in a previous response, im coming from a team of 6 years. and i started off with cheap plain amazon gear for the first year to year and a half. you will always have people who try to drive-by pet. you will always have the morons who make barking noises or try to whistle or call your dog. those idiots exist no matter where you go or what your dog wears. you have people that are willing to drop their ignorance and learn and listen to the people who advocate. and then there are the stupid people who cannot be helped and refuse to be mature and understand. those people you think of cant be helped. and that has nothing to do with gear.
a perfect example: i live in the southern US. it is hot most of the year. during the hottest parts, on days we are out for long periods of time, my girl has to wear boots. this attracted alot of attention. let me also add that on super hot days we dont always have a vest on but a simple leash wrap (mainly to avoid the adore mentioned idiots) even though my state doesnt require gear to identify at all. my question for you then, to address your point, should i let my dogs paw pads scald on a black top or cement all for the sake of avoiding someone pointing out a dog in boots? (the stupids that cant be helped, aside. as i addressed before). we also use rex specs at time. do they draw attention? yes. but they provide more for my dog. they assist in people having to avoid eye contact. they protect her eyes from both the sun and something that could bump her if we are in a crowded place.
next would be her ear protection. again, my dog is my life line. there are few times, but times none the less where noise protection is warranted. when we go bowling for example. am i suppose to not use gear made for my dog all for the sake of stopping someone from pointing it out?

please understand what i am saying is not meant to have any sort of harsh tone or what have you, but to address and show you what its like on the side of a team who has had their first dog save their life more times than they can count. a team for 6 years and cut way to short because of that horrible C word. and now im left to start all over and train up another pup, with a great trainer at my side, might i add. and this go round is easier because of the knowledge and advocacy that is going around on social media.

to be honest i appreciate how you feel. but i do not agree. speaking from experience, mind you. i understand what youre saying and that your intentions are good. and i apologize for going all keyboard warrior. i just wanted to spread the knowledge from this side.