Dangerous Harness Malfunction!!!
 

:( After 1 1/2 hours to Phoenix for house hunting, some romping time in the grass and 1 1/2 back DH decided to get a pizza for dinner, no problem. As he went into pizza place, Bud and I got out to stretch our legs but Bud wanted his DADDY! This is in a grocery shopping strip mall..........Bud decided to take off with me on the leash end......I don't know how it happened but his whole harness came off like a well stretchout/wornout bra.....and here I am in my mid 60's, fat, running after him yelling his name.:p
Well, the little toot ran past the pizza door, past the coin op laundry door, which was open, and around the corner. A younger woman came out following behind me. Meanwhile Buddybear ran to the end of the building where a young man was smoking something, I'm not sure what, did a U-turn, back towards me, then past me and around the post/column doing another Uturn, me calling him all the while. He slowed down to investigate the woman near me as I called his name he took the two steps to me and I snatched him up!:confuse2::animal37 I gave my thanks to the woman and promptly walked back to the pizza joint. DH saw me and came outside to help me readjust the harness, which I happened to tighten up before we even left the house today.
Needless to say that one harness is going into the Trash and I will be shopping for a Buddy Belt online. I do have two others, but one is mesh and fits over his head and covers us his collar so I don't know how comfortable it is.
Has anyone's Yorkie ever escaped from their Buddy Belt harness???? I am truly looking for an escape proof one.
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful he did not run out in the traffic. Determined little monsters. Why don't they know Momma knows best.

No, but, I went to the Bark Avenue to pick Chewie up some lamb Fromms recipe, and to try out lamb ears and those Wiley's clucks. Any way, I saw harnesses that looked intriguing. I'm sure you go to this place as it's the ONLY place in the Valley that can sell Fromms. If you haven't it's off of Mckellips and N. Lindsay. I was going to order another one from a member here, but, I was going to check these out first.

Oh my gosh, thank all you were able to catch the little escape artist! How scary. I woulda died.

I have BB's for all of my kiddos and nope, they've never slipped out. You probably know this - but our member "Maximo" sells BB's and she is wonderful and super helpful if you have questions about the BB.

Thanks for the heads-up on checking the harness. Really enjoyed your narrative - VERY entertaining! :D

My Gidget is a 3 1/5 pounder but can run like the wind. She has a Puppia harness that is wonderful. Even if the part under her little belly becomes unhooked, I still have full control of her. The part where the leash clips onto an o-ring is attached to the harness itself. The part that goes on over her head is not something she can just "slip out of". It's a very comfortable harness we've had almost from the day I picked her up from the breeder. Am considering getting her a buddy belt simply because it's smaller and won't cover up as much of her pretty dresses she wears when we go some place special.

I'm very pleased with the buddy belt for this very reason. I think there's no escaping and there's ease of putting it on to ensure that is the case. Its comfortable enough to keep on for extended periods. I would say that its surely an investment since they can be pricey and they are addicting as you may want to keep getting different colors but I'm very happy with the product.

Happy everything turned out okay for your little escape artist.

How scary. That is like my worst fear. We use the buddy belts though and have never had any issues with the buddy belt and one of mine is a big puller.

You guys have sold me! Where can I buy a Buddy Belt?

I have all ChokeFree (brand name) and love them. They are attractive and same quality of buddybelts.

That is so scary!!! I'm glad you were able to catch that little stinker. I bet he thought that was all sorts of fun.

I highly recommend the BB. Kaji pulls when on the leash sometimes, mostly due to fear. Our BB's have put ip eith almost 6 years of him pulling. They still look great, and are still super secure.

Maximo is just awesome at answering questions, and has BB's available on her site. We got a KB Alexa not too long ago. She really is the sweetest.

I looked up Maximo in the members and her store is w.Fields on line.

I'm going shopping.

Let me know? I wanted to purchase from her originally so I was so hoping I Had info on the buddy belts in that store. Chewie is in need of one within the month.

5 yorkies and a half dozen other breeds and thank god not a one ever got out of their harness. What a scare that was, been there a time or two, thank god you caught that lil rascal, I can just imagine your HORROR when he got loose. I had a 10 month old puppy, not a tiny appox. 6 lbs when she got out of her pen at a campground and headed for the woods, that girl ran like the wind I swear I heard her singing "Born Free" as she jumped over fallen tress with me behind her crying and calling and calling her name, I picked up a small branch caught her attention told her to go fetch and threw it to the side of me, as she passed me to get the twig I SNATCHED her up. I thought I had lost her forever, so I know just how you felt when Buddybear got out of his harness, they for sure keep the blood pumping in our veins.

We have a member who own's W. Field's Dog Boutique: Designer Dog Clothes and Accessories

Do you know the web address? I'd be interested in checking them out.

We have 3 BBs. One was bought used on ebay, the other two are from Maximo/W. Fields. They are all great, and have gotten wet multiple times and still perfect. No one has gotten out of a BB. Really they make them so well that the only reason you would need to get another is if you bought when they were still growing/grew out of, you lost it, or you just want all the colors!

ETA: I'd be interested to know the brand of harness Buddy got out of.

Thank you all for the BB recommendations. I ordered a BB2 on line....its the fake leather one in red. It should be here Wednesday as I got 2 day shipping.:D

The one he escaped from was from the dollar store where the piece between the top + bottom horizontal rows slides inbetween the leg holes, which is great for getting him into it but apparently it slid so far one way his whole leg/shoulder escaped and off he ran.

It was a terrifying experience. So much for not doing research which would have been totally my fault if he had been injured or killed. The only reason he will survive my stupid mistakes is because God protects his own. I've never had a little dog before and didn't realize they are faster than a speeding bullet!!!

I hope my mistake saves someone from making the same mistake and puts their babies at risk.

Buddy Belt all the way. My little boy takes off faster than a tornado. He's never without a leash. He's stubborn & and will pull & try to run where he wants to go. BB is very well made, very sturdy but comfortable. Highly recommend Kristin web site.

Yeah there are certain things I won't buy from the dollar store, as much as I LOVE the dollar store! Never anything that my dogs will eat, or anything for their safety, like the harnesses. I did buy potty pads, but they only have 4 per pack and I can find them cheaper than $0.25 each if I buy them in a larger quantity.

Little dogs are fast! One of my former fosters Lily got out twice in the MONTH I had her. She was crazy. Always scared and lightening quick. My brother said "You can't catch up with a little dog?" No! You can't! They are so fast! We had to wait until she got tired and we were able to get her then. Luckily she was being protected as well bc she went in and out of traffic several times. :eek: Closest I ever came to having a heart attack. I almost passed out.

Oh how scary! I appreciate your words of caution and am glad to hear you have a nice new BB on the way.

That was definitely scary......so glad the little stinker is okay.

My biggest fear has always been those retractable leashes. Because Duchess has a tendency to pull when she see's other dogs I was always fearful that the leash would break so I switched to the normal leashes. Those retractable leashes had to many points of failure for me.

I've tried to teach Duch not to pull when go for walks and she does fairly well but when she sees another dog, she goes crazy. So to be of the safe side I switched and it so much better. I can control her better than with the retractable leashes and I actually think it is working, she doesn't seem to be going bat sh*t crazy when she sees other dogs as much.

BB Arrived
 

Just got his BB in the mail and put it on him. He looks so cute in the red with his black hair. It's way more substantial than I expected and I don't see anyway he can escape from it. :D
We took a test drive with it in the front yard and all went well:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
I think I got the perfect size, 3.5, it fits in the center hole with 2 fingers under for breathing room. I hope it's not too hot for Arizona weather but he won't be in it all the time.
I changed my signature from a cute little Yorkie picture to the one running......this is hopefully the last time he gets loose.

Retractables do have a learning curve and they def aren't for everyone. Uni is a puller also, and she screams bloody murder on a regular leash, so a retractable works for us. You do have to keep alert all the time bc you need time to reel them in if you see something coming up. I also only use Flexi retractables, they are made in Germany. I wouldn't trust one by a no name brand or one made in China.

It's hot here in Vegas too and no problem with the BB. It doesn't really cover much, but then again the BB2 is faux leather, so it doesn't breathe like real leather. Anyway, I think it will be fine. Sounds like it fits perfectly too, so when it gets cold in the winter there will still be room for a sweater. :)

I was totally surprised that the BB was designed by a Canadian ( way to go Canada) for some reason I thought our YT member made and sold them, silly me.
:p:p:p Where I got that idea heaven only knows.
However I never expected them to be made in China. It is well made though.

Most important thing is he can't get it off.:thumbup:

I do not have the coordination to operate a retractable leash. :D I can drive stick shift, but can't do the leash thing.

I agree with you that Flexi is the best brand of retractables for quality.

Security is one of my favorite qualities too. Even when Teddy was a pup and we thought he was double jointed, he couldn't escape the Buddy Belt.

The leather Buddy Belts are still handcrafted in Canada, and the synthetic BB2 is made in China. I agree, great design! The Dachshund who inspired his mom to design the harness was named Buddy too. :)

I agree- I love my Flexi's in appropriate situations. I do prefer a regular leash if we are going to be in a city or any type of crowd. But the Flexi is a god send for camping, hiking/trail walks where it's not very crowded but a long leash (like our 50ft long line) would be too cumbersome. Also late night potty breaks, we live on 4 acres unfenced and I won't let him outside at night w/o a leash on. I prefer the "tape" kind in public vs. the wire one. But at home we use a 26ft retractable Flexi that is wire.

To the OP- so so scary!! Always my biggest fear. I've worked on recall a lot with Jackson so he comes usually when he hears "here" in a high pitched voice as he knows a treat is coming. However - if there were a squirrel or something more interesting to him, no telling what he'll do.

The Buddy Belts are very high quality. And Kristin is awesome. So glad you got yourself a harness of good quality. Post a picture of your little man in it! :)

LoL you should have seen me when I was dog sitting 2 other yorkies. I was walking 4 dogs on flexi's. THAT was a challenge. I did get the hang but it wasn't enjoyable at all lol.

I'd have Jackson and Lola's in one hand and the 2 little yorkies in the other. I may or may not have dropped the handle a few times.

Luckily it was just in my own backyard which is 4 acres so not much to get into.