So I almost lost Kirby today. What a stressful time! I took him to my old neighborhood to go swimming at the river and he was being exceptionally defiant so after he refused to come twice I finally just leashed him up while I played fetch with Franklin. Well he decided he needed to be off the leash so bolted, hit the end of the leash, spun around and slipped his collar! It was a ninja corgi move and off into the water he went and around a downed tree and up the bank on the other side. I couldn't see the bank from where I was so I called and called and he wouldn't come. So I climbed back up to the trail and walked along the bank calling and calling and calling.....for an hour! I couldn't find him ANYWHERE, he just dissappeared. It was a really busy day on the river so I don't know if he got spooked after he slipped his collar or what but he was gone. After walking up and down the bank for about 1/4 mile in each direction I decided I didn't know what else to do but go back to my car and make some posters. As I was heading back to my car who do I see but Kirby! One of my neighbors had found him and was bringing him over to my car to see if I was there. I was SO RELIEVED! I don't know what caused him to freak out and take off, I don't know if it was the decrease in meds causing him to be bad, just plain stubborness, or fear but I think after the initial spook he realized he didn't know how to get back to where I was so went to the only other place he knew was safe and that was my old house. We went to a friend's house later on in the evening and they have some property and Kirby was not wanting to get out of my sight! If nothing else I think this has taught him to stick close to me because he was more obedient this evening than he has EVER been! I think he's afraid he'll get lost again! Needless to say he is one pooped pup tonight and he will now be wearing a choke chain until he can earn some trust on walks again! I always keep my dogs' collars loose bc neither one has ever tried to slip their collar and Franklin gets really annoyed with a tighter collar, but Kirby will be getting a new martingale collar so this never happens again.
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I'm glad you found him. I would have been crazy anxious if it happened to me. Do you have Kirby microchipped?
Yes he is microchipped luckily. I was so worried because he didn't have his collar on. Luckily my old neighborhood is basically just riverfront and he'd have to try VERY hard to get into the street so I wasn't at all worried about him getting hit. I was really worried that he had some how not made it up the bank and was stuck either IN the river or on a rock or tree somewhere and couldn't get out. It was such an out of nature behavior for either of my dogs I had no idea how to respond to it! The vet I work at is the only 24 hour vet in the area so I knew if anybody found him they would take him their to get scanned and at work they would know he was mine. But still I was so worried he had drowned or something awful like that.
whew..... so glad to hear you guys are safe. Yes, we love the martingale collars :)
You 2 were very lucky:) So glad he went to your old place!!!!!! Martingales are the greatest!
I am so glad you found him again! I am so afraid of losing one of mine that my heart sinks every time anyone posts a story like this.
OMG glad you got him back!
I won't walk Shippo without a martingale collar anymore, because he has spooked in the past and backed out of a regular collar - it happened once next to a busy street! O=
I sure like my modified Martingales. See the collar FAQ.
Glad you're safe, Kirb.
Hey Melissa, I am so glad you were able to find him. It is very unsettling when they are loose. My Kirby recently slipped his collar on a morning walk. I don't even know how it happened--one second, he's walking next to me, the next second, he had discovered his freedom and I was left standing with an empty collar at the end of the leash. I didn't even feel him pull away. The little stinker ran from me, and of course I followed (which I know is the wrong thing to do, but going in the opposite direction seemed even more wrong to me), so he kept running back to his sister and teasing her, and then dashing out of reach again. Meanwhile, I am trudging through my neighbors yards, two excited dogs in tow, yelling for Kirby, at about 6:15 in the morning. I finally made the decision to take the other dogs home and hope for the best that Kirby would be somewhere close to where I last saw him when I got back. He then decided that it was no fun being alone, and he started to follow us. So, as he followed, I then began to run with the other dogs and called to Kirby as he was following us. Luckily, he ran right in to the house with us.
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