A man in Canada has issued a terrifying warning to fellow pet owners after finding his dog bloody and unconscious.
Robert Wilson took to social media on Wednesday to share some alarming pictures of blood on his front porch, after his dog Wicket got his collar stuck in one of the cracks.
According to the Porters Lake, Nova Scotia resident, the pup was lying in the sun when his collar got jammed and almost got strangled to death.
Writing on Facebook, Wilson said that "freak accidents happen" and advised pet owners to always check their animal's tags.
"Check your dogs tags on their collars to make sure while they are laying in the sun that the tags can’t slip through cracks and get jammed," he wrote. "My Wicket was unconscious and bloody by the time I got him swung around enough times and got collar off."
The viral post - which received 11,000 reactions online - continued: "He’s gonna be ok, still at the Vets [sic] recovering but will be ok. It’s worth the time to check so you don’t watch your dog almost strangle to death in front of your eyes. Freak accidents happen!"
Thankfully, Wicket is alive and well, with his owner uploading a picture of him playing with a new squeaky toy in the garden a few hours after his initial post.
The incident left pet owners horrified though, with many taking to the comment section to express their concern. "Puppy prayers for your lovey. Thanks for sharing," wrote Michelle Butler Brown.
Sue Catt also commented saying: "So sorry for your boy. I hope he's ok and makes a complete recovery. Thanks for the heads up."
It appears that collars getting stuck in small gaps isn't an unusual occurrence though, with several owners sharing similar horror stories.
Encouraging others to only put collars on their animals when they were taking them out for walks, James Poirier put: "Glad hes ok.....i never leave a collar on at home...my dog got lost in the bush for 24 hrs in north bay found him in a hunters snare and thr only thing that prevented him from strangling was his leather collar prevented the snare from tightening all.the way. [sic]".
"Unfortunately I’ve witnessed this happen as a child," Aaron Harmon added.
"We came home from dinner one night, and our beloved springer spaniel was hanging from the deck. The same deck she’d jumped off of for 5 years, but this time her tag got stuck. Now all the dogs tags are physically riveted to their collars. We had to learn the hard way and never gave any thought to this issue. Please share this post with your friends and family it could save a life."
