this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026

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isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca

isVeryLoud@lemmy.world

Every time ❤️ (startrek.website)

submitted 6 months ago by IcedRaktajino@startrek.website to c/dogs@lemmy.world

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Inspired by, and borrowing the graphic from, an earlier post from @LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 months ago (58 children)

Who takes their dogs collar off? If they get out, their location and everything is right on it.

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[–] boletus@sh.itjust.works 24 points 6 months ago (6 children)

Do you guys really not take your dog's collar off? Is this an across the pond thing? In Australia most people I know don't leave their dog collars on when they're at home. If somehow your dog got out, other people usually call animal services. Dogs are microchipped, vets can scan it and you can do it yourself with your phone on the newer ones.

My dogs are a lot more comfortable with their collars off at home. If I forget to take it off they refuse to nap or try to grab at it with their paws.

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[+] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -7 points 6 months ago (5 children)

That just sounds like you have an uncomfortable one and maybe aren’t used to it. My dogs feel naked without it, same way I do without underwear on.

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[–] boletus@sh.itjust.works 13 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Probably just a habit thing. Guessing they just think something is wrong cos we haven't taken the collar off yet.

Also nothing wrong with freeballing it at home.

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[+] imdoneinteracting@sh.itjust.works 11 points 6 months ago (2 children)

[deleted]

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[–] Forester@pawb.social 4 points 6 months ago

Weird I only wear one at home

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[–] nocturne@slrpnk.net 2 points 6 months ago

I took my dog's collar off back in '19 and have not seen it since. She wears her harness when we are out of the house. She is chipped, has a GPS tracker on her harness, as well as an airtag inside of her harness.

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[–] moonshadow@slrpnk.net 2 points 6 months ago

Who doesn't take their underwear off? Always for love, never from fear man

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[–] IcedRaktajino@startrek.website [S] 22 points 6 months ago* (30 children)

Lots of people. We're a "no shoes, no collar" house.

Both dogs are trained to not bolt out the door when it opens, and I've got a fenced yard.

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 9 points 6 months ago (9 children)

Yo these people are weirdos for putting you on blast for no reason. I also take my dog's harness off inside the house. If I leave it on him his fur gets matted to heck, and if it's any looser he can slip out. Let these pearl-clutching "won't anyone think of the puppies" people live in their own little fantasy world of escape artist dogs and dog stealing burglars. You don't gotta justify yourself.

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[+] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -8 points 6 months ago (8 children)

Being irresponsible is perfectly valid for calling someone out.

I would do the same if you don’t have an extinguisher in your house, or didn’t have car insurance.

It’s the most basic thing you can do to be a responsible pet owner.

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[–] teft@piefed.social 12 points 6 months ago (1 child)

Training your dog to act properly is the most basic thing.

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works 1 point 6 months ago*

You can have the best trained dog in the world, it’s still going to misbehave once in a while.

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[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (5 children)

You could just train your dog to not run away from home, I'd call that the most basic thing you can do as a responsible pet owner.

Also not everyone lives in a house. If my dog "slips out", hes got nowhere to go except an apartment hallway. That's well worth not having matted fur around his neck.

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -3 points 6 months ago* (4 children)

Even the best trained dog can make mistakes. That’s why you have a collar on them.

So once the dog gets into the hallway, there obviously no other doors that lead outside they could get through eh? People prop doors open illegally all the time, if you think that’s a valid reason for being irresponsible… yeah you’re part of the problem lol.

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[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 months ago* (3 children)

Unless my dog has magically learned to open doors or use an elevator to get down 5 floors, no there aren't. He also has absolutely no desire to leave or explore without me.

I'm guessing you have a small dog? Maybe one with a lot of wanderlust?

My 80 pounds of fluff isn't sneaking anywhere.

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -2 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

Your building has staircases, that’s one propped open door, and then a crash bar at the bottom of the staircase to get outside.

Nope, have got a 130# teddy bear and another 80# myself.

You have way too big of a dog for a condo type building, that’s a different issue entirely.

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 months ago

Lol, you're so desperate for your narrative to fit.

I also live in a condo. Something like 80% of the people in my building are pet owners, and pretty much everyone is a friend to animals. We don't leave doors propped open. There is the slightest of chances that all three doors between my dog and the outside fail, nobody is around to stop him, and he suddenly develops a lust for adventure. That, however, is an incredibly unreasonable situation. If I was worried about something that unlikely then I would probably also have agoraphobia or something. There's no way on earth I'd use a vending machine, that's for sure. Those things can kill you!

There is an acceptable level of risk for everything. If we only engaged in 0-risk activities then we wouldn't ride in automobiles, own kitchen knives, shower, or even eat. I think the most responsible thing people can do is assess their own risk and act accordingly. There is effectively a 0% chance my dog is able to reach the outside without supervision, so I have decided to not leave his harness on 24/7. Your circumstances may be different, and I respect that. I'm not going to try to shame you into my way of life. Because that would be silly.

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[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 months ago

Wow you're just the dog whisperer, you know everything about every dog and every persons situation.

At this point I'm pretty sure you're just trolling and enjoying this.

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[+] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -6 points 6 months ago* (19 children)

There’s always ways out, seems like a foolish and non-responsible thing to do. A window screen can get knocked out and the dogs gone, dogs can jump fences, training means nothing if a rabbit comes into view, just to mention a few off the top of my head.

Do you have a lock on your gate to prevent some neighbourhood kid from leaving it open?

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (5 children)

Edit: Lol, responded to the wrong post cause I just woke up.

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 months ago* (3 children)

It's so cool how you can see all possible futures for every dog on earth. Dogtor Strange in the house. I am writhing with envy over here. In the off chance that you cannot do that, however, how's about you step off and mind your own business?

You know there are real problems in the world, right? Like, issues that are actually affecting people? Do you write to your political representative with this much verve?

P.S. "I have to correct what I see as moral missteps of on-line strangers" is a silly stance.

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 months ago

Lol, wanna read my palm too?

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 1 point 6 months ago

I now have more time to write stuff out, so I'm going to expand on my earlier comment. Also I want you to get another ping on this so you can see how silly I think you are.

if you’re not being responsible for your pet, that usually translates to other parts of your life too

If you cannot see how bonkers that statement is then you gotta take a class or something. Trying to cast judgment upon someone's entire life based on one attribute is puritanical and a bit totalitarian.

I don't know if anyone ever told you, but your singular idea of "responsible" is not universal. Different places on earth have different circumstances and therefore different laws/rules/practices around many things, pet ownership included. This is the internet. Sometimes called "The World Wide Web" (emphasis on World). There is a chance people in this thread are not in your local area. Don't try to foist your ideals onto others like some sort of colonist.

I haven't seen anyone advocating for bobbing tails, cropping ears, or breeding pug-like features. This collar "issue" y'all are getting so worked up on is incredibly minor. My unsolicited advice is for you to chill out and let other people decide for themselves what they think is best for their own dogs in their own homes.

P.S. If anyone sees an animal in actual duress (chained outside without food/water/shelter, physically abused, etc.) then please reach out to your local animal enforcement department (if available) and make a report. Arguing on the internet doesn't fix anything.

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[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 1 point 6 months ago* (12 children)

Incredibly irresponsible, it’s so simple to do and keeps your animals safer if something happens. Not to mention if a burglar gets in or your house starts on fire.

It also gets your dogs used to it, and do your dogs a favor and walk it with a harness anyways. Walking them with a collar is just bad practice, hurts their necks at a minimum, it also leads to excessive lead pulling.

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[–] IcedRaktajino@startrek.website [S] 20 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (11 children)

Let me worry about my own dogs, yeah? We do walk with a harness, putting on shoes (me) and collars (dogs) before we go out has been a literal routine for years, and they do always wear their collars when they're new and in training for exactly the reasons you all are harping about. We even do emergency drills for things like tornado warnings where I say "danger, danger" and they know to head to the basement (where I keep backup collars + ID tags and vet records).

For fuck's sake, it's a cute dog meme and y'all are pouncing on one trivial line in the caption like I'm the worst animal abuser in the world for wanting my dogs to be comfortable around the house. There are too many miniscule-chance-of-that-ever-happening "what if"s to worry about that I'm not going to live my life in a safety bubble. The yard is fenced, we're in suburbia, they're both chipped, they're both trained, they're both socialized, the neighbors all know them, and we're doing just fine thank you very much.

Geesh, the number of people around here who always have to be right is staggering and extremely off-putting.

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[–] gid@piefed.blahaj.zone 8 points 6 months ago

I'm pretty shocked at the way you've been piled on for something so unimportant.

Most days, I hate the internet. This community us usually a nice antidote to all that (pictures of dogs!) but every now and again you get interactions like the one you've just experienced that make me just want to pack it all in.

I'm sorry this happened for you. You sound like a responsible and loving dog owner.

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[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 7 points 6 months ago (7 children)

Dogs are almost always microchipped.

Anyone can scan a dog and see who its owner is.

You have to catch a dog to read the collar anyway.

You folks are being way too hyper critical.

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -2 points 6 months ago* (6 children)

Not mandatory.

Need a device, so no.

Yeah and?

No, it’s basic pet responsibility.

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[–] gid@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 6 months ago (5 children)

You have no idea where OP lives, and what the requirements or relevant legislation are there.

You're making a huge issue out of something that really isn't one, and accusing OP of being irresponsible because they don't do things exactly the way you do. This is bad faith and projection on your part.

Please stop.

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[–] gid@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 6 months ago (3 children)

You've invented hypothetical scenarios so you can accuse the OP of being irresponsible without having access to all facts.

OP has stated dogs are always collared when they're taken out.

OP has stated dogs are secured at home.

You don't know what area OP is in or if it requires microchipping.

If, in your invented scenario that OP's dog escapes and causes damage, the dog isn't caught, then what practical difference does it make whether the dog has a collar or not?

In the case of a microchipped dog without a collar, you just take it to any veterinarian or whatever your local equivalent of an animal control office is.

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works 0 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

I’ve got a water tap in my kitchen, I don’t need an extinguisher.

This is obviously (I hope) a very irresponsible and negligent reasoning, no?

People always justify their negligence, tale as old as time.

Stuff can just be responsible or irresponsible without any additional context, sorry.

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[–] gid@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 6 months ago (1 child)

I’ve got a water tap in my kitchen, I don’t need an extinguisher.

People always justify their negligence, tale as old as time.

That's a false equivalence and a bad faith argument.

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[–] BreadOven@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

Mine only has a harness for walking. She also has a microchip, and doesn't run away, even if we leave the door open. Everytime we're out though the harness goes on.

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[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 10 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

My dog only wears her collar when she's outside.

Edit: you have to catch a dog to read a collar, so it's not that much different than a microchip.

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[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 5 points 6 months ago

It's going to be a super rare case anyway. I'm fine with needing to involve animal control in that situation.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 4 points 6 months ago

We only put things on when we leave the condo. The dog does not just get out. We control the door.

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 6 months ago* (5 children)

I take their harnesses off because they cuddle in bed with me and I don't want the plastic and metal parts jamming into me while I sleep. I don't use neck collars since they're just for identification and they're chipped.

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -5 points 6 months ago (4 children)

Yes your dog needs to have a collar and tags at all times. Chipped or not.

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 6 months ago* (3 children)

They only need a license tag when out in public in my state. That goes on the harness. They do not need a collar nor does the tag need to be on at all times. And given your other comment about them being readable by a person: My license tags just have a serial number with their name on it. It's not gonna help find a lost pet outside of a pound or vet that can search it up; which is exactly what the chip does.

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[–] plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works -1 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

My license tags just have a serial number with their name on it. It's not gonna help find a lost pet outside of a pound or vet that can search it up; which is exactly what the chip does.

You can call animal control and get the owners information with the serial #, you’re avoiding a few steps by having one. They are not “exactly” like a chip, a microchip, if they have one, you don’t know unless you take them in as well, you need to take them in for. Taking them to the vet or animal control, they usually take them, which incurs costs for them to hold.

A tag is just objectively simpler, and better.

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 child)

You can call animal control and get the owners information

No you can't. That would be a breach of privacy. Animal control will ask you bring the dog in for holding and contact the owners themselves. That's why the liscense tags don't have more than a serial number and the animal's name. It also costs nothing to get them checked for a chip at animal control; it costs the owner to get them released.

I'm guessing you don't actually have dogs.

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[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago

For me it depends on the dog. Some can be trusted to stay with you no matter what and only need a collar as a social cue. Others need a gps tracker attached to them even during bathtime.

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[–] Stupidmanager@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago (6 children)

I don’t use collars on my dogs, but we have a harness for walks. I long ago stopped using collars with so much info about me, my dog, my phone, etc… microchips take care of the lost part in the very unlikely event my dogs leave me.

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 months ago (4 children)

There's a cadre of crazies in this thread. I don't think they're open to rational thought, lol. Just a bunch of collar/harness extremists who think they know what's best for all dogs in every situation.

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[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

I don't think they're necessarily "extremists". Different cultures, different countries, different legislations, and different dogs create varied opinions on the topic of collars and harnesses.

Here in Montreal, IIRC dogs above 40 lbs must be in a harness and wear a collar at all times when out in public, and must be held on a leash no longer than 6ft outside of designated area. They must wear their license, be microchipped and be neutered unless you get a special permission.

Having a border collie, if I left his harness on at all times, his fur would get matted and he would get infections as he loves to get wet in summer, so I take it off when indoors. He's also not a flight risk, but I still leave his collar on most of the time because he spends a lot of time free in the backyard.

Another dog may have short hair so matting may not be an issue, or could be a flight risk, yet another dog may live in the countryside and have nowhere to go but home. Some countries have easy access to microchip scanning at a vet, some countries require you to go to their SPCA equivalent to get the microchip scanned, and some countries don't even require microchipping.

TL;DR opinions vary based on experience and situations, and no one is right or wrong. See my pinned post, but I encourage conversation.

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[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 months ago (1 child)

I believe I've been misunderstood. I don't think they're extremists in a political sense or anything. I think their stance on the harness discussion is on the extreme end of things. Many of the arguments were "Your dog must wear a collar or harness 24/7 or you are an irresponsible owner", and they left no room for alternative views. That falls under the definition of extremism in my books.

dogs above 40 lbs must be in a harness and wear a collar at all times when out in public

I agree 100% with that practice. In my opinion the only time dogs should ever be off their leash in public is when they are in designated off-leash areas. When I have my dog in off-leash areas I leave his harness (with contact info) on too. We weren't talking about dogs outside though. It was mainly about dogs whether dogs should be required to wear their collar/harness inside the home.

Anybody who said they took their dogs collar/harness off would face the wrath of the "you're an irresponsible owner" crowd. No counter arguments would be considered either. One user made the outlandish argument that an apartment dog could escape into a common hallway, get into the fire stairs through a propped-open door, go down 5 stories, open the emergency exit via a crash bar, and get outside. To me that is an absurd scenario to use for an argument, and definitely something that only a person with extreme views on the topic would stand behind.

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[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Fair enough, I agree, they saw things as very black and white.

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[–] Stupidmanager@lemmy.world 1 point 6 months ago

Yep. My dog doesn’t need a collar, no other reason. But she has a harness because it’s the leash law. She doesn’t run off, she doesn’t leave the yard… why put a collar on her that does nothing more than become an ornamental with personal info. I value my privacy, trained my dog to be better… tell me why she needs a collar?! I just want to say, “You know what, your dog runs away because she doesn’t have freedom!” Hah

Anyway, glad I’m not alone in my version of crazy. Hah

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[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 1 point 6 months ago

My dog would sit in front of is and whine of we don't take the harness off after a walk.

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