Woman With Tragic Story Reminds People How Deadly Dog Collars Can Be
A loving and responsible dog owner will make sure that their dog is always safe, comfortable, and has everything they need. When they first bring a dog into their home, people usually have a little shopping spree to make sure they have the doggy essentials. This usually includes dog food, a bed, a collar, and a lead. The latter two items are important for walking the dog, and the collar often also contains the dog’s details in case they are lost. Despite a dog owner, having the best intentions when buying these pet accessories, a dog collar can also pose some dangers to your dog. Not many people are aware of these dangers, but the following story highlights the potential dangers of your dog wearing a collar.
Milo’s Story
I Heart Dogs tells the story of Shari and her two dogs, Milo and Jesse. Milo was still a puppy and Jesse was her older dog. Ever since Shari had brought Milo into their home, Jesse would love to play with his small friend. When the two dogs were playing together, Jesse would often nuzzle Milo’s face. He would also bite Milo’s collar during their play. The two playmates had great fun together and Shari never worried about the nature of their play and did not foresee and potential dangers. On Milo’s first birthday, Shari bought her young dog a new collar as a treat. He looked so cute in his new teal collar, which had an interesting bow tie detail. Unfortunately, it was the new collar that almost cost Milo his life.
One day, Shari set off for work in the morning as per her usual routine. While she was at work, it seemed just like a normal day. That was until she received a text from her mum that sent her into a panic. The text was letting her know that everything was now fine, but that Milo had almost died earlier in the day. Of course, Shari decided to leave work immediately to check on her dogs and to find out exactly what had happened.
When Shari returned home, her mother told her the story. As usual, Jesse and Milo had been playing with each other. During their play, Jesse’s jaw had somehow got caught in Milo’s collar. Unable to free himself, the larger dog began to panic, shaking his head and trying to pull away. This was tossing Milo around and causing him to choke. Shari’s mom leaped into action immediately, trying her best to free Milo from Jesse’s jaws. However, Jesse was a big muscle dog and he was frightened by the situation. Shari’s mom found it impossible to calm him down to free Milo from the collar. The more she tried to restrain him, the more he pulled.
In a panic, Shari’s mom shouted for her brother, Thomas. She asked him to get a knife so that they could cut Milo loose. By now, the panic had really set in as Milo was finding it difficult to breathe. Fortunately, Thomas didn’t need to use his penknife to free Milo. He was able to calm Jesse down enough to get the collar free from Jesse’s jaw using his fingers. Thankfully, Milo was fine following the ordeal, but it made Shari realize that she could never let the situation happen again. She knew that Milo needed to wear a collar, but she was worried that the collar he was wearing could put him in danger again.
The Safe Collar Solution
While this story may seem shocking, Milo is not the only dog who has found himself in a situation where his collar has nearly choked him. In fact, one survey revealed that around 20 percent of dog owners have had an experience where their dog has suffered near strangulation because of their collar. Therefore, this is clearly a very serious problem. Hearing this story may leave many dog owners wondering how they can resolve this issue. Clearly, they still want their dog to wear a collar for practical purposes. However, a dog owner may also want to avoid the risk of their dog getting caught up and choking to death. There is a very simple solution to this problem. Shari’s friend told her about a product called a breakaway collar. This was something that Shari had not heard of before, so she was intrigued to learn more.
The breakaway collar is designed so that a dog can free itself if their collar gets caught on anything, such as another dog, a branch, a gate, a piece of furniture, or anything else. The collar has a latch that when tugged hard enough will unlatch itself and free the dog. This product was designed specifically to reduce the number of cases of dog strangulation. The Animal Behavior College also offers some further advice in relation to reducing the risks of your dog suffering strangulation from their collar.
First, they say that you can eliminate the need for your dog to wear a collar completely if you find an alternative method of identification and opt for a different type of lead. You can buy a lead with a loop that pulls tight as a collar instead of buying a separate collar, thus eliminating the risk of collar strangulation. Having your dog microchipped is a better way of having them identified as it eliminates the need for a collar identification tag, which is easily lost.
If you would prefer your dog to wear a collar and you do not have a breakaway collar, then there are some other precautions you can take. One of these is to only put on the collar when you are going for a walk with your dog and take it off when the dog is in the house. This makes sense as most dog strangulation incidents occur within the home, and often it is when their owners are out at work. Not wearing a collar in the house will eliminate this problem.
