Recently Toronto enacted a few new laws that canine guardians will want to know about should you be traveling there with your dog.
- "No person shall use a choke collar, choke chain, pronged collar or any similar device at any time on a dog" (this does not apply to martingale collars
)
- "… no person shall keep an animal tethered where a choke collar, choke chain, pronged collar or any similar device forms part of the tether.
- "No person shall tether an animal unsupervised for longer than one hour."
Here's our pal Marley in a nice, wide martingale collar. These are designed for dogs who could pull out of a collar because they have a narrow head. She is also very well trained and walks politely beside us. In this photo, she's watching a squirrel.
Cheers for Toronto!
They are not alone in this action. If you plan to travel this summer with your dog, you should check to see if something still allowed in this area is illegal where you are visiting.
What You May Not Know About Choke/Prong Collars
Think about your dog’s anatomy and important body parts that are just under the skin on their neck. W. Jean Dodds, DVM, one of the leading experts on thyroid disease in dogs says, “The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ just in front of the larynx and trachea, and the mandibular salivary glands are found on the side of the face just below the ears. Thus, they can be easily injured by trauma and sudden pressure forces (like could occur from the slip ring and chain of metal collar, and a metal prong or hard braided leather collar). A harness or ‘gentle leader’ type collar is preferred these days, especially for strong dogs that like to pull and lunge out when on a standard collar and leash.”
Naturally, your leash should be short, strong, and always attached to the dog when you are not in a legal, off-leash recreation space. Since the training goal is to have your dog walk quietly by your side, there is no reason to use dangerous extendable leashes. We avoid walking near anyone who uses one since we’ve seen the damage they can do to dogs and people. Dogs on these devices are uncontrolled and unpredictable.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino except choke collar which is courtesy of Positively.com