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aimster22, crcelizabeth, daniellemuppet, malakai, northstargoldens, primek9s, terrence

Wire crate
warning *Please read*
Found [17] Posts :: Page 1 of 1
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Posted: 10:34:20 AM 1/6/2007
I am still shaking as I write this. I never thought this could happen and I am very, very lucky. I have always used plastic crates, but when I got Isis, (Great Dane) due to her size, I decided to get a wire crate. All of the bars have a good amount of width between them except where the doors close. In this crate there are two doors. There is one in the front and one on the side. When I got up earlier this morning and came in to let the dogs outside before feeding I noticed Isis didn't have her collar on. She has a large width leather collar and I couldn't figure out how she got it off. I leave the two finger width between her neck and the collar. I reached in to pick it up and it was still buckled and stuck. She has an id tag on her collar shaped like a bone. Some how the tag had gotten between the small cracks where the side door closes and then turned and wouldn't come out. I had to get in the crate and work to get it out. I don't know how she got that collar off her neck, but I am so greatful. Her city tag and rabies tag are shaped where they would have slid right out. She will be getting a new tag today. She is very big, but still a puppy and still needs to be in the crate when not supervised. I don't know how I will ever manage to sleep again. I guess I'm going to be taking her collar off when she is in the crate. I have never heard of this happening before and wanted to warn everyone. I know a lot of you don't keep collars on your dogs, but it's something I feel strongly about. I am going to have her tattooed also. I have asked my vet previously about getting my dogs microchipped and he told me that while he does it, in our small backwards town most vets, the A/C, and even the humane society don't have the capabilites to search for the chip, so living here it wasn't really worth it. I hope this might prevent a horrible accident for someone else. I will never buy a wire crate again. I am thanking God right now that we were so very lucky!
Posted: 10:40:51 AM 1/6/2007
Thank you for posting this, but I dont think the crate is the problem. Never leave a collar on a dog in any crate! I have heard of pups getting strangled.
Posted: 11:05:20 AM 1/6/2007
I'd like to add to make sure to buy crates that have multiple latches on the doors - and use them. I have a friend who lost her dog because she only closed the top latch and not the bottom one. Her dog pushed his head up against the bottom of the door and it opened a little... he continued pushing until he got his head and front paws out. When she came home she found him stuck with the door closed around his waist. The poor dog had damage to his intestines, his lungs, his stomach... after several surgeries, they deemed it the best thing to do to put him to sleep.
Posted: 11:07:57 AM 1/6/2007
I think that you are blaming the wire crate for the problem, when really the problem is she had a collar on in the crate. You should never have a collar on in any crate, IMHO. Maybe in a cloth crate it's not a deal but in a wire or plsatic crate, never.

Wire crates in general are very safe, and I much prefer them to the plastic ones because htey are more portable, and their open air flow means the dog doesn't feel as 'shut off' from the family when they are in the crate.
Posted: 11:10:13 AM 1/6/2007
wow gina, i am so happy isis was able to get her head out of that collar !!!! we have a strict policy at work that no animal is to wear its collar in the cages or runs, for this very reason. we don't even take owners collars or leashes anymore, but occasionally we have to if someone other then the owner is picking them up, so we had to put this policy in place because it can and does happen.


so glad isis is OK =)
Posted: 11:17:11 AM 1/6/2007
Thank you so much for posting this. I had no clue and their collars will be taken off from now on!
Posted: 11:25:55 AM 1/6/2007
corsomom and minneyar, I am not blaming the crate. I just did not know this could happen and I am hoping that this experience will warn someone else. Like I said, I've never had a wire crate before and was not aware that this was a potential problem.

Scout, thanks for the info.

Wiley, if it helps you then I have done my job. Thank you for replying.

To the poster who mentioned using both latches, that is also great advice. I always use both, but never thought about that happening before.

As far a collars on/off the dogs at home we have had this discussion many, many times over the years. There are people who believe they should be off and there are people who (like myself) have always left them on, just in case they were to somehow get out. That cuts both ways. I can now very clearly see what can happen with the collar on and I will not keep in on while she is crated. However, I will keep it on when she is inside or in the yard, because the risk of her getting loose somehow and not having id isn't one I'm willing to risk. I personally believe that the risk of them getting out is higher than the risk of the collar catching on something when they are loose. They would only be out of the crate if they are being watched.
Posted: 11:27:08 AM 1/6/2007
A collar can get stuck in a plastic crate. It's not the wire one's fault. IU was told when Cider was quite young that tags can get stuck and dog's strangled if you don't take them off.
Posted: 11:28:26 AM 1/6/2007
Yeah thats what we do Gina. When dog is crated, no collar. When they're out and about in the house, or in the yard, we keep the collar on them :)
Posted: 11:35:52 AM 1/6/2007
i just remembered something that happened to my golden mix years ago while in a wire crate. i had put him in his crate and went to work. well apparently he had a fit in the crate and was trying to dig his way out of it. well he loosened one of the wires on the door of the crate and got the webbing in between his toes pinched down in such a way if he pulled his foot out he would have ripped it open. luckily my mom was home and heard him start to scream and she went running in my room and with great difficulty managed to get his paw unstuck. that was the last time he went in a crate. he was so traumatized by it, he was no longer good in a crate.
Posted: 11:36:21 AM 1/6/2007
i didn't know either... i'm so glad i read this. i won't ever put him in the crate with a collar again.
Posted: 2:05:44 AM 1/7/2007
I think it was great you posted about this.

In beagle's puppy class the instructor talked about this very thing happening. She had strongly urged never to crate a dog with the collar on. It is something hubby and I wouldn't have thought of. And now that I think about it in all the puppy books I have read I don't think anything like this was mentioned.

Hopefully some new doggie owners read this and will follow your advise!
Posted: 2:24:29 AM 1/7/2007
my dogs roll naked unless we are going to and fro, or training.
Posted: 2:31:21 AM 1/7/2007
lmao gunny....rolling naked.
Posted: 6:17:42 AM 1/7/2007
Hey gina, haven't heard from you in a while, it'd be lovely to see some pics of Isis! :) I'm sorry you had such a shock, but I agree the crate should not be blamed - you infact have the safest crate there is (wire with two doors & two latches). I have the same one, and I've heard its the best. I also didn't know to take the collar off, hm I learn something new everyday :). Good luck from now on, just be cautious.
Posted: 6:17:47 AM 1/7/2007
Hey gina, haven't heard from you in a while, it'd be lovely to see some pics of Isis! :) I'm sorry you had such a shock, but I agree the crate should not be blamed - you infact have the safest crate there is (wire with two doors & two latches). I have the same one, and I've heard its the best. I also didn't know to take the collar off, hm I learn something new everyday :). Good luck from now on, just be cautious.
Posted: 8:18:47 AM 1/7/2007
Thanks for sharing this information Gina. I have plastic kennels for the little dogs (they don't have collars on in the house anyway), but my son's dog (Pit Bull / Shar Pei mix) has a wire kennel and a collar on.

I never thought anything of it and had always put Kesha into the crate, collar and all. I am so glad that you shared this story, now she will not wear her collar when crated.

Glad to hear that your dog is ok, give her some extra hugs. Again, thank you so much for sharing.

Basset_Lover

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Found [17] Posts :: Page 1 of 1
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