We nearly lost Poppy...
 

Yesterday while I was at work my Dad took Poppy out for a walk.
They were walking along and Poppy started to get a bit over excited jumping around. Suddenly she jumped into the air and sort of twisted and slipped out of her harness! I have absoloutly NO idea how she got out of it because it fits her perfectly and is not slack at all. The harness fastens with a plastic clip on her back then has two D rings so you clip the lead through both. My dad left the lead exactly how it was when she slipped out of it and it was perfect, I have no idea how she got out.

Once out of the harness she ran and ran, my Dad totally panicked and chased after her. Suddenly a pit bull came round the corner, it didn't chase her but it could have! she started to run towards the road so he shouted at her really loud and she cowered and stopped, it was not a nice thing to have to do but atleast she stopped and he was able to pick her up.
My mum said when he came home he was a nervous wreck, he was shaking and couldn't breathe so had to use his inhaler. He thought she was gone forever.

I have NO idea how she got out of this harness and am frightened to take her out again. This is the style of harness she wears:
Black Nylon Dog Harness by Pets at Home | Pets at Home

I dont know what to do...

Thank goodness your Poppy is ok.

I'm not a fan of these harnesses, they are too similar to a horse halter (I"m an ex horse person) and horses can take those off really easily. I'd look at a harness like this,

Best Pet Supplies Dog Harness in Burning Orange @ pet care live dot com (note I just randomly googled a picture of that harness, I have no idea what this site is about otherwise, they just had a good pic). That's what I use, if it doesn't fit perfectly then they can get out of it, but if it fits perfectly there is no way out of this one because there is fabric holding it in place, whereas a twist could get them out of the nylon one easily because they are so small.

Oh no! How terrifying for you, your dad and poppy. So glad she is ok and your dad was able to catch her

Question, does she chew on that harness? Reason I ask is remy has a similar style, and a puppia style, both of which he chews on and is able to work his way out of. The one I use now is a slightly different style that does farther down his back http://http://www.petsmart.com/produ...ductId=2751348

Thank you, are they similar to the Puppy Angel harnesses? PetzCrazee Pet Boutique Puppy Angel SS2011 Soft Dog Harnesses

The link you included isn't working for me :(
And no she dosn't chew her harness. Do you think the Puppy Angel ones in my link in the above posts are easy to get out of?

Yes, those look just like the one I use.

I will order one for her then, thanks :)
Has your pup ever gotten out of this style of harness?
I have a few other harnesses for her which are thicker like this but they fasten by velcro and not a clip, so I don't like to put all of my trust into them... I would prefer her to wear a clip harness.

Sorry am on my iPad and am not good at the cut and paste function. Will try. Later when am in office. It looks like there is an extra "http" in the link. That may be the issue. Again will repost later when I have a mouse :) also take a look in my albums you can see the harness on remy.

The style of the one you linked to is very similar to the kind remy gets out of.

I didn't notice the extra http sorry, fixed the link now and was able to see the harness. Thanks :)
Is Remy able to riggle out of the Puppy Angel style harness or is it because he chews them?

He never got out of his first one.. when he grew the second one i bought was too big... he did get out of that one, but now I only use that one inside or when he has a jacket on, currently looking for a middle sized one in that style for the summer.

The style I have has a clip and not velcro... i agree I don't trust velcro.

Thanks, I will make sure I find the right size which fits her perfectly before taking her out again. She gave us all such a scare. :(

Dog Harness - Extra Strap
 

Rachael,

First of all, let me empathize with your Dad, I would have just gone nuts, given that I'm not able to keep up with one of mine, if it got loose.

Instead of buying another Harness, you might try this...
Buy a simple soft Collar, which you can adjust to fit
around your Dog's waist, just before it's hips.

Run your existing Leash through it, connect it to the existing
harness, THEN, tie a knot in the leash, where it runs through
the D-Ring of the (extra) strap.

I know that the picture doesn't show your exact harness, but
your existing stuff would be in red, and the new strap/collar
would be in black.

That's a great idea, thanks :) is this what you use for your dogs?

Rachael,

THANK YOU for your very kind words.

But no, this situation has not occurred with one of mine so far ! :rolleyes:

However, I had the opportunity to do this for a friend of mine,
who had a "vigorous" animal such as yours is.
He happened to have a spare collar that wasn't being used
at the time, which we adjusted to fit the Dog's waist.

Though retired now, I've been in Engineering, as a Troubleshooter
for many years, and am used to thinking on my feet ! :D

Thank you :) I will give it a try!

This looks like a step-in. Ellie can't wear them. She can slide her elbows out no matter how tight I think it is. Gave up on them a long time ago.

Lupine Tickled Pink Roman-Style Small Dog Harness
...except I get them from the pet store. They are not fancy and very cheap.

Thank you :)

I have had Shadow slip her front leg out of those harnesses. She never had a chance to wiggle them off completely, but it seems they are harder to tighten in the chest area. I think it's because they are not around the neck, which we don't want anyway.

I am looking for something with smaller armholes myself.

These guys are so wiggly!!

We use Buddy Belts and have not been disappointed Welcome to BUDDY BELT (A Division of Class Art Productions Inc.) and I feel very comfortable and safe with the dogs in these harnesses.

Ok, good - glad you were able to see the image.

He does chew them but it is not the chewing that enables him to get out. When he is chewing, he bends his neck down and gets the harness between his teeth. Once the harness is in his mouth he somehow manages to get the harness over his head and completely off. This escape artist behavior only seems to occur with the step-in style. Both Puppia and one other one I have are step-ins. Our "everyday harness" is now the type I linked to above.

I know.
My mum keeps calling her Houdini :p, she keeps saying "Hey Houdini! why did you want to go live in the wild? there are no treats and toys in the wild!" LOL.

Thanks everyone :)

Wow! Soooo scary! Step-in harnesses never seem to fit Jackson very well either no matter how tight I make them. He has never gotten out YET though. I've had good luck with Puppia, it doesn't seem like he'd ever be able to wiggle his way out of it (it goes over the head and then thru one leg).

Just wanted to say I am SO glad she's ok! Your dad must have been terrified. :( I use a harness like yours and Layla has slipped out of it before but it was just too loose. I thought she\'d be ok if it was on tighter. Scary.

Again I\'m so happy and relieved Poppy is ok!!

Thanks everyone, he keeps telling me what happend over and over I think he is still in shock. I think it is bad enough when you loose your own dog, but when you loose someone elses dog the guilt must be terrible. I keep telling him that it could have happend to any of us and I am just happy that she is okay.

Thank goodness Poppy is OK. Your Dad must have been so scared!

Oh my goodness! That is soooo scary for your little baby. Your dad must have been beside himself. I am so glad that she is ok!!

Thank you

So glad everything ended well! Lucy uses a step-in too - but no scares so far.

These little ones sure know how to give you a good scare! I feel for your dad as I\'m sure he loves Poppy as much as you do. :hug: to you and your dad too.