Your story reminds me of several things for everyone to be aware of:
NEVER leave a choke/slip collar on a dog unattended: the loop can slip between boards on a deck or hook on a tree branch and the dog will strangle. Also, don't assume your dog has "common sense".
When my Border Collie (extremely smart) was 6 months old, he was curious as to what was on the other side of a solid fence on the deck of my office, so he stood on a chair. Still unable to see over, he jumped, only to discover my office is on the third floor! He screamed all the way down (about equal to the 2nd cross-bar on a telephone pole).
He was very lucky: we were 10 minutes from one of the finest animal emergency hospitals. He got away with a broken left rear leg, right collar bone, torn spleen (now gone), and torn liver (healed). When we arrived, he was going into shock. 4 transfusions. Doctor said he had 85% chance of NOT making it through the night.
He's healed from the fall, but still has a plate in the leg. Limps slightly. We call him our four-digit dog. That's $$$ not fingers. With the other trouble he has gotten into, he is fast approaching $5000! |
