[814]

I have never had such an awful scare in my life.

We have a metal shoe rack that we keep our board games on in the living room. Well the dogs have never bothered it and we have never considered it unsafe. Well one of their bones ended up behind the shoe rack and I guess Zachary was trying to get to it.

I was on the couch and my husband was in the kitchen...next thing I hear is Zachary screaming. We both run to him and he is caught in the show rack by the metal tag holder of his collar and he is trying to pull himself free...he keeps screaming and the games are starting to fall off and if he pulled any harder the whole shelf would have fallen on him.

My husband helped him loose and he ran behind the couch. I got him to come out with a treat and took his collar off to look him over. He was so tense but as soon as I took his collar off her relaxed. He was okay, not even a scratch.

I don't know who was more scared us or him. He is going to need a new collar and new tags but that is a small price to pay, I am so thankful the collar and tags broke when he was trying to pull away. Or else we would have had a hard time getting him loose.

I seriously thought for half a second we were going to lose him.


Well the shelf is now outside in the trash and Zack is happily chewing his bone....but I have never been so scared. For once I am glad we crate him when we are gone.

We got rid of that shelf not only because of Zack, but we have a daughter to think about and I can only imagine if she tried to pull up on that shelf.

Again I have never been so scared.


Sorry I just had to let it out. Someone was looking out for him though, some one greater than us....if those tags and collar had broke the whole shelf and everything on it would have come down on him.

I feel so bad about this

 

[Locket]

I'm so glad you were home when it happened! Poor Zach! I've started taking the dogs collars off while I'm not home cos they rough house and I'm worried about teeth/toes getting stuck in the rings.

If leaving the collar off is not an option, you can look into embroidered collars or tags that stick to the collar rather than hang off. Like these:
http://www.avenuek9.com/2009/10/19/weekly-dog-deal-thin-pet-id-tags-3-free-shipping/

 

[814]

I'm so glad you were home when it happened! Poor Zach! I've started taking the dogs collars off while I'm not home cos they rough house and I'm worried about teeth/toes getting stuck in the rings.

If leaving the collar off is not an option, you can look into embroidered collars or tags that stick to the collar rather than hang off. Like these:
http://www.avenuek9.com/2009/10/19/weekly-dog-deal-thin-pet-id-tags-3-free-shipping/

I hope Zach is doing great today.

Zack is always crated when we aren't home. (due to not being able to hold his bowels very long, all his gastro problems as a pup caused some issues with that) Sasha our Terrier isn't but she is in her room. And he is gated off in a room with our Terrier at night when we are asleep (they each have their own beds) that doesn't have anything in it so its pretty safe.

Being that we live in an apartment the collars stay on all the time.


It was just scary to think that something like that could happen. I mean we never even thought that it would be dangerous.

 

[Mercury's Mom]

He is a very lucky boy. It is amasing how a little thing like that can end with tragic results. Im so glad you were there to help the poor guy. Im sure there are thinks in all of out homes which could be potentially dangerous and we don't even know it. I bet it's going to take you longer to get over it than for him. I would have been shaking after it was over.

Collars are necessary but also sometimes a risk. I hope everyone who crates their dogs takes their collar off before crated because a friend of mine had a pekingese who's rabies tag got stuck in the side of his crate and he strangled himself trying to bet free. The tag somehow got sideways in the slot and he couldn't get free.

 

[Marian]

Glad it all turned out okay! Scary stuff.

 

[jester's mom]

Glad to hear all turned out well for you!! Can understand your concern, and definitely with a young child in the house! Better safe than sorry, that's for sure. Gotta say, it may have been a bit scary for you and the dog but what a good way to find out that the shelf was a possible problem before something happened to your little girl!

 

[Poodle Lover]

I am so glad that Zachary is all right. Collars and id tags can be a problem and that's why my dogs go naked in the house. There are just too many things that can go wrong.

 

[Trillium]

Wow that would be scary. Its amazing how many things there are that you would never think of that a kid or dog can get themselves into trouble doing. I'm so glad that it turned out ok.

 

[WonderPup]

Glad that worked out well for you.

Several years ago we had an issue with Howie that was similar. He used to lay on top on his wire crate all the time and look out the window, we had cusions and stuff up there all the time because all the dogs did it I had just purchased new collar tags for Him at petsmart, they gold and boneshaped a little bigger than I wanted but I got them anyway. He had a martingale collar at the time. Apparently he had gotten the tag caught int he top of the wire crate and then jumped down off the crate. He was tall enough to touch the floor but he was still strung up pretty tight by the collar I heard him whinning kind of persistantly and told him to hush. He didn't and I peeked around the corner and saw the problem. I took the tags off that night. I wish there was a way to combine a break away collar and a martingale. That would be perfect!

 

[814]

Glad that worked out well for you.

Several years ago we had an issue with Howie that was similar. He used to lay on top on his wire crate all the time and look out the window, we had cusions and stuff up there all the time because all the dogs did it I had just purchased new collar tags for Him at petsmart, they gold and boneshaped a little bigger than I wanted but I got them anyway. He had a martingale collar at the time. Apparently he had gotten the tag caught int he top of the wire crate and then jumped down off the crate. He was tall enough to touch the floor but he was still strung up pretty tight by the collar I heard him whinning kind of persistantly and told him to hush. He didn't and I peeked around the corner and saw the problem. I took the tags off that night. I wish there was a way to combine a break away collar and a martingale. That would be perfect!

Whats a matingale and breakaway collar. Zacks just snaps apart (he has a snap fastener and its supposed to be good if they ever get caught in something) and the tags just ripped off which is what got caught and his collar was in the process of snapping apart. I pulled it off him though to get him loose (I didn't want the shelf to fall on him.)

He never should have been able to get on that shelf to begin with...ugh I'm so upset over it

 

[814]

Well I feel better about things today but still a little shook up, I'm now checking all book shelves and other furniture to make sure its safe and Zack is totally back to himself.

You are right though it will take me much longer to get over this than him.

 

[WonderPup]

A martingal collar is one that when the dog pulls against it it tighens up slighly, not like a choke chain or anything they are made out of cloth most of the time anyhow. Anyway it prevents them from being able to slip their heads backwards out of their collar on a walk. All of my dogs wear them when we go out. My hubby is paranoid about it actualy because right after we adopted Jazz the collar that she was wearing was a snap together type that for some reason loosened on it own. I had tightened it several times while we were looking at her. She was able to slip out of it though and take off on the way to the car that night. It was really scary.

The breakaway collars are what a lot of people use on cats and they make them for dogs now too. They are designed so that if they collar gets caught on something and the dog pulls it breaks open releasing the dog. A good idea for around the house. I think they come with a way to attach a leash so that the dog pulling on the leash won't cause the collar to snap apart.

 

[bigredpoodle]

[I never use collars unless we are with the dogs EVER.. Many years ago a friend had a diving dog he would dive under the water and fetch his toys. He caught the tag of his collar in the drain of the pool and drowned .
Another friend had two dogs that got tangled and one of them strangled the other via the collar.. I do not want to be this statistic...

 

[Mercury's Mom]

I prefer harnesses for saftey in the house but they ruin their coats and are terrible for walks. I kida wish tattooing was still the in thing for id on a dog because if a dog gets loose not everyone checks for microchips...and Mercury's microchip no longer WORKS after just a month. I can feel it in there but when the vet scans for it the machine says there is no chip. What a waste of $ and pain for Mercury. I suggest everyone has their vet check to see if their chips are still active every so often. Our old rabbit was tattooed and when he got loose once someone saw our phone # in his ear and we got him back.


When I was little our white toy poodle got stolen. We found her but couldn't get her back because we couldn't prove she was ours, even vet records, our groomer's statement, etc didnt matter because she had no distinguishing marks. A collar and tag can be taken off. The people moved to Denver with Josie and a few months later she showed up at our door skinny and matted. We believe she escaped and traveled all the way back. It's a 5 hour trip by car. The vet tattooed her registration # on her tummy asap and she lived out her life with us. A microchip would have been wonderful at the time but even they sometimes fail. A tattoo would have gotten Josie back to us without her having to escape on her own.

Anyway, little tangent there, sorry. I guess Ive just always been afraid that my dogs will get stolen so a microchip and collar with tags is must, but the collars and tags there is always a risk of getting cought.

 

[bigredpoodle]

I suppose that this is a risk. I had a setter get stolen from us. He did have a collar ..Which the dirty thieves removed But I did get him back not easy ...I would imagine if you wanted a tattoo someone could do this for you .
We own a scanner and so does our vet. All of our chips still work ..But not everyone has a scanner, so I do hear what you are saying. I did like the tattoo as it was quite irrevocably there, could not deny that..
That is a great story about your toy poo...
This is certainly a quandry...

 

[814]

[I never use collars unless we are with the dogs EVER.. Many years ago a friend had a diving dog he would dive under the water and fetch his toys. He caught the tag of his collar in the drain of the pool and drowned .
Another friend had two dogs that got tangled and one of them strangled the other via the collar.. I do not want to be this statistic...

We were home and I was in the same room as him, but he acutually climbed the rack and that is how he got caught....I never expected him to even try to climb it. I'm just glad I crate him when I leave, its a platic crate. And ofcourse Sasha is gated off in that room and there is virtually nothing in there (okay its our master bedroom closet but we made it into their bedroom.....door is always open we just have a gate) We use another closet for our stuff

At our home a collar with tags on is a must, we live in an apartment and Sadly maintence comes in without much warning (we are lucky to get a knock on the door, last time I was bathing Zack and Sasha was loose, lets just say I think the maintence guys will think twice before coming right in next time....she isn't a bad dog and she has never bit anyone but any stranger coming in the door gets barked at pretty fiercely)

But I'm terrified they will come in and open the door and my dogs will run out the door.

so a collar and tags is a must. I want to have them microchipped but we have been tight on money for awhile now that it just hasn't gotten done. For walking we use a harness for both my dogs, they were trained to walk with a harness and that is how we get them to walk next to us, they pull and choke themselves with just the collar but with the harness they have learned how to properly walk. I feel I have more control over them with the harness.

But the only time their collars are off is bath time until they dry. I have had many dogs through the years but this is the first time something like this has ever happened.

 

[bigredpoodle]

Well you are doing the best that you can then .. It is a must then it just is.. So now you have to look around from a dogs perpective and it sounds like you are ...