Near Strangulation By His Collar!

[Guest mcsheltie]

Wonder about two of these attached together.

 

It would be light weight and there is a grommet to attach a tag. Boomerang also sells tags to fit them.

 

And they are cute!

[Guest eaglflyt]

We use the Chinook Breakaway collars on our pups. Martingales are only used for leash walking or to show a little bling at meet n greets. Our pups have been in situations where their breakaway collar opened just as it is supposed to do ... and you can then put it right back together and all is fine. Their tags are clipped onto the breakaway collars.

[MerlinsMum]

OMG How terrifying! Thank goodness you were home. My two boys never ever wear their collars when they're indoors. About a year and a half ago someone who used to be a member here lost her grey when he was in the yard - his martingale got caught and he strangled to death. She came home to find him just hanging there. I know many people on this board remember the episode Absolutely ghastly.

 

Since then, I make a point of telling everyone I can about it so that they can take precautions - either leave their dogs naked in the house or use a loose tag collar or breakaway collar.

[Neighsayer]

I use knot-a-collar on my guys. It has a double slip knot system that pulls loose if caught. I do have to check them every few days because they tend to loosen up as they age. I think I've had them for around 3 years. They also have reflective threads in them to help me spot them in the yard after dark.

[Guest mcsheltie]

I found these. They will make whatever you want. So... I am getting -glo in the dark -embroidered -breakaway collars -with no hardware at all. No tags, no D rings, no hardware to catch the collar.

 

I had my warning two days ago when Chloe got her collar caught on the drawer knob. Thank you Sharon for this thread. You got me off my butt before something bad happened!

[Guest sbennett]

Those are nice looking collars. I especially like being able to get your phone # embroidered on there. Glad your Chloe is okay too!

 

Sharon

[robinw]

We use the Chinook Breakaway collars on our pups. Martingales are only used for leash walking or to show a little bling at meet n greets. Our pups have been in situations where their breakaway collar opened just as it is supposed to do ... and you can then put it right back together and all is fine. Their tags are clipped onto the breakaway collars.

 

That's what Phene and Treasure use; the ones with the reflective stuff on it.

 

Oh my - that is *exactly* what Max did a few years ago - my boy now goes nekkid unless going for a walk, or if at someplace besides home, he has a breakaway collar that he wears(which I cannot recall the manufacturer of - RobinW on here has one as well; they do work awesome!). Pretty much anything besides a breakaway can get caught. I remember our husky-girl we had before Max got her regular flat collar caught on the tines of the bottom of the dishwasher rack (she was the pre-wash rinse cycle! ) and pulled the whole rack, fully loaded across the kitchen, completely freaked out, stuff smashing all around her - gawd, what an ordeal that was. I had to practically sit on her to hold her still enough so someone else could unhook her!

 

I am so glad everything turned out okay - it is a terrifying couple of minutes!

 

So, yes, nekkid or breakaway unless on a leash is the rule in our house...

I've never forgotten that story. That's why we have breakaway collars.

[Guest tinams8]

I looked for awhile, and ended up buying the pieces and making a tiny breakaway collar for Lucy. It has a plastic breakaway clip. It looks like a cat collar. So far it only came off once outside, I don't know how exactly.

 

The embroidered ones are ideal, no tags at all! Might have to buy two of those...

[silverfish]

I am so sorry to hear that happened to you - thank heavens you were there to save your dog!

 

It's a timely warning, because so many people don't even think about the possibility. We all know about cats getting caught on things and needing breakaway collars, but dogs? Most of us think they're too .. I don't know. Sensible? Streetwise? Big?

 

I had my warning about thirty years ago when I worked for a vet. We did a little re-homing on the side, and one of the 'lucky' dogs to be saved from being PTS was a little terrier mix. He lasted three weeks in his new home before strangling himself on his collar. He'd jumped up and down, barking at something outside no doubt, and caught his little leather collar D ring on a tea towel hook in the kitchen. They came home to find him dead.

 

Since then I've heard of several deaths or near-deaths, so I now make my own breakaway tag necklaces. Double safety, I'm thinking, because 1) they're very loose and in 99.9% of cases pull off over the head and 2) they're joined with an unsoldered jump ring which has a low breaking strength - or they're made of a fairly weak stretch thread which will also break quite easily. No way would either stand up to a 70lb dog yanking on them. But if Sid goes back to stay with his trainer while we're away (I only have one dog right now) he'll wear a standard breakaway collar, because he'll be living with half a dozen other greyhounds in an unfamiliar place - and he'd almost certainly lose a breakaway tag necklace very quickly in that situation. Two of them are hardly more than pups.

[seeh2o]

I'm so glad you were home when it happened, how incredibly scary. There was a horror story like this that ended badly that was told here on GT, I really took that story to heart and had some break away tag collars made for my two.

 

That's why I only use break-away tag collars at home and when on walks they wear the tag collars and walk with harnesses. I've had two sets of velcro breakaway collars made for my two. The first set was from Pam @ Cozy Coats & more, she made some fabulous velvet lined and reflective tag collars. Very light weight, but if they get caught on anything the velcro allows them to break free with a little force. The second set was custom made by Holly @ the Unruly Hound. She made some break away tag collars for them as well, they are wonderful, are lined, reflective and have their names embroidered on them!

 

Both sets have a slide on tag and are held together by velcro, but are strong enough for me to grab them lightly if needed. I've never had either set come off or "breakaway" from the dogs scratching their necks.

Edited August 18, 2010 by seeh2o

[k9fun]

We also use the breakaways for all our kids. We switched over last year to the Chinook and I am sure glad we did. Only 2 months after the switch we came home to find our old man without his collar upon further inspection we found it caught on a metal doorstop broken away - the collar did it's job and I shudder to think what would have happened if he had not had the right collar on.

[Guest MyBoys]

This thread really struck a cord with me and what COULD happen so I just ordered breakaway tags collars from Classy Couch Potatoes, she does carry tag collars but has to order the breakaway snaps for me. I know I will feel much better now leaving the house and knowing my boys are safe. Thanks for starting this thread

[Guest LindsaySF]

My guys wear loose plastic buckle collars in the house. Am I incorrect in assuming they won't break away if they pull hard enough? I've had them come apart before, but I guess it depends on the collar?

[Guest sbennett]

That is the type of collar Jay was wearing when he got caught on the cabinet knob. It showed no inclination to open and he was caught so tightly that it was all my husband could do to release the buckle.

 

Sharon

[LaFlaca]

I forgot to mention earlier in my post about not clipping the tags on the D ring. Some tag collars have a D ring so the OP might not be aware of the risk for asphixiation

Sorry to be dense...Does this apply to the breakaway collars, as well?

[Batmom]

Breakaway collars and tags: You can hook the tags to anything on a breakaway as long as you don't hook the tags thru both rings (Chinook/Keepsafe breakaways). Other types of buckle collars normally won't break. The safest non-breaking collar has a traditional tongue buckle and a single flat ring (hunting collar); the two sides of the collar will pivot around the ring if the dog gets caught; won't help with serious hanging or playtime incidents, tho.

[Guest zoolaine]

Now I want to switch all mine to break away collars. But I really love the cute collars. I emailed NancyB to see if she could make the break away collars. I am thinking of using the break away collars when we are home and then using the tag clips for easy exchange of their tags into regular side buckle collars or on the martingales (they usually walk in harnesses). Then they are safe at home but still have tags in case they somehow escape.

[dante2zoe]

OK, now I am paranoid. I have the leather tag collars with a boomerang tag from God's Greyts. No rings, no hanging tags. Are those not safe enough to wear? Yikes. I liked that they are soft and don't rub. My guys have very little hair as it is, and a regular collar was rubbing all of it off on their throat.

[Batmom]

Will it break apart if it catches on something?

[dante2zoe]

I wouldn't think that it would break apart. However, the leather will stretch, since it is thin. I have grabbed it before and it did stretch easily and they did back it up and over their ears. It will not split apart, though.

[Fiona3]

I have been meaning to order the Chinook Breakaway Collars and this thread has prompted me to do so. What is the best type of identity tag to attach to these collars? Their martingales all have their tags with their name and our phone number. Would this type be safe to attach to the breakaways? Thanks for any suggestions.

[Batmom]

You can attach anything to the breakaway as long as you don't attach thru both D rings (that's where the collar comes apart if stressed). Best attached on the adjustment slide, as with regular collars. What I do with mine is, after I've adjusted the size for the individual dog, I sew a piece of reflective tape on and write the contact info with laundry marker. If I ordered their reflective collars (new since I started using them), I'd likely use regular tags; their reflective material doesn't look like the kind you can write on.

[Fiona3]

You can attach anything to the breakaway as long as you don't attach thru both D rings (that's where the collar comes apart if stressed). Best attached on the adjustment slide, as with regular collars. What I do with mine is, after I've adjusted the size for the individual dog, I sew a piece of reflective tape on and write the contact info with laundry marker. If I ordered their reflective collars (new since I started using them), I'd likely use regular tags; their reflective material doesn't look like the kind you can write on.

The reflective tape is a great idea. I like having something on the collar itself, rather than hanging from it. Thanks for the information. This is exactly what I was looking for!

[greytpups]

I forgot to mention earlier in my post about not clipping the tags on the D ring. Some tag collars have a D ring so the OP might not be aware of the risk for asphixiation

Sorry to be dense...Does this apply to the breakaway collars, as well?

 

Can you get a tag from Boomerang and slip it on a breakaway? then you don't have anything dangling.

 

It's seems like a bit of a dilemma...breakaway collars so the pup can't be asphyxiated, however, if the have potential to come off if the pup were loose, then no ID except for the microchip. A pup with no ID versus asphyxiation. I guess I better look at a breakaway collar.

[Guest mcsheltie]

I forgot to mention earlier in my post about not clipping the tags on the D ring. Some tag collars have a D ring so the OP might not be aware of the risk for asphixiation

Sorry to be dense...Does this apply to the breakaway collars, as well?

 

Can you get a tag from Boomerang and slip it on a breakaway? then you don't have anything dangling.

 

It's seems like a bit of a dilemma...breakaway collars so the pup can't be asphyxiated, however, if the have potential to come off if the pup were loose, then no ID except for the microchip. A pup with no ID versus asphyxiation. I guess I better look at a breakaway collar.

I had the same thoughts and came to the same conclusion.

 

Check out the collars I ordered - see post #30 in this thread - You can get reflective embroidery so no need for a tag or tape. I got them without any D rings, so no would be temped to attach a leash to it. They are custom made for your dog. I talked to the owner and these will not come off unless they get hung on something.