A case AGAINST dog collars.

[cold blood]

As a former dog trainer and someone who still works daily with dogs I feel the need to bring up a concern I've had my whole life....collars. Here's a story from yesterday when my neighbors dog nearly lost his life because he was playing with another dog while wearing a collar in the house.

Most of my life I have campaigned that dogs playing should be collar free, I always worried about the potential ramifications of the collar getting caught and causing harm....I'd heard horror stories, but till yesterday, I had never actually witnessed one of these horrific situations.

It started when my neighbor called to see if I could watch the kids (4 girls from 4 to 10 years old and a 3 year old boy, Shawn)....no prob, I watch their kids whenever they need it and generally I bring Dolly (my boxer) along to play with their dog Ozzy, who's a 35 lb rat terrier mix and one of Dolly's best friends, they play incredibly good together.

Well as I'm helping one of the girls with her homework the dogs are on the ground, laying and playing hard, mouthing one another frantically as they like to do...when I look to see them both stand up and begin to struggle in an odd position. Instantly I realized one of Dolly's lower canines had become entangled in Ozzy's collar, her mouth was wide open as she tried to free herself, but the collar was very tightly twisted around the tooth...Ozzy was frozen, as he was now basically being choked out....because as they stood up, it further twisted that collar.

You'd think with as smooth as a canine tooth is, that merely sliding it back off the tooth would be easy, but it wasn't, in fact I found it to be impossible....just then Nikki (Mom) walks in and I stress to her the urgency of the situation and to get me a scissors or knife to cut the collar free, but she was panicked and unable to really offer the help I needed, just at the point where I was considering ripping the lower canine from my beloved dog's jaw...yeah, it was that serious of a situation....Robert (Dad) came home and instantly brought me a scissors.....by now that collar is around Ozzies neck so tightly that getting the blade underneath was a feat unto its self and Ozzy's tongue was now blue and he had actually fallen out (passed out)....just then I get the clasp to break free, and rip the collar off.

Now Ozzy is in my lap, as I'm surrounded by worried little kids...his tongue was hanging and the dog was completely limp. No way, not on my watch!!! Not with a bunch of kids watching, no this dog isn't going to die today!!....Immediately I went to do doggie CPR, compressing his little chest to get the lungs going again, just as I went to breathe into his snout to fill his lungs I felt a breath...Oh thank GOD....took a good 10 minutes before he began to re-gain himself.....the look he gave me was a crystal clear thank you and you could also see the concern in Dolly as she repeatedly was checking on him gently. I'm very fortunate to be a person that remains calm in sketchy situations...same for Dolly, had she acted crazily, Ozzy would be dead today.

The irony of the situation was that just before I came over I grabbed my knife, which I normally always carry, however this time I was like "hey, I'm going to watch little children, I don't need to bring a knife with me" and left it on my table....I will never leave home without that knife again.

So be careful with those collars people, and when the dogs at home, I'd like to encourage you to leave the collar off the dog, especially if there is more than one dog in the home.

All is well, and Dolly and Ozzy played good and hard again today, but the fact of the matter is that Ozzy actually died in my arms for a short time and we're very lucky to have him still around.....I'll never look at that little guy the same again. Had his collar been off, it would have just been playtime as usual.

This is Ozzy and little Shawn, looking out the window at Dolly, who was in the window across the driveway and on the second floor....and a pic of Dolly for reference.

 

[Hisserdude]

Those people are quite lucky you know dog CPR, under most circumstances that dog would probably be dead!!

 

[The Snark]

First, congrats on the save! GOOD WORK! DAMNED GOOD!

After I read that I reached into my junk drawer. When my holster isn't on my hip it is at the front on the left where I can find it in the dark. The dutchmans and switchblade reside in the inner pocket of my paramed jacket. From experience, the dutchmans are powerful enough to cut a chain collar. All can be grabbed and operated with one hand. I can't count the number of times people ask why I haul all that junk around. As the OP learned the hard way, there are certain tools that should always be available, even if you use them only once in your lifetime.



CPR on pets.
Dogs and cats. Place the animal on it's side, preferably on a firm surface. Compress the entire rib cage. There usually is no need to augment with breathing as the compressions work on the lungs as well as heart.
Birds and similar round chested animals. Hold in hand if possible. Thump push the center of the chest with one or two fingers about 3 times per second.. Every 10 thumps or so compress the chest side to side, pinch, which compresses the lungs. Budgies are especially prone to sudden death and can be easily revived if viable.
REMEMBER YOUR THREE GOLDEN MINUTES!!

 

[cold blood]

Snark you're sooooo right about carrying that knife....You almost never need it, yet it seems that every time you don't have it, you wish you had it....moral of the story is to just always have it.


I appreciate your CPR directions. Very interesting, I had learned many years ago to hold the snout and gently fill the lungs, glad to know it isn't necessary, and Ozzie's positive response was proof, as I did exactly what you typed and he responded fairly quickly to it.

At the time I just did it like it was my job, without even thought, it was just what had to be done....afterward I was told I was impressively calm and collected....I held out my hand and said "doesn't mean it didn't effect me" as my hand was just shuttering from the adrenaline. I stayed calm till I got home and it really hit me as I was sitting with Dolly, now I can't think about it without tearing up a bit. That could have easily been one of the worst days of my life, not to mention his owners and all the kids.

 

[The Snark]

Snark you're sooooo right about carrying that knife....You almost never need it, yet it seems that every time you don't have it, you wish you had it....moral of the story is to just always have it.


I appreciate your CPR directions. Very interesting, I had learned many years ago to hold the snout and gently fill the lungs, glad to know it isn't necessary, and Ozzie's positive response was proof, as I did exactly what you typed and he responded fairly quickly to it.

At the time I just did it like it was my job, without even thought, it was just what had to be done....afterward I was told I was impressively calm and collected....I held out my hand and said "doesn't mean it didn't effect me" as my hand was just shuttering from the adrenaline. I stayed calm till I got home and it really hit me as I was sitting with Dolly, now I can't think about it without tearing up a bit. That could have easily been one of the worst days of my life, not to mention his owners and all the kids.

But you did it right and you're still high. Enjoy that for the rest of your life.
It has been determined and now taught by the AHA and IRC/C that chest compressions alone will ventilate the lungs to some degree. I prefer to still do rescue breathing.
It's kind of funny how that adrenaline rush works. The blast isn't realized until you back off. Then WHAM!! Even seasoned old timers like myself get that major hit and the emotions from a save. I remember Archie, 45 years in the fire service and countless CPRs, sitting on his butt in the dirt holding a baby he got breathing, tears streaming down his cheeks.

PS Dutchmans: aviation snips. Your knife should be scalpel sharp and reserved only for those desperate emergencies.


FOR EVERYONE. Learn your CPR. Learn it rote just like the OP did. A, B, C. Don't expect to be cool, calm and collected when the S*** comes down. Will it come down? People, laypersons who perform CPR will, by statistics, be doing it on a close friend or family member. Going DUHHH, what do I do? when a loved one is dead in front of you is .............

 

[leaveittoweaver]

Kudos to you for handling the situation calmly and saving Dolly!

I only put a collar on my dog for taking her outside and never leave it on in the house for reasons like this.

Now if you can only write a post to convince the world about the awfulness of retractable leashes...the bane of my existence as the store manager of a pet store.

 

[donniedark0]

Oh my lord. That was a very scary story but extremely heart warming because of the outcome. God bless your heart man. That was a crazy situation, thank god you kept your cool and took care of business like a boss. This makes me wonder, I need to learn doggie CPR ASAP!!!!!!

Thanks for the wonderful insight! 1 million thumbs up sir!

 

[cold blood]

Kudos to you for handling the situation calmly and saving Dolly!

I only put a collar on my dog for taking her outside and never leave it on in the house for reasons like this.

Now if you can only write a post to convince the world about the awfulness of retractable leashes...the bane of my existence as the store manager of a pet store.

I also despise those retractable leashes, they are the worst thing for the training of dogs...I refer to them as anti-training leashes, because they actually teach your dog bad walking habits....drives me nuts when I see someone walking down the sidewalk and theuir dog is up on peoples property right at the house or door.....Once back in the day when I had a very large Doberman, I let her out only to find a golden retriever on one of these leashes right there at the door as the owner waited for the dog to sniff around the house....my dobie, who was very well mannered and social, was startled and could have easily killed that dog before the owner could have reacted with 30 feet of leash between them and the dog.

Dogs need to be taught HOW to walk, and that should be at our side in public situations....ya want the dog to have freedom, take the dog to the woods and let it off leash....I do this every single day, without exception.

Weaver, it was ozzy that I saved:wink:

Thanks to y'all for the positive thoughts and vibes....its still an emotional thing to think about.

 

[The Snark]

I'm sorry but retractable leashes have, or should have a very important and prominent role in keeping animals. I was going to stop here and let people guess, rant and flame.

Okay, your anecdote for the day.

I returned to the station and had a very busy day ahead. Chat it up with the city clerk, sweep the floor, or... chat it up with the city clerk. As a break in this hectic schedule I went over reports we had filed for the previous 2 months. Faced with the prospect of chatting it up with the city clerk some more, I expanded the time frame to 6 months then one year. That city clerk, conversation wise, was about as interesting as an unflavored rice cake.

I noticed a little something. Mariah was looming large. I counted, fudging a little by going back 17 months. 42 Mariah noise complaints. Mariah was a reasonably well cared for half wolf cross, kept for breeding. She lived on a long chain in a closed and fenced back yard. Anyone who has kept wolves knows it's either some chain or cable or covering the entire yard in reinforced concrete and installing the usual 10 to 12 foot no climb fence. City ordinances had things to say about such fences.

Mariah, after about an hour alone, would start her barking. Sudden, shrill penetrating bark yap. Random and the anticipation while waiting for the next installment was almost as bad as the bark. The bark was just loud enough to disturb one neighbor a block away, and be heard about 8 houses away up two alleys where it reverberated quite nicely.

When Mariah's owner returned it was instant peace and quiet and it would remain that way until about an hour after he left again. He was usually gone 6 hours a day and on weekends until about 02:00. I noticed we had a lot more reports in the evening than during the day.

So, obviously, a retractable leash would have been the perfect answer. Attached to the owner of course, dragging him home about once an hour to say hello to Mariah.

 

[stevoblue]

I have 3 large dogs. We learned early to remove their collars when they are home. They love to play and the collars became tools for them to grab ahold of each other.
I have one thing to add though. Please microchip your pets. If they are not wearing their collars and somehow get lost it will delay their return considerably without their identification.

 

[louise f]

Great job CB. You are a man with a pure heart <3

 

[Formerphobe]

My dogs don't wear collars for just this reason. The worst dog collar incident Ive seen in 45 years as a vet tech involved a blind woman, her veteran seeing eye dog and a youngster in training. They were home and out of harness, but were wearing their metal choke chains. The woman had one of those "I've fallen and can't get up buttons" that could summon police and family members in an emergency. When, during play, the young male got his lower jaw entangled in the female's choke chain, the woman pushed her alert button while attempting to free up the dogs. Police arrived. The phrase, "Teats on a boar hog", comes to mind. They, in turn called animal control. More teats, more boar hogs. The rescue squad arrived about the same time as her son. The son grabbed bolt cutters, but was too late to save the female. The young male had permanent damage to his lower jaw.

In hindsight, one of the cops said, "Oh, I have bolt cutters in my squad car..." Their first inclination had been to shoot both dogs to save the woman... She spread eagled herself over them to prevent that.

Animal control also had bolt cutters but was reluctant to do anything because there was human blood involved and the woman's HIV status was unkown. (She'd been bitten in the frenzy.)


Retractable leashes can be useful tools, in the correct hands. The average American should never be allowed to own one.

 

[Desert scorps]

I'm very glad you were able to save that dog. I actually have my own story to tell about why I hate dog collars. It was about 6-7 years ago. I had an English Bulldog named Roxy. One day she started jumping up and biting the sides of our trampoline. We tried many times to get her to stop but she just wouldnt. One time she did it and a spring came loose. As she was falling back onto the ground after letting go of the tramp the spring caught her collar and she hung there. After about 1-2 minutes we realized she was there because she wouldn't come to us when we called. Sadly, she had passed away because she had suffocated herself trying to get free.

 

[The Snark]

It's been three years now and I'm as clueless as day one. Maybe someone has some new insights.

Our dog appeared in our yard, stealing the cat food. We put out food for him and, though starving and emaciated, he wouldn't approach the food until we were a good 20 feet away. This went on for about 3 weeks.

He gradually permitted us to get closer then near him with him rolling on his back in submission. I examined him. He was bald from behind the ears to nearly his shoulders, no doubt from a collar. He was about a year old. The hair took about 3 months to grow back. Follicles were apparently damaged too.

After a year of him cringing when we got near I tried to put a harness on him. He lay down in a submissive posture and refused to move.

A little over 2 years and he would stay near by while we put food out. About 2 1/2 years on and he would permit me to pet him a little when he was eating.

He still cringes and cowers with any sudden movement. Goes without saying we have bent over backwards and sideways to show him nothing but kindness. He cannot be remonstrated or corrected in any way. Cowers. He cannot be trained. Training him with treats he always takes them and moves about 6 feet away, dropping it on the ground and waiting to see if we were going to abuse him in some way.

3 years of trying to train him with treats, petting, kindness, just talking to him, nada. Nothing works. We cannot get him to ride in a vehicle. We cannot train him to go for a walk with us. He is always wary and alert for impending abuse. I make a point of going out and petting him at least 5 times a day. He accepts this and even rears and puts his paws up on me. He makes happy noises when we come home. But it seems he will never trust us, or anyone else.

So much for collars. It seems collars are symptoms and stop gaps. If they cause problems, look at the owners screwing up in some way. Be it negligence and the collar costing the animal it's life or using a collar to aid in abuse. It must be monitored. The animals life and health is in yours and the collars hands.

If anyone has any new bright ideas as to how to become more friendly with our critter and make his life happier, I'd love to hear it.

We need a quick release like we have for horse leads for dog collars. A tug or jerk on the safety and the collar comes loose.

 

[cold blood]

I'm very glad you were able to save that dog. I actually have my own story to tell about why I hate dog collars. It was about 6-7 years ago. I had an English Bulldog named Roxy. One day she started jumping up and biting the sides of our trampoline. We tried many times to get her to stop but she just wouldnt. One time she did it and a spring came loose. As she was falling back onto the ground after letting go of the tramp the spring caught her collar and she hung there. After about 1-2 minutes we realized she was there because she wouldn't come to us when we called. Sadly, she had passed away because she had suffocated herself trying to get free.

Man, that's awful....a true nightmare scenario....my heart goes out to y'all as well as that bulldog....I'm sure the weight of the dog played a large role in the speed in which he succumbed.

 

[Desert scorps]

Thanks, cold blood. It truly was a nightmare scenario. I just miss her because she was an awesome dog haha.

 

[cold blood]

No haha involved, I feel your pain.

 

[The Snark]

Sadly, she had passed away because she had suffocated herself trying to get free.

Sympathy extended.

I'm not callous but find myself blindsided. Seen too many animals die. Don't want to read about it. Think about it.