TERRIFYING weekend

Update on Cruz: his temperature and all his blood work came back normal, yay! We will be keeping him quiet for another couple of days just in case there is any soft tissue damage.. which is just fine with me considering the hat wave we are having here!!

Thank you all for your words of love and support.. definitely appreciated in such a stressful time :hugs
 
I know exactly how you must be feeling by now. Dickens got spooked last December and took off running toward the road; I couldn't find him and thought I'd never see him again. He made it home crossing a six-lane highway; how he didn't get killed I'll never know. The sense of relief when I came home after searching for an hour in vain, just in time to hear the side door open and my wife say "Now you get in there!" and having him run into the room and jump up on me is indescribable. Dickens is a wonderful dog, excellently well-behaved and has wonderful recall, but that one moment when I relaxed my guard could very well have turned out badly. I'm extra-vigilant now, and not quite so trusting.
 
I know of a sheltie that backed out of a harness, and was lost forever. Because of the thickness of their coat, many times, it is actually too loose.

Really, for me, the only safe collar for a dog on a walk, or around a dog show is a properly put on choke collar. I think most people at shows know that, because almost every breed is shown on a choke collar. You have the most control over your dog. Not that you need to "choke" your dog to control it, only that the dog can not get out of it.

Buckle collar for identification tags, and choke collar for walking.
 
Spitfire is super panicky at unpredictable times. At a flyball tournament he slipped his flyball harness (he does not race I just figured it was more secure than a collar) It was getting dark and he ran into the trees. Without the help of two others I am not sure of the result. As it was I spent the night picking briars out of him and me, and we were a wreck for the rest of the weekend.

I have since got a attachment that is meant for two dogs on one leash. It is short and springy. I attach it to his leash and collar. Plus it bungies a bit if he starts pulling so I have warning time to react myself (he was gone before I knew he was panicking). So he has to slip two things with me having warning. I joke he is on double leash probation but that is his setup at tournaments for while at least.

Glad Cruz is relatively OK

FWIW this is the one I got http://www.petexpertise.com/dog-leashes-lines-and-couplers/bungee-leash-coupler.html small/red. He is a little guy and it goes from his collar to his Cleanrun Comfort Flex harness and stays above the ground
 
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My heart was in my throat when I read your post. Thank God Cruz is OK. Asta once slipped her collar in a panic over a skateboarder coming by. She started to go out into the street but I was able to grab her. My heart rate was up for a long time after that one. Seems many of our Shelties have had this sort of thing happen. My girls are staying with a friend for a few days in Sept and I will be having her walk them on choke collars just for this reason. Phew.
 
:eek2: So so scary!!! This is every pet owners' worst fear. I'm so glad he is okay and thank goodness the driver stopped and took you straight to the vet.
 
Honestly, a dog can get out of a choke collar just as readily as a martingale. I know because I've had Deska slip out of both to chase a car. With a silky flowing mane he only has to get his head at a particular angle and he can slip out. And he does it so quickly. I know they were correctly fitted as I fit dog collars and harnesses for my dog club - I've done all the training and fitted hundreds of the darn things on every breed and coat. I still recommend martingales for long coated breeds but for a dog that has a dangerous pass-time like car chasing, or is dog aggressive, I suggest doubling up (harness and collar, head collar and collar)

The only way Deska can safely be around parking lots is in a harness. It has to be properly fitted and tight at the girth. I've recently started making and selling cat harnesses and experimented to see what a cat won't slip out of, so I worked out why Deska doesn't get out of his harness. It's all about leverage. Avoid harnesses with a chest plate or horizontal front strap, or that has the D-ring around the shoulders. Further back the D-ring the harder to get leverage.

Tully doesn't seem to be able to get out of her martingale and I think it has a lot to do with mane fur. She has thick fur at the back of the neck. Deska's is thinner, longer and softer at the back but he has a lot at the front.

If you have a dog with a dangerous past-time it really is worth trying a few options out to find the safest option. But never assume that a martingale is always going to work.
 
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