by amazincc » November 29th, 2009, 12:59 pm
First off... both dogs are FINE.
We went out to potty very late last night, and when we got back the boys had one of their typical short wrestling session while I was closing the door, hanging up leashes, etc.
Then I heard screaming... and not just the kind that sometimes happens w/rough play, but really panicked screaming, and from both of them. Ran in the spare bedroom (where the crates are), and saw the dogs both in the same crate tangled up somehow, trying to pull away from each other, and screaming their heads of.
Apparently Sepp managed to grab Faust by the collar, and somehow looped part of it around his bottom front tooth... and the harder he tried to pull free, the tighter the collar got around Fausts neck.
Faust wears a hemp martingale-style collar, because none of the hardware touches his skin and the hemp doesn't irritate his neck... it also doesn't have a release buckle and just slides over his head.
So, not only were they in a panic about being wedged in the crate together (bulging eyes and all), but the more they tried to pull apart, the tighter the collar got and Faust literally couldn't breathe.
I grabbed both tails, pulled them out of the crate, sat on Sepp while trying to keep Faust still, all the while swearing like a sailor... stuck my hand in the middle of all those teeth, and somehow managed to unloop the collar from Sepps mouth.
Faust immediately went to the bathroom all over the carpet, and all three of us were SHAKING... God, I hadn't been this scared in ages.
I immediately removed the collars and checked Fausts neck and throat... no swelling, and he seemed to be able to breathe okay. The hemp collar - very twisted, but didn't come apart anywhere and could've killed him. Both have some scratches over their eyes and Sepps mouth was bleeding a little bit, but it's minor stuff.
To their great credit - neither dog tried to bite me, though I fully expected it (and didn't care at the time), and they both started checking each other out w/lots of sniffing and licking, tails wagging.
They both curled up in the same bed afterwards and Faust hyperventilated a few times, but he has stopped by now.
I had heart palpatations for the rest of the night, I think... if this had happened in the yard it would've been impossible to get them apart quickly, and I'm glad they got themselves "stuck" in the crate at least, so I had better/faster access to them.
Lesson learned - remove collars AND leashes at the same time from now on. Only use the martingale on walks, and find a different "house" collar w/a release buckle. Don't swear in front of the children (I think I heard Faust repeat "&*^%$#" this morning).
Those dogs are gonna be the death of me.