Heart Failure.

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Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 23rd, 2010, 11:49 pm

So much for a nice peaceful unwinding before bed. I have a fenced in yard but it's only a chain link - 4' in most places but like 3 1/2' in others. So I keep Inara tethered via this cable: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3956165 . I think mine is (was?) 30', but definitely for 250 lb dogs. And I would hook it to her car harness, not her collar.

I was getting ready to go to bed and was taking her out for her last pee of the evening. I didn't figure she'd even want to go because it's storming, but I hooked her up into her harness and tether anyway. She was standing on the porch deliberating one second, and the next, she was gone. I'm not sure I've honestly ever seen her move that fast. Something was out in the yard at the back fence I'm assuming. So she's bolting and about 2 seconds later I realize that she hasn't slammed to a stop like she should have. I hear a pop and she's running naked - no car harness, no tether. So I book it into my back yard (in my slippers, through the mud), cheerfully calling her name while wishing for all my might that she doesn't jump the fence, especially because she doesn't have a collar and tags on. She's running back and forth along the back fence line, sniffing the ground. I keep cheerfully calling her and then manage to grab the scruff of her neck. I guide her (cheerfully!) back to the house by the scruff and shove her inside. I go back out to scope out what I can see of the damage and find the main part of her harness, minus those straps that are supposed to keep her safe in a car accident:

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But I don't see the tether. I walk back to the house and see that the tether recoiled all the way back to the house, wrapping itself around a wire as it went. It's hooked to the white pillar you see in the one pic, and has gone around a tree and around a wire.

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I don't know if the tether snapped. I don't know if the straps to her harness are still attached. I can't wait for daylight to go out and really see what happened. All I know is I'm thankful Inara is respectful of barriers and I'm SOOOOO thankful she had on a harness instead of a collar that could have caused serious injury to her neck.

Depending on what's broken, I will be contacting the car harness company and/or the tether company with pictures to show them what a running 46 lb dog did to their equipment.
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby mnp13 » July 24th, 2010, 12:19 am

hmmmmm

I'll have to go look at the other one to see what's missing from that. Did the nylon tear or the stitches?? It will be interesting to see what you find tomorrow.

We'll have to plan a weekend to get your fence to a proper height. :wink:
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Postby Ino » July 24th, 2010, 12:27 am

OMG- that is crazy :shock: !! I am glad she did not jump the fence. I know my landlords PBT mix has broken tie outs (even the thick ones) but that was due to playing tug-o-war with it and fraying the plastic coating and the cable. She spends most of her day tied out and alone so out of boredom, she plays tug with it and has snapped a few. Ino used to chew on his when he was younger but he does not do it anymore is not out long enough to chew through one. I am always around when he is out since we have had our fair share of stray dogs that entered the property I live on. I know a few times Ino did get off of his cable during a pee break when the clip opened up somehow, but thankfully I have always been around and he has a good recall. That harness tearing is a little nerve racking since I will be using one for Ino on our move to Fl. next week...you don't think about things like that happening. Scary stuff!!
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Postby Muttkip » July 24th, 2010, 1:53 am

Hince why I LOVE metal chains and strong, well made, flat collars for tethering. Tethering on a harness can lead to broken shoulders.
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Postby ArtGypsy » July 24th, 2010, 8:01 am

:o :o :o
OH LIZ...............

I know that panicked feeling when the dog gets away for whatever reason and is bounding through the yard. :sad2: :cuss:

At least Your Inara was busy sniffing. With Dar, he can Jump/Climb the 6 foot picket/wire fence and would be GONE.
Dar loves NOTHING MORE IN THIS WORLD than running FREE. >( :nono:

Ya know........I was always pretty skeptical of those harnesses for car accidents. I could see them holding enough in relatively 'small' accidents, but the force of gravity in a car crash?? I mean........Some people COME OUT OF THEIR SHOES for cryin' out loud.
I use one on Dar, too, because it's better than nothing, but still. :?

Well, YEAH for you......And You NEVER KNOW...It may not have been a critter at all. :|
It COULD have been a creepy-pervy-stalker-guy and she saved your life. :mrgreen:
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Anger that things are the way they are.
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 24th, 2010, 8:13 am

Grace, if it was a creepy pervy stalker guy, she didn't save MY life, she saved HIS. :wink: And I'm a bit upset about the car harness - I just can't imagine that Inara, even at a full-out sprint, is stronger than the impact that would occur during a car accident? That being said, I'm going out today to buy her a new harness. Not sure what brand I'll go for. Maybe when I contact Four Paws (the harness company) they'll send me a new one.

Official tally now that I can see what's damaged: the tether is fine, the car harness - FAIL.

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The stitching at the strap/harness juncture tore on three of the arms, and the fourth arm seems to have broken at the plastic buckle part.

Muttkip, you said that harnesses can break shoulders, but I would imagine the bones/muscles/crucial pieces parts are a lot stronger in her shoulders than in her neck? I'm thankful she had the harness on and not a collar...

Michelle - you know how to do fences??? My current landlord said they'd help me put the privacy fence up when the time came, but they did a crappy job on the small portion of privacy fence they put up already.

Miss Thing went out on leash this morning. Now that I have untangled the tether and it is fine, I'll let her back out on that, probably on a harness still.
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby iluvk9 » July 24th, 2010, 8:24 am

:shock: My heart was racing just reading your first post! I am glad she remained on your property and is so well trained!
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 24th, 2010, 8:26 am

Joyce, it wasn't "well-trained" or she would have come to me when I called her! lol
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby PetieMarie22 » July 24th, 2010, 9:31 am

Ahhh! That's crazy! I'd like to know what Four Paws has to say about this malfunction. That could have been a law suite for them.
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Postby madremissy » July 24th, 2010, 9:59 am

:o :o :o
Holy Cow, that harness is toast. I know that you said something about the collar causes neck damage, but I don't trust Kinzyl on her rope with anything but her collar. She has hit the end a few times and she knows how far she can go now. (and so do the rabbits and squirrels :wink: )
I would have been having a heart attack. Whatever was back there probably had a few heart palpatations also. Glad everyone is safe.
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Postby TheRedQueen » July 24th, 2010, 10:38 am

Keep us in the loop with what the company says!
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Postby mnp13 » July 24th, 2010, 12:48 pm

So the stitching failed. Interesting. It's a few years old, I wonder if it's dry rot. I would be surprised if they don't ask you to sent it in to them. I'll have to figure out when I bought it.

And why are you surprised that I know how to do fences? lol

[quote]With Dar, he can Jump/Climb the 6 foot picket/wire fence and would be GONE.[/i]
A two foot tip in at the top will prevent this, and they can be done relatively cheaply and attractively.
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Postby Pit♥bull » July 24th, 2010, 2:27 pm

It could have been the stitch pattern used on the harness, an incorrect pattern will just weaken the webbing.

Compare:
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Postby Hoyden » July 24th, 2010, 2:51 pm

Liz - could you pretty pretty please take pictures of the stitching as well as where it broke with the macro setting on your camera & post them?

I wanna know why that harness broke so I don't make that mistake. Me being me, I'll probably fashion a similar one & have the crazy Rottie who drags section so fence attached to car axles down the street give it a test for me.
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Postby Pit♥bull » July 24th, 2010, 3:23 pm

FYI
A webbing manufacture will have the ISO standards in regards to strength and stitching requirements for each of it's products..
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Postby mnp13 » July 24th, 2010, 3:59 pm

I was thinking about this, and when we were making equipment I learned (the hard way) how not to attach straps. It looks like they sewed the straps into the harness without folding the ends over inside of it, so the stitches were able to pull through the nylon.

Just a guess.

Noel, I'm not going to use the other one like that that I have, so if you want it to pull apart, you can have it. After looking at that, I'm not trusting it again.
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Postby Hoyden » July 24th, 2010, 4:53 pm

mnp13 wrote:I was thinking about this, and when we were making equipment I learned (the hard way) how not to attach straps. It looks like they sewed the straps into the harness without folding the ends over inside of it, so the stitches were able to pull through the nylon.

Just a guess.

Noel, I'm not going to use the other one like that that I have, so if you want it to pull apart, you can have it. After looking at that, I'm not trusting it again.


That would be fabulous. I'll send you one of the new ones I - just finished - designing today to test. I have one on the machine now.

I got my hammers & power cords back. YAY!!!!!
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 24th, 2010, 5:36 pm

I will indeed take macro pictures of the breaks. I haven't emailed Four Paws yet - I started it but I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to say. I don't want them to think I'm angry or trying for a new harness, I just want them to see what happened so they can maybe fix it.

I bought Inara an AWESOME new car harness today. I got her this one: http://www.berganexperience.com/travelharness/index.htm . It came really highly recommended from Pam, the woman who owns the dog boutique I frequent. I like it that it's got the V9-DT safety rating. Pam only had smalls and larges in stock, so she gave me a large to take home and try on Inara. It's for dogs 50-80 lbs so I was afraid it would be way too big since Inara's so lean and tucked. But it fits beautifully! It's REALLY adjustable from smaller to huge, which is awesome, and feels really sturdy. So yeah, I'm happy again. :)
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 24th, 2010, 7:36 pm

Alright, macro pics as requested. I lightened them up so they're easier to see, but I don't know how much it will help.

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Let me know if those work or if you want me to try again. :)
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby Hoyden » July 24th, 2010, 8:50 pm

That is where the webbing was attached to the chest piece of the harness?

If I'm looking at what I think I'm looking at, it doesn't look like the webbing straps were attached tot he chest piece correctly. There should have been about 1" to 1.5" of webbing that extended into the body of the chest piece at each point and that webbing should have been stitched down with a box with and X through it.

It looks like they just stitched the webbing into the seam allowance of the chest piece. That's it.

There is no way that is even remotely safe for restraint in a vehicle in the event of an accident.

If that's the case, I would have be having some words with the manufacturer of that harness.
Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men ~ General George S. Patton, Jr.

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