Author Topic: Collars On? Or Off?  (Read 7293 times)

Offline GrumpyBunny

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Collars On? Or Off?
« on: October 26, 2005, 05:00:53 am »
So, something that happened last night made me think of this...  Do you leave your dogs collars (with ID tags, etc.) on all the time? 

Let me explain...

We had a "found" doggy at our house last night.  Scott was returning from getting a haircut before work yesterday, and came across a dog running thru the yards along a busy street in our neighborhood.  He was able to get the dog into the car and bring it back to our house so that he could try to contact the owner.  The dog was wearing a collar with a license on it, but no other identification .  We were able to call Animal Control and get a phone number for the owner based on the license tag... 

And that got me thinking - do your dogs normally have their collars on all the time? 

Right now, our dogs like to be naked unless they are actually going for a walk or somewhere else outside the house.  When Scott and I are both not at home, they stay inside the well-secured house, and we have never really felt like they needed to wear their collars just to hang around and chill.  We take every precaution to insure that they will be safe and never "get out"...  But last night I was thinking WHAT IF... 

What if someone broke into the house and the dogs escaped?  What if a water line broke and a neighbor busted into the house to try to fix it (this actually just happened in our neighborhood) and the dogs got out?  Just... WHAT IF?  They wouldn't have their collars on, and they wouldn't be identifiable until someone actually scanned their microchips.  Plus are people more likely to try to pull over and help a dog that they see has a collar and tags on, than they are a dog that looks "stray"?  So now I feel like we need to leave their collars on all the time, just in case...

What do you guys think?  Are your dogs always "dressed" and carrying some form of ID? 

(BTW - the lost doggy did get home.  His name was Roper and he was a Dobie mix.  We left a million messages on his owners machine, and finally called Animal Control back and finagled an address out of them.  Scott went by with Roper, while I stayed home with our guys (who were totally freaked out that they might be getting a new brother, and who is that, and why is he in the back yard, and why can't we play with him or (in Ranger's case) pretend we want to play with him and then try to kill him?).  A neighbor told him that Roper gets out pretty often.  His owner is an older lady, and this time while she was trying to round him up, she fell and hurt herself badly enough to need a trip to the hospital.  Roper was put into his backyard (with a doggy door into his house), to wait for his owner to come back that night.  When the neighbor picked the owner up at the hospital, they swung by PetCo to thank Scott for rescuing Roper.  Scott said the poor lady's face was all beat up and bruised from her fall....   :()
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Offline Anky

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2005, 05:11:27 am »
My puppies always have their collars on.  I get alot of people who say that they shouldn't, because they'll catch on something or on one of the other dog's mouths or something wehn they play, but to me, there's more of a liklihood that they'll get lost then caught during some freak accident.
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GR8DAME

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2005, 05:27:47 am »
Mine always have collars on, either rolled leather or nylon quick release. They only go naked at bathtime until they dry.
Stella

Offline Heighway

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2005, 06:04:46 am »
I like naked myself.  Webster only wears his collar if he is on a leash.  But, I was thinking about microchipping.  He is getting neutered in a few weeks and I would have it done then.   Whats the going opinion on microchips?
Karen

Offline tonyc

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2005, 06:15:09 am »
the nylon w/ quick release buckles can't hold nikki. she destroys it. i dunno how.. so the PO finally got a hold of a permanent nylon collar w/ a loop-fastener.

w/ cody... since he has SOO many tags, we like to let him roam w/o his collar like a "WILD ANIMAL" (quoting my gf).

Offline DixieSugarBear

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2005, 06:52:05 am »
Sugar Bear and Dixie Darlin are both microchiped and have their collars on 24/7. 
Lisa, owned by the following:
Sugar Bear - Great Pyrenees 4.5 yr.
Dixie Darlin - Great Pyrenees 4 yr.
Penny Lane - Great Pyrenees 2.5 yr.
Beauman - Great Pyrenees 14 months
Izzy - Great Pyrenees 14 month
Rosie - Great Pyrenees (at the bridge)

Blair

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2005, 07:57:05 am »
My boys only have them on when we are away from home, other then that they are naked LOL :P

Icerotti

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2005, 08:25:59 am »
Microchipped and collars on all the time. Farley is a door bolter at times still ::) Puck--I think if he were to get loose someone is more likely to pick him up if he has a collar on.

Puck did get out once. My husband left the gate open---he came to the front door and sat there waiting for someone to let him in...smart boy.  Thank god he did though ;)

Offline Tulsas' Dad

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2005, 08:26:44 am »
Tulsa wears a prong collar when she's out and about, with the proper documentation.
When she's 'In the House'. I take it off. She sometimes 'argues' with me when I attempt to put it back on her, and I put her in a 'Sit, Stay', and it happens! And sometmes she resists.
She's staring at me right now!
I thnk she knows that I am talking about her!
J
The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies, is Lunch.--Michael Friedman

Offline pitas

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2005, 09:01:18 am »
Hi everyone!

Our pups are micro-chipped and collars are off in the house.  They wrestle usually 2 at a time, sometimes it's a total melee and all 3 are getting crazy so I have heard of stories where dogs get caught on collars while playing.  Outside on walks Maddie girl is great off leash and the Big Klondike is pretty good too.  Puppy Kelso is on a leash and collar outside.  We are fortunate enough to have a fenced yard, so when they are in the yard, collars off.  They don't like to be away from their people anyway, so they are usually up somebody's butt close by. 

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Offline ZooCrew

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2005, 09:17:28 am »
Microchipped and collars on 24/, only coming off for baths.

I too am a huge worry wart and worry that when they are outside playing (I let them out for about 10 mintues at a time) that someone will open the gate and let them loose. 
Keiko looks better w/o her collar, b/c it has left a permanent groove in her hair, and under her chin he collar has left her hair looking gray.

But I always know where they are in the house b/c of their tags.  I know exactly when Gunther is getting himself into trouble.  ;)

Offline shangrila

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #11 on: October 26, 2005, 09:58:14 am »
Zoey is microchipped and wears tags at all times. She wears a plain flat collar nice and loose for comfort, with her id tag, rabies tag, license, and the tag the microchip people gave us. That way, god forbid she ever gets out unexpectedly people will know she is my baby. We use a seperate pinch collar for walks.

Oh, for everyone who doesn't like the 'jingling', there is a little tag holder you can buy called 'the quiet spot'. You just velcro it around the tags, and you will never hear the tags, but you can take the velcro off to see what the tag says. Zoey used to wear one, but now all her tags but one are plastic so we don't have to worry about jingling.
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Offline DixieSugarBear

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #12 on: October 26, 2005, 11:34:56 am »
Rosie use to hate it when I would take her collar off after she had been the lake or when I would take it off for a bath.  I would lay it on the table to dry and she would just keep smelling of it until I would put it back on then she was a happy girl.  It was like Mommy that is mine I want it on.  I keep one of her old collars in my nightstand.  She was put to rest in her pink collar with her tags.

Lisa
Lisa, owned by the following:
Sugar Bear - Great Pyrenees 4.5 yr.
Dixie Darlin - Great Pyrenees 4 yr.
Penny Lane - Great Pyrenees 2.5 yr.
Beauman - Great Pyrenees 14 months
Izzy - Great Pyrenees 14 month
Rosie - Great Pyrenees (at the bridge)

Offline The Brindle Pack

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #13 on: October 26, 2005, 11:56:47 am »
My pack are all microchipped and nekkid except when we leave the house/yard.

Cindy

Gypsy Jazmine

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Re: Collars On? Or Off?
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2005, 12:05:04 pm »
Sammy & Pippin are both microchipped & wear their collars on walks or whenever we leave the back yard for any reason...In the house & fenced in back yard (where they are NEVER unsupervised & we have locks on all gates) they get to go naked...& I am still uncertain whether or not they should wear collars (with all their tags) in the fenced in back yard because they could possibly jump the fence or someone could take them...or not...lol!