Just had the most awful shock ...this afternoon walking my 3 beardies along a busy main road, whist walking past a few local shops I held one of them close as she is a gannet and looks for chips or sweets from children at the local school who drop bits. She had on a hi-craft half check collar which was in good working order ..it just became undone.. not snap wasnt the fastening it was from the part which you can alter the width , because she was hunting for bits on the floor she ran ..right by the main road /crossing thankfully my son was with me and grabbed her  she went in the down..I was really shaken especially as I normally walk them on my own to my families annoyance. The collar is old but not worn as I do check them, keep looking at it really cant figure out what happened will have to get my hubby to take a look when he comes in ..gosh the ear ache I am going to get tonight.
Will have to buy a new collar as I wont be able to trust it now and have decided 2 collars on all of them from now on.

That must have been a heart stopping moment for you Starryeyes. :(  Glad your son was there to grab her.  I had a lead snap once while walking my girls on the street but luckily she just stayed with the others.  I just found myself hanging on to the handle!

I had one of those training leads with the trigger hooks either end. On a walk , one of the trigger pins (don't know what they are called but I'm sure you'll know) came out and the dog got off, that was on a main road as well. It is absolutely heart stopping but apart from getting a little further ahead than the others she stayed put. Shes over excited where other dogs are concerned and would have been across the road had there been a dog there. I test all my leads regularly now and bin them if they are a bit worn.

I had the snap lock give way on my German Shepherd on one occassion. I ended up holding a lead and collar and the dog half way down the street. Normally her recall was not good, still a work in progress but bless she did come straight back to me (breath again). I have only ever used a half check buckle collar since.

Some  years ago whilst taking several dogs into the vet,one pulled back at the gate and slipped her collar,then dived under the parked car,on a busy main road,gave me such a fright.I have never walked a dog on an ordinary collar since.I use stitched round leather choke collars even on the small dogs.After years of grooming and hand stripping,I acquired  arthritic thumbs so fiddling with lead clips  is a problem,but the stiff leather noose is easy to slip on and off,my dogs will lift their heads up for me to lassoo them,which makes doing four at once quick and easy

It is really frightening isn't it - total heart in mouth stuff.  My staffy has broken a couple of collars and one went once when she was grumbling at another dog.  I had to dive on her and use her lead as a noose collar and lead.

My rott boys lead broke the other month and it was a flexi as he was in the park.  There was a staffy giving him the eye and he was trying to bounce up and down to get to it when there was a pop and I realised I was only holding the handle. of the flexi lead.  Inbetween the panicked thoughts I decided to take a chance on shouting on him to wait and he flipping well did!  I was so proud of him that day, the training has not been in vain.

Oh no, what a horrible shock for you, so glad it turned out well.

Years ago I had a dog-agressive dog, my heart stopped as his collar broke as he lunged at a dog, he was muzzled, so no damage done.
That's why I'm extra paranoid with Buster (even though he's friendly), he wears a halti with one lead attatched and a collar with another lead attatched, also a harness with a long-line attatched (saves me carrying the long-line seperate as I usually end up getting tangled in it if it isn't clipped to him), so he has 3 leads on. I don't care how stupid it may look, I know, even if a collar/lead-clasp breaks I have a back-up :)

My girl slipped her collar and the result was hit by a car and broken pelvis :(...
She now wears a half check collar that if pulled tight will not come through her head and harness or headcollar so I have two contact points.
I only have the one dog at the moment but a second one is joining us in the summer... Not quite sure how tangled I will get with with two dogs!

I have definately been traumatised by it all and sometimes when walking her next to a busy road in the dark(it was night time it happened) I have to admit I can get an uneasy feeling... I know it was very bad luck and accident and I have her secured now but my mind plays up as I then think what about if I drop the lead!

what a nightmare. one of the reasons i never take mine near roads!

OMG, that happened to my friend years ago, but her dog actually ran across the road and was killed by a bus, it scares me, we live near a main road and i was just walking back down our drive with our male gsd, his check chain snapped just as we were walking through the gate, phew i was shaking like a leaf.

SAM bit difficult not to go near roads  when live in suburbs of a big city!!

yes, i can imagine.....wasnt suggesting you avoided them....just saying its a reason why i do :)

Is it one of the ones with the end free.  I always undo them and fold them back in and sew them so the end is no longer free, but around the adjuster stem.

These things happen, gosh the ear ache I am going to get tonight so I hope you will not have that happen. It's no-ones fault, thank goodness she did not get to the road, luck was on your side that your son was there so maybe you have someone upstairs looking out for you. You were lucky not unlucky nothing bad happened look at it that way. :-) It's unlikely to ever happen again.

HA HA I know carrington ..what I meant by that comment was I am always being told not to go out alone with the 3 dogs and to wait until OH is home or my son ..they are both at work (OH works shifts which makes it a little easier) I just hate having to wait around until they are 'available ' rather just get out. So was expecting to be moaned at 'what if it happened and I was alone' well I would just have to deal with it!!!

Yes ,I am over it now just sorting out new collars <BG>