Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Imzadi83]

I hope you are all having a good morning that was not as anxiety-inducing as mine.

We got her back, but this morning my dog, Junebug, went missing for over an hour.
To give some background family and I live in a semi-rural area with a 5 acre property that is completely fenced off. In the morning we usually let her out to roam the property for a few hours. Most of the time we remember to make sure her collar is on her before letting her out but we forgot this morning. At around 12 PM I went to call her back in but she wasn't coming so I did a quick walk around the property but I couldn't find her. We were very afraid that she had wandered into the road and gotten hit since she is not street smart. After about an hour of driving around and calling local shelters, we got a call from the local vet clinic that they had found her. She apparently had been found on a nearby street, standing in the middle of the road, refusing to move, and causing a traffic holdup. Animal control had picked her up and brought her to the vets where they scanned her microchip.
She is now safe at home, fast asleep on her bed and with her collar back on.

This is a photo I took of her


Remember to always microchip your dog if you can afford it.

That's scary. I'm glad you got her back safe and sound.

I just want to add that if people can't afford a microchip to ask vets and shelters/rescues if they know of any free or low cost clinics.

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

@Osleya
I know the pain; so glad you found her and she's okay.
My dogs had slipped out of their collars before and wandered off places and it's been the worst feeling.
I also recommend keeping her collar on all the time, as you never know when something could happen and she could get out/get lost.



It's also worth noting to anyone else to make sure you know your country's (or state's?) ID and microchip laws, as some places it's required by law for your dog to have a microchip with up-to-date details (vets run free microchipping schemes for those that can't afford the fee (edit: in the uk, those are pdsa/rspca schemes) and, in public places, to be wearing a collar with your name and address. The only exception to wearing a collar in public being working/assistance dogs. Not only then do you have the stress of having a lost dog, you could receive a nasty fine, so it's worth knowing.

[chase.]

I hope you are all having a good morning that was not as anxiety-inducing as mine.

We got her back, but this morning my dog, Junebug, went missing for over an hour.
To give some background family and I live in a semi-rural area with a 5 acre property that is completely fenced off. In the morning we usually let her out to roam the property for a few hours. Most of the time we remember to make sure her collar is on her before letting her out but we forgot this morning. At around 12 PM I went to call her back in but she wasn't coming so I did a quick walk around the property but I couldn't find her. We were very afraid that she had wandered into the road and gotten hit since she is not street smart. After about an hour of driving around and calling local shelters, we got a call from the local vet clinic that they had found her. She apparently had been found on a nearby street, standing in the middle of the road, refusing to move, and causing a traffic holdup. Animal control had picked her up and brought her to the vets where they scanned her microchip.
She is now safe at home, fast asleep on her bed and with her collar back on.

This is a photo I took of her
-snip-

Remember to always microchip your dog if you can afford it.

wow that’s scary, I’m happy you got her back <3

Me and my dad microchip our own dogs since he’s trained [vet ‘n rspca chief] so we only pay for the actual microchip but if anyone struggles with paying for microchips then if you can get a link with anyone from the rspca they will likely know someone who’ll do it for you if you pay for the chip. [only applies to people in the uk though, I’m not sure how workers in other countries are trained] - so please make sure they’re trained.

// on a slightly separate note it does always make me sad when I see people who can’t afford a dogs surgery/vet bills. I’m not sure if that’s more of a problem in America/other countries though as I don’t know anyone over here who struggles with it? Please do correct me if I’m wrong ^^. I’m fortunate enough to have five dogs [two at my dads, three at my mums] but you can imagine the insurance aha. I don’t like risking not having any of them medically insured for a large amount because I wouldn’t want to delay any treatment or diagnosis they need but I understand not everyone can afford to get insurance. Before I started paying the dogs insurance [they had a fairly low coverage so I bargained with my mother and now I pay the difference so they get a lot better coverage] I also had a savings jar that was only to be used if one of them needed emergency vet care - so if anyone can’t afford insurance but can afford coffees/takeouts etc.. maybe putting the money away so you are available to get your dog emergency veterinary treatment would be beneficial?

Just a suggestion ^^ I do also understand that need for coffee as a fellow insomniac haha c:

edit:

- please read <3

@Osleya
I know the pain; so glad you found her and she's okay.
My dogs had slipped out of their collars before and wandered off places and it's been the worst feeling.
I also recommend keeping her collar on all the time, as you never know when something could happen and she could get out/get lost.

I really wouldn’t recommend keeping a collar on unless they’re with you. I’ve seen a dog die because his owner kept his collar on and it got snagged on a chair arm. The poor baby panicked, got his collar lodged at the back and ended up suffocating, so please do not keep collars on inside the house. Microchips are a lot better, collars are not exactly safe for 24/7 use.

There’s also been many other stories I’ve been told but that’s the only one I’ve personally seen ^^ it was a complete accident and his owner was a lovely woman who’d never do anything like that and she was distraught but it is so much more common then you realise - also scarily common with outdoor cats and branches so be mindful.


Basically do not leave the collar on if you’re leaving them unattended in a house.

It’s not ideal to leave them on outside unattended either as they can get snagged on branches or if they get into a fight they can easily be choked by accident, [exception is if you have a flock guard and they have spikes to fend of coyotes etc..]

I know you mean well with the collar theory but please don’t leave a collar on all the time in a house if your dog is left unattended even for an hour.

- I understand some dogs do have a tendency to want to get out of their house, I’m very lucky that I trust all of mine to stay on the property [rightfully so considering the amount of hours that went into that training jeez] but if they did wander off for whatever reason, they are all microchipped. Any shelter/veterinary practice will scan for a microchip so they will be brought back to you if your microchipped is updated.

[Kenjaku]

Just to play devil's advocate, remember that microchipping isn't the end all, be all. I know I've seen it an issue in American pounds / rescues where they won't check for a microchip. Especially if a dog is a purebred and they stand to make a nice dime off of adopting it back out, or if the rescue has an agenda against responsible breeders. I frequent purebred groups offsite and it's a disturbingly common trend I've seen. Purebred dog gets out, shady "rescue" gets their hands on them, refuses to check for a microchip and/or says they've been in contact with the breeder and the breeder doesn't want them back. (Only later for the breeder to say they said no such thing.)

Besides that, microchips can migrate. I've heard from friends who had their dogs chipped and when they went to recheck, the vet couldn't find it at all. If you're keen on chipping your dog, be sure you get it checked at least once a year to be sure it's still able to be located.

And please don't try to chip your own dog unless you really know what you're doing. Literally just watched a video last night about a kitten whose microchip ended up in their spine and caused some serious paralysis. Unless you're directly trained in that sort of thing, I really don't recommend buying do it yourself kits.

ALL THIS TO SAY - microchipping is a useful tool and one you should use. Just use it properly and don't assume it'll always be the saviour that it can be made out to be.

[chase.]

@Hewitt

really? That’s awful, honestly I don’t want to be rude about America but I’m quite happy to live in England if that is a frequent occurrence. I can’t speak for the self run rescues that have no affiliations with other rescues, but American rescues that do that are awful.

So I’ll reiterate my point aha, microchips will always get scanned, if you live in England and a vet/rspca/dog trust picks them up.

Luckily we have minimal rescues that aren’t related to the rspca [most likely as we are a much, much smaller country]

So I can’t speak for the issues in America regarding corrupted “rescues” and pounds, but if you live in the uk, a microchip is incredibly beneficial. I work in an rspca shelter on sundays for work experience [vet med] and microchips are almost always found. Microchip migration can happen, but if it’s placed deep enough in the tissue between the the shoulder blades, under the scruff, it should stay put for longer. [Another reason you should only do it if you’re trained w/experience]

We have a microchip scanner at the house [dad’s work] so we will occasionally check the microchips when we worm/flea everyone but none of them have slipped so far [one has been in for almost 15 years now]. Microchips also last for around twenty years so don’t worry about replacing them unless the info needs changing or if it has migrated.

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

@alpha,
Regarding dogs getting their collars stuck on things, I'm fairly certain the general rule is (like cats) to have the collar just loose enough to, if need be, them to slip out of. And it depends on the type/material of the collar.
Of course if you're 100% certain your dog isn't going to get itself into a situation that it needs a collar, don't have a collar on it in the house. But if you have it outside and it has a chance of wandering off your property, then you should definitely have a collar on it.

Also, the microchip generally doesn't need to be replaced if your info changes. Depending on which database the chip is registered on, you use the chip number to change the details over the phone/online and the company log it.

[Angelus Gaston]

If you have multiple dogs also wouldn't keep collars on your dog's, I don't even keep collars on mine even if I'm in the house with them.

We had two GSD's who were playing and one got her bottom jaw caught in her sisters collar and ended up panicking and nearly ended up choking her sister to death.
Lucky there was me, my dad and brother and sister in the house so we could do something but I ended up bitten by Willow (the one being choked) in her panic and the house looked like a blood bath from me. Her sister was pretty shaken but fine, Willow took a few days to calm but she wouldn't wear a collar after that.

I literally wouldn't even want that to happen again and it's why I don't use collars unless I'm going out, lord nows what would have happened if it had only been me.

[chase.]

@maocifer

Heya ^^

// the general rule is the ‘two fingers under the collar’, but if something (like the chair leg) that have a width slightly bigger than two fingers manages to slip under then the dog with become lodged there and will choke.

There also been instances where another dog had gotten his tooth snagged on the other’s collar, the collar then twists and the dog can no longer slip out of it.

There was also an an incident recently of a dog that got her collar caught on a kitchen handle, the family were distraught and they had only left her for a small amount of time. Collar was loose enough to slip over the handle but she couldn’t touch the floor.

I can’t change your opinion on this - but please think about keeping collars. There isn’t really a magic size for collars. The rule of ‘two fingers beneath the collar’ is so the collar itself allows for breathing space but it doesn’t account for the potential of dogs getting chocked by other objects. Then if the collar is looser it can easily slip off and then there was no point in having it on in the first place.

edit

@Angelus Gaston - I agree ^^, though I’m so sorry you had to experience that but thank the lord that you were there to separate them c:

None of my dogs wear collars inside the house, and I have five. None of them have ever been traumatised like that, (thank god). The closest I’ve come to a situation like that was during a dog fight [my spaniel got dragged by her collar] but we got the dog off her before she had a real issue.

Collars are just incredibly dangerous when left on an unattended dog, just google for a bit and you’ll find all sorts of arguments against leaving collars on unattended dogs - all backed up by stories of poor babes that paid the price.

[drift.]

^ my dogs also don't wear collars unless there is a special occassion. I see no reason for a dog to have a collar (nylon, that is) with tags unless you go out where your dog could escape/run and it would be helpful to have the rabies tag, personal info, etc.
*Exception: My dog's don't have a yard to run in, so we just hike and travel alot for sports, it's just a personal preference of not liking collars with tags (My dog's get the tags stuck in everything, crates, wall vents, Catfish has even gotten a tag caught on between the wall and a table leg. -_-)

They're all microchipped, and I do have a thin leather breakaway that has tags on it if we go far from home. The only collars I buy are custom from shops, and they only wear those when we go out to events or for photo ops.
I just don't see simple nylon collars as worth having, as mentioned above, they're dangerous. As well as cheap and a pain to clean.
I would look for a reputable break-away collar if you really want your dog to wear your info, because as sad as it is, American rescues are horrible. There are plenty of things I could say about them, but I don't think now is the time. My neighbor almost didn't get her dog back (Samoyed) because AC took it for being 'outside too long in the cold', and they have a covered deck that the dog had access to. The rescue pulled the dog from a shelter and never put it up as missing. They just skipped straight to adopting it out after holding it for the 7 day quarantine. Thankfully they were watching Petfinder closely, but it was a terrifying realization that rescues aren't the dog saints they're made out to be. This is why I freak every time one of my dogs bolts or takes more than a few seconds to come back. It's really sad.

[Velveteen Hound.]

So, I don't like the position that all collars are bad. It is personal choice.
90% of collars out there today are break away collars for the exact reason(s) stated above.
I have/and have had exactly 0 problems leaving my collar on my dog(current & past) at all times.
The experiences you are sharing are the exception, not the 'rule'
If you feel that you would rather not leave a collar on your dog all the time, than great, but don't condone and present it as if the only right thing to do is leave a collar off. Yes, there are some negatives to having them on, but there are just as many for having them off.

Education is fine. There is a lot of misinformation about collar out there. . but here is no reason to get preachy.
Soap box over.