h a l f b a k e r yWarm and Fussy
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Apparently, it's not uncommon for animal control
officers to raid a place and find dogs who's collars have
become embedded because they were placed on the
dogs as puppies and the owners just... I don't know,
forgot? to loosen them or replace them with a larger
collar.
So I propose a new
type
of collar that detects tension
for prolonged periods of time (say, a constant pull for
3 days), and sends out an emergency signal to local law
enforcement with its GPS coordinates.
The service needn't cost anything. Even basic
cellphones will let you make emergency calls without
an active SIM inserted, and the GPS could be linked
with a free service like Google Maps or Google Earth.
[link]
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If an owner forgets to change or loosen the collar, would he remember to replace the battery? Of course it needn't broadcast all the time, just when it is triggered by too much tension... I can imagine a lot of false alarms though, when the pet is scratching at a flea or gets the collar hung on something.
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Every owner should get a breakaway collar though, one that has a release catch that parts under a lot of pressure, for just the problem you mentioned. |
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A movement charged battery or capacitor would prevent the need for recharging.
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And a three day requirement would minimize the number of false alarms. |
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How did I miss that part? My only defense is I just got up... sorry.
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Bun for something that should be mandatory, because a lot of people who own pets don't even think about their comfort, much less their safety. |
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Almost all nylon-web collars sold today have break-away
clasps, as do a small number of choker designs
(predominantly non-chain chokers).
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I've seen almost every type of collar-related injury, and all
are tragic. I've heard both sides of the clasp vs. choker
argument, and both have valid points. The sad truth is that
animal neglect cannot be prevented by any product.
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// The service needn't cost anything. //
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Except for the additional cost to law enforcement agencies
to integrate the system into their dispatch protocols and
make the extra responce calls. I suppose that tab could be
picked up by the fines imposed in animal cruelty
prosecution.
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Thanks for trying though. Your bun's in the right place. [+] |
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//Almost all nylon-web collars sold today have
break-away clasps//
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I've seen those myself, but break-away clasps cause
their own problems. My pet, Boba (a Greater Swiss
Mountain Dog), sometimes strains very hard at the
leash while on walks, and I need to be able to
control him until he learns to behave appropriately.
He's had several near-misses with traffic thanks to
those cheap plastic clasps giving out. What good is a
collar that can't do it's job effectively? That said,
there is a good compromise between break-away
clasps and chokers: heavy-duty clasps that neither
choke the animal nor give way under pressure.
That's the kind I use on Boba. It doesn't choke him,
but it does allow me to stand my ground and restrain
him when the situation arises. |
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I'd reccomend a 'German choker', especially for a large
breed like that. They may look like a mideival torture
device, but they're actually much less painful than a
standard choker. The prongs only apply pressure when the
dog pulls, and they never actually cut off air or blood flow,
nor will a properly-fitted German collar do the dog any
harm at all, because the design limits the constriction. I
sometimes put one around my own neck to demonstrate
this to people weighing the pros and cons of different
collars. |
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//I sometimes put one around my own neck//.
Photographic evidence please. |
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Sadly, I cannot allow myself to be photographed, so your
imagination will have to suffice. |
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What looks like a medieval torture device usually is.
I
expect you're referring to what is commonly known
as
a 'Pinch' collar, and from what I've seen
demonstrated,
they are quite cruel, indeed. One trainer even said
he's seen puncture wounds on dogs who's pinch
collars
weren't fitted absolutely perfectly. No, thank you.
I'd
rather use a shock collar if I'm going to go that
route. I
don't mind having to apply my own strength to
restrain
my dog, I just need a collar that won't choke him
and
won't break, and I have one of those. |
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I have to go with 21 Quest on this one. I'd never put something like that on my dog.
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But normally I'd never agree with someone with numerals in his name. ^.^ |
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A German is also called a pinch collar, yes. I agree that
they look drastic and painful, but most dogs respond to
them long before the point where they cause pain. As I
mentioned, I've put them on myself to dispel the negative
image. Fit is very important, and I've seen those punctures,
too. We don't sell them to just anybody, and we make sure
every collar is properly fitted. Then again, we're not
running a pet store, so we can afford to have high
standards.
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Ultimately, it's up to you to decide what's best, of course,
and it sounds like you've made a well-informed decision. |
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// normally I'd never agree with someone with numerals in his name. //
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<Makes note to schedule [Psalm_97] for a course of intensive "re-education"> |
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