Dog lovers and guardians commonly collar community canines as a mark of belonging and ownership. These dogs are fed everyday and well-taken care of by the residents. This practical and winning arrangement works very well, as long as guardians stick around to keep a watchful eye on their wards.
In the first week of March 2017 alone, Team CUPA rescued two cases of dogs reported with serious neck injuries caused by suffocatingly-tight collars. These collars are purchased and put on these dogs by well-meaning animal lovers, who make the mistake of collaring young dogs who are still growing. Over time the puppies grow in size and without anyone to loosen their collar for them, the fabric becomes so tight that it digs into the skin underneath. This is when the protective collar turns into a death trap, injuring and choking these helpless beings.
A lot of us put a collar on a stray puppy thinking it will keep him or her safe and prevent harm towards them, but as you can see, quite the opposite happens over time. It is extremely painful and eventually life threatening, preventing the dogs from eating, drinking and even resting comfortably. The open flesh wound caused by the tight collar starts to rot and give off a very foul, unbearable odor. In some cases if dogs are timid or difficult to catch, they die a slow and painful death.
If you ever cross paths with a young indie dog wearing a make shift collar (rope) or a tight collar, please take it off before it becomes too tight! If you notice an animal that has severely outgrown their collar, you could report the same to CUPA along with an accurate description of the dog and exact location.
And finally, applying the same logic to our dear pets, we discourage the use of choke collars and would strongly recommend all pet parents to switch to body harnesses instead. The objective of training and controlling your dog is achieved in a much better manner with the harness anyway! You wouldn’t want to wear a choke collar around your neck for even a minute, and your dog feels the same way too.
~ article contributed by CUPA volunteer Ms. Shreya Bhardwaj