Gayle. Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 A few times in the past week, we have come home from work and done a quick head count and come up one short. I now know what it's like to feel your blood run cold. It was always Ripley, our newest dog. He was escaping a VERY secure yard.......in fact we couldn't figure out how he was getting out. We have adequately high fences, equally high gates and no spots he could dig out and there was no evidence of him even trying to dig. He was just gone. Fortunately he was easily found......we live in a small, quiet village and he headed straight to the general store to mooch pats from anyone who was out front. Yesterday my husband was driving home from work, happened to glance over at the general store and yep.......there's Ripley, waiting at the bus stop. So he did a u-turn, opened the door of his van and Ripley jumped in, then he had chat with him about the dangers of not being in the backyard where he's supposed to be. Ripley just leaned over and gave him a lick on the nose. So much for the chat! Last night we were having dinner when we were treated to "The Great Escape". Outside our dining room window is a path that leads to a 160cm picket gate that separates the front from the back. It blocks the narrow gap between the corner of the house and the side fence. The gate is solid and has square tubular metal bracing on the inside. Ripley was pacing up and down the path, gathering momentum as he paced. When he'd worked up enough momentum, he took a run at the gate, leapt up and grabbed the top like Spiderman then scrambled over using the metal bracing for a foothold. One second he's securely in the backyard, next he's trotting down the driveway to freedom. And no evidence of how he'd done it. Now that we know how he does it, the gate has planks nailed to the back of it to cover the bracing and take away the footholds. The fences have been heightened with latticework and the whole place looks like Fort Knox. And I am still doing a panic if I can only see three dogs. None of our dogs wear collars. They are all registered with the local council and all have tags, but they live on the collars that are attached to the leads that live in the laundry. After seeing Ripley get out, I am SO SO SOOOOOO glad we made the decision to not put collars on them at home. It could so easily have ended up with a dog hanging from the pointy end of a picket. The fine for a registered dog at large not wearing it's council tag is $61. I'd rather pay the fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My former housemate told me of a dog she knew that was hanged by it's own collar and since then I've been way too paranoid to leave collars on when I'm not around!!! So Kenzie is also a "naked" dog!!! Like you, I figure I'd rather pay the fine for her not having her tag (she's chipped and registered) than come home to find a dead dog. Yes lots of paranoia I know, but it makes me calmer! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 (edited) [ignore me - posted about being worried about my dog getting killed on the road before hanging herself. Then realised the logic gap between .. yeah, never mind. Ignore me!] Edited October 20, 2011 by Alkhe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 MIne are naked also. Mine are together in their yard and dog runs when I am out. I also worry about them playing and one dog catching it jaw in another dogs collar. Happened to a friend of mine and she was right there and only just saved her bitch, who's air had been cut off by a very paniced dog who's lower jaw was trapped in her collar. It had gotten trapped then he had started freaked out and had twisted the collar tighter trapping his jaw more tightly and cutting the bitches air off more completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 now i'm getting paranoid... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brennan's Mum Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I also have a naked dog. But then I am not often out for long and crate her when I am out. I read a story of a dog hanging itself when it was left unsupervised (freaked out over a storm). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyrottie Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 what things other than fences can cause a hanging hazard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 (edited) I'm not sure what the answer is, really, here on the flip side I hear the most stupid excuses for Joe Citizen not wanting to bring a lost dog in to be scanned for a chip. There is an endemic line of thinking with people who are more than happy to keep steal your dog who feel no guilt because: "If I take him to the pound he will be euthanased - he is better off here with me." "He's not wearing a collar - owners mustn't care." "He was wearing a collar but no ID - owners mustn't care." "I can't see a microchip tattoo (most States don't do the 'M' tattoos) so he mustn't have a chip." "No I can't see any microchip (after we explain the chip is under the skin)." I don't really care about getting a fine for a dog not wearing a council tag either, but the dog has to actually get to the pound first. Haven's recents posts about her Mum's Labrador (and forgive me, I don't remember if she was wearing any ID off the top of my head) highlight extremely clearly that people will have your dog in their backyard and probably watch you walk the streets looking for it - wtf?!?! My oldies don't wear collars because they rarely leave the house, and if they did, they'd hang around in the front yard/front verandah. However my younger dog who WILL run off, I know it for a fact, he wears a decent sized tag with his name, 2 phone numbers and 'I am microchipped' engraved on it as well as a Vet number on the back (my work). I am playing on the guilt complex - "Oh this dog is chipped we better take it in." Edited October 20, 2011 by Staff'n'Toller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjelkier Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I had to help out a friend recently when her dog hung itself on the fence. Tragic.... All my dogs are naked, not only will the coat be ruined but I wont take the risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I am not a fan of collars on dogs unless they are being walked. I am not a fan of collars for any purpose on my breed, the Pug, however each to their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 no collar on my girl and harness for when we walk, don't want to take the risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Willow Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 MIne are naked also. Mine are together in their yard and dog runs when I am out. I also worry about them playing and one dog catching it jaw in another dogs collar. Happened to a friend of mine and she was right there and only just saved her bitch, who's air had been cut off by a very paniced dog who's lower jaw was trapped in her collar. It had gotten trapped then he had started freaked out and had twisted the collar tighter trapping his jaw more tightly and cutting the bitches air off more completely. same thing happened to the two staffy pups of a girlI worked with, both are fine thankfully,as she saw the incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Angel Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 There was a devastating story here on DOL once where someone came home and lost one and very nearly another dog by hanging from the collar. Just devastating. Mine are naked at home, however I do know that there are breakaway collars that are designed to snap off when snared. GK your new boy sounds like a real character, I'm glad you found his escape route though, is there anything more scary then realizing one of your dogs is missing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I can also see it from both sides. From working at a pound I know that a lot of people will keep a dog if it has no collar as that means the owners musn't care. A lot ofpeople arent very up to date with microchips and the like and still want to look for a tag around the dogs neck. I guess it depends on where youn live also and what kind of fences you have. I think breakaway collars are a good choice, you hopefully avoid any accidents and if the dog does get out it has ID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmay Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Wow, now I think i'm going to take my dogs collars off too. I just worry that if they get lost for whatever reason, people will just assume no one owns them if they're not wearing collars and just choose to keep them (sound stupid but it DOES happen). But really my dogs will never leave the yard even if the gate is open, so I guess I don't have anything to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagsalot Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I used to work for a fencing company and heard quite a few stories of dogs being choked to death by their collars getting stuck on pool fence pickets. Riley wears a breakaway collar only. It means he can still have his ID tag on, but I don't have the worry of him getting stuck anywhere. Although its a pain in the butt when you try and grab him quickly if someones at the door etc and the collar breaks away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Gayle _ I'm glad you caught him in the act, and have now foiled his plans! :p We have been lucky. 50 years of having multiple dogs..and all with collars on permanently , the only case of a dog being injured/dying involved a horrible series of events many years ago,involving the back of a ute and a tether which loosened . these dogs are working dogs .. running thru scrub/working in sheepyards/squeezing thru and jumping over fences ..all sorts of things. Our dogs primarily wear plain leather collars . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Our entire village us getting to know Ripley and where he lives. He's an unusual and striking looking dog, so if someone decided to keep him, I'm sure there'd be questions asked by neighbors etc about how they came to adopt him. He is not your everyday run of the mill mutt and he'd be fairly hard to hide. A breakaway collar would be useless in this situation as it wouldn't be around his neck once he's escaped the yard. And he doesn't need ID in the backyard, we already know who he is and where he's supposed to be. Dust Angel, he's more than just a character, he's the most gorgeous boy and he's my husbands best mate. He's always really happy to see my husband arrive in the van to collect him and he's happy enough to come home, and he walks in like he's just had the adventure of a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snout Girl Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My two are naked at home as well.....and Bert never wears a collar due to throat surgery, he wears a spiffy harness whilst out walking :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJack Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 earlier this year my whippet cross girl Tiger managed to escape our very secure yard after happily remaining in that yard for over 9 years. She was lost for over 2 days and then hit by a car about 8 km from home. The only reason I was called early enough to get her to a vet in time was that she was wearing a collar, with ID on it. (One of those embroidered ones with name and phone number.) The person who found her was not a dog person at all and had spent a while wondering what to do with her, too scared to approach her, they eventually noticed the collar from a distance and got up the courage to get near enough to read it. (She was virtually passed out bleeding on the ground, too weak to move, but dogs are still scary to a non-dog person.) I don't think it had occurred to this person that there was a pound to take a dog to, they were too scared to go near the dog at all. My dogs that are outside during the day have collars on, embroidered ones with phone numbers plus engraved tags. (They also have that little plastic band from DOL saying if I'm lost my owner will post on DOL. Plus the petrescue plastic band too.) My inside dogs don't wear collars unless they are leaving the property then they all line up to get their collars on complete with all those tags too. The only reason they don't wear them all the time is the herd of little dogs with all those tags makes a hell of a tinkling noise all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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