i saw this on craigslist, and thought some of you may have heard of this.
Reply to: comm-241575311@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-11-29, 11:26AM EST
Yesterday my wife and I came home and found our 7 month old mastiff dead. Our other dog was lying beside her, licking her face. We knew something wasn't right when we open the door to the back yard and called for them and they didn't come running. I went to get them and in the dark shadows I saw my baby lying in a very unnatural position with her buddy right next to her. I tried to think of a story to tell my wife so I wouldn't have to break her heart, but I couldn't come up with one. I told her Roxy was dead. Then I began the process of determining what happened. How could this have happened? She was a healthy happy baby girl, full of life, such a giver of joy.
I tried my best to remain calm and search for a reason that this happened. I had to get my neighbor to help me. It appears that she was strangled by her collar. It had been pulled so tight, with such great resistance that it ripped in half. Both of our dogs wear the "petsafe" invisible fence collars. On these collars is a small black box with two small prongs that protrude about 1/2 inch. The prongs are not sharp but rounded. When we removed Roxy's collar, the prongs were punctured into her neck. There was a good amount of blood. Our other dog had blood all over her neck and face but no wounds. I believe what happened was that Hurley's box became tangled in Roxy's collar and as the two of them pulled and struggled to free themselves, Roxy's collar tighten’d up so tight that it forced the prongs into her neck. I think Hurley continued to pull away and probably dragged Roxy around a little while, creating so much tension that the collar ripped in half on the buckle. It is so brutal to imagine this occurring but I cannot see another way this happened. I am a trained investigator and like to think that I am fairly decent at putting things together. With the way the collar was and the marks it has on it, I feel certain this is what happened.
I would like to know if anyone has ever heard of this happening. I have heard of the collars malfunctioning and burning the dog but Roxy definitely was not burned by the prongs. The Vet looked at her and did not find any evidence of teeth puncture wounds so I know Hurley didn't fight her and do it on purpose.
My wife and I do not want comments on what we "could have" or "should have" done, we are emotionally drained. Believe me, we can't stop thinking about the "what ifs". The hardest thing I have ever had to do is see the pain in my wife’s eyes when I told her the news so please keep the bashing to you.
We would however, like to hear if this has happened before. We would also like to caution others who may have two or more dogs wearing those little boxes. It is possible for them to become tangled together.
Thanks for listening.
