Jim Ellison, President, The Pet Companions Club of PebbleCreek
In late July, a PebbleCreek resident’s beloved puppy died in a devastating in-home accident. As you can imagine, the pet owner is inconsolable. This article on dog collar safety will provide you with invaluable tips to help prevent injury and/or strangulation to your dog. Collars are a necessity, and they are normally very safe when used properly and under supervision.
However, year after year, collar strangulation accidents injure or kill countless dogs and cats. As much as pet parents want to believe this is a rare occurrence, the American Pet Products Association (APPA) reports close to 26,000 collar strangulation accidents happen each year. The frequency of collar accidents has led several large pet companies to create break-away collars in an attempt to prevent such accidents.
The most commonly reported strangulation related collar accidents are listed below, in order of frequency:
* Fence: This occurs when dogs are peering over, jumping over, or digging/crawling under the fence, and the collar gets caught.
* Play: When dogs play with one another, they typically will mouth at each other’s necks. The dog’s lower jaw and teeth can easily get stuck on another dog’s collar. While they try to free themselves, one dog may suffocate, while the other is left with a broken jaw.
* Crate/Pen: Statistically, this is just as common as play strangulation. It occurs when the identification tags or collar get stuck in the bars of the crate or pen.
* Branch: While a dog may love romping through the woods, branches can easily snag the collar and strangle the dog.
* Heating/Cooling Air Vents: Like crate strangulation, the hanging identification tags can get stuck in air vents, and while the dog struggles, he ends up doing more harm than good.
While supervising a pet is always best, even supervised pets run the risk of collar strangulation with a normal collar. When a collar gets caught, a pet will go into panic mode, leading to pulling/struggling, and they will end up choking themselves.
Dogs should ideally “go naked” in their crate or pen. This is because dangling dog tags and even collars can get caught in the crate’s or pen’s bars. It is also recommended to take off your dog’s collar at night. The main reason for this is the danger of being caught on something in their bed, or around the home, leading to choking.