Hi again, Buddy here. I hope you all took some time to really think about what you’ll do in case of a fire, that is important stuff to think about BEFORE you need that information. Then you can go back to “Being the Dog” as usual. I don’t know about you but I have been loving the cooler weather. I’ve been kind of tearing around a bit and I’m loving the transition to “comfort food” in our house. Can anyone say MAC and CHEESE???? Now we are talkin’ DOG here! Today I want to draw another safety kind of thing to your attention. A few weeks ago, one of my pack members on Facebook: the illustrious Ecco de Oro almost left us way too early due to an accident with his collar of all things. You see, he was playing with his bro and his bro’s tooth got caught in it and he couldn’t get untangled!! Luckily his peeps were close by and they helped. Even they could not undo the mess and had to cut the collar off. Ecco had 2 black eyes, but no permanent damage to his throat. THAT was close my friends! My Mom knows of another story where a dog playing got his collar caught under the refrigerator when trying to get a tennis ball that had rolled under there. He was not so lucky as nobody found him… he did not survive. Both dogs were wearing Martingale Collars. Now these are not bad collars in and of themselves!! They just should not be worn around the house full time like an everyday collar. They have their place in training a dog, but should NEVER be worn for any other purpose ok??? Here’s a picture of what one looks like, I know, this used to be my collar until 2 weeks ago:
So you know my Mom. Ugh. She did research ad nauseum. She loved the idea of break away collars, but I am a pretty RUFF guy and she could, quite honestly, see the collar breaking away more than staying on. More research. We went to a lot of stores, which I liked because you really can snarf up a lot of snacks at grazing level in those stores when nobody is looking, but I digress. So Speaking of Ruff, here’s what she came up with right here in our own back yard (Bend, OR) that is so amazing she wants to tell you all about it.
This is my new collar. Doesn’t look all fancy like some I’ve had right? It’s by Ruff Wear and it has some pretty cool features. Start at the buckle: industrial “Buddyworthy” strength, also heavy weighted which makes a difference later. Come around to where you see the tags, it comes with the black rubber one you see in the middle so my tags don’t jangle around and make a lot of noise. Now look where the thingy (that IS a technical term) to hook the leash onto is… it’s on the TOP!!! What a concept right?? The weight of the buckle is just enough to always keep it at the bottom, which always keeps the thingy at the top. Result? No fishing around under my neck in a panic as I dart out of the car at the dog park to try to hook me up quick. Genius!! Also, the leash doesn’t keep getting tangled in my legs which I really appreciate. One last detail… that stripe is reflective. That’s a lot of thinking packed into one collar isn’t it? I’m tired just thinking about it. If you click on the words “Ruff Wear” above you’ll go right to it and see all the colors. We just think they’re cool, and we like to pass cool along.
Whatever you choose, be safe out there and take care of yourself. Enjoy Being the Dog and truly… enjoy the ride ::
PHM 
We LOVE Ruffwear! Best dog gear out there! Thanks for your great review Buddy. We hadn’t tried this one yet but going to order.
Some other notes on collars 🙂 If you have a dog that you feel needs to have a collar at all times (i.e. an escape artist and/or door dasher), PLEASE make sure that the collar is properly fitted! A properly fitted collar should lay flat against the neck all the way around, it should not be loose and dangling ANYWHERE….if it is dangling, it could catch. Now it shouldn’t be strangling the dog….you should be able to fit a couple fingers under the collar, but there should not be any open space between the neck and collar. Also keep in mind that a leash loop is another thing that can catch! Your safest option for an “everyday” collar is one without a leash loop…you can’t buy them in stores, but you can have them made pretty inexpensively (I’ve had them made by http://www.collarmania.com) and it is one less thing to pose a risk. Keep in mind also that dangling tags can fall off or get caught too…so if a collar is primarily for id, a rivet on or collar tag (www.boomerangtags.com) is more secure and less likely to get caught.
Hope that’s helpful!
Oh also, microchipping is the one form of ID that can’t just fall off…..I wouldn’t rely on it as your only form of ID, but it could be the only thing that could bring your pet back to you if it gets lost!