My title sounds like a sex ad. Anyway, for those of you who don't have collars with name tags, two nights ago I came home from work to find my dog sitter waiting for me holding a leash and no dog. I was always told "don't leave a collar on in the house cuz the dog could get caught and choke". So I tell my dog sitters to take the collar off in the house.
Not any more.
My sitter opened her door after speaking to me on the phone. I can only guess that my little dog heard me on the phone, knew it was about time for me to come home and when my sitter opened her front door to go outside and have a smoke, he scooted out like a rocket and ran to my building (which is next door to her house).
Since she's older and moves slowly, she couldn't catch him. So when I came home from work and realized he was out there without a collar/name tag I freaked. It's dark out, he's tiny and black. I thought for sure I'd never see him again. I was distraught. Driving up and down blocks calling his name. Friends in my building walking up and down blocks looking for him. Then I started walking myself. So I'm calling his name, loudly, and asking everyone I pass "did you see a little black dog?". I walked upto 89th Street and went from 34th Ave. to 37th Ave. and kept walking up and down each block down from there.
A miracle: When I got to 85th St., walking on the other side of street, a mother and daughter heard me and waved to me. They found Casey and he was in their apartment. Just a block away. They were walking around looking for anyone who might be looking for a lost dog.
So I got him back. Now I tell my sitter: never take his collar/name tag off unless he's in my apartment for the night.
Very scary. I think the odds of him choking from having a collar on are far less then him getting out and getting lost.