Safety for our beloved Borzoi can be hard to maintain even in private homes and kennels.  We need 

to monitor the weather reports for dangerous wind storms, or conditions of extreme heat and cold.  

This winter dogs who normally stay in yards have escaped by using the unusually high snow drifts of 

our unseasonably cold conditions.  Once the dogs have learned to escape, the owners now must put

 them on a trolley or raise the fences.  This can be done by adding an additional piece of  metal post 

to your existing ones, and adding perhaps a 3 foot roll of fencing.  Several well known kennels have 

narrowly escaped the dangerous tornadoes that plague many parts of North America.  We need to 

be on the alert with supplies of water, and an emergency plan in place.

Now that spring is here and the ground is softer, be sure to check for digging in low areas.  We have

 used railway ties successfully to maintain the fences, and have occasionally had to add bits of patio 

stone in corners.  If you are installing new fences, burying fencing flat on the ground under your gravel 

along the fence line will also help to prevent digging.

Spring is a good time to check your gate latches.  Dogs can open the swing type.  We use the latches 

that push down onto a bar, and that have a hole for a locking device.  On the fence we use a missing

 link to attach a piece of chain, then another missing link to attach a brass marine snap to the other end.  

Each time the gate is latched, the snap is snapped into the hole.  This reminds people to ensure the

 gate is shut and latched.  The piece of chain keeps the snaps from falling to the ground or getting 

misplaced.  In cold climates, the brass type are easier to open in low temperatures.

A number of Borzoi have escaped as people enter or leave a house.  I recommend that  Borzoi wear 

a collar made by Premier Pet Products of Virginia U.S.A.  They now have an e-mail address of 

prepet@erois.com, from which you could obtain the name of a nearby distributor in your home

area.  Their web site is www.gentleleader.com.  Their line of products includes a perfect Borzoi collar, 

the Premier Collar.  Adult Borzoi need a 3/4 inch wide, medium size, and Borzoi puppies a 3/4 inch small 

size.  These collars slip on just over the ears and can be adjusted for a precise fit.  There are no flimsy 

plastic couplers to break.  They are constructed to prevent the dog getting hung up and choking, and 

are recommended as not being likely to damage show coats.  With one of these on your dog, at worst 

he or she will have identification on if they get loose.  Besides all For Canadians or people wanting small 

orders, go to www.dog-deco.com   and you can order very similar ones from us.

Don't forget to check screen doors and windows or other items dogs might chew through.  There are 

a number of products to proof these structures.  Check your screen door latches, as these may wear

 out, and a good push allow your dog to escape.  Remember, if you are moving dogs and someone 

might enter a door, to take a minute to latch your screen until you are finished. There is an ongoing 

discussion of proper ID for dogs.  In Canada now they must be tattooed with a breeder's registered 

tattoo or micro chipped.  Remember that the general public are not all aware of micro chipping, and 

not all areas have scanners.  Not all scanners read chips from both sides of the border.  There is no 

substitute for proper visible ID including rabies tags on a collar.  No matter how simple minded or non 

doggy a finder may be, if they see a name and phone number, they are much more likely to re-unite 

you with your dog.  They may not want to take the dog to somewhere with a scanner or make

protracted calls.  Keep in mind some shelters send dogs to experimentation or euthanize them if they 

are not promptly collected.  What if your dog escapes and you cannot find it until past that limit?? How 

much better to have your dog tagged properly. 

Traveling with dogs requires other equipment.  I pack a plastic coated airplane cable tie out cord, and

 there are ones made that are coiled like your telephone cord.  These allow you to secure a dog to a 

seat belt, the frame of your vehicle door, a picnic table, and so on.  You might also make up or purchase 

a quite short length of chain with two snaps for use as required.  I have been told so many heartbreaking 

stories of dogs chewing cloth leads.  Cloth is great, but can be slashed by a motivated dog in seconds. 

 Another poor practice is to attach your cloth lead to a crate or pen door.  Dogs can suck these through 

and chew them...then you are stuck without a lead when you need it most.  Some of the newer crates 

come with a little backpack bag, and these can be hooked onto your cage in a convenient way, for 

leashes and other gear.

At shows, there are hazards like children and in some areas, animal rights activists who believe in turning 

all pets loose, especially show dogs who are sitting ducks for their harmful behaviour. While nothing 

can protect your dog from someone with bolt cutters, you might consider a small lock to prevent

 interference by people at shows while you are picking up armbands, hitting the washroom, and so forth.  

In the home, some dogs require more security.  I recently boarded a Husky that opened a vari kennel. 

 We switched it to a metal crate, then secured the door with double ended brass snaps.

Public education by experienced dog people is essential.  Spread the word about use of tags and buying 

good collars, leashes, and airplane cable tie outs.  Remind people that devices that secure a cable by 

screwing into the ground may be worked loose.  Remind them that tying a dog with a rope or cloth leash 

is dangerous.  Remind them that if they use a cable trolley system, to install blocks to keep the dog from 

getting too close to a fence and being hung.  Remind them that loose chain collars are likely to snap, or 

have the dog slip out of them.  Remind them to put the leash snap on before taking the dog off a trolley or 

tie out cable.  Remind them that dogs can get out of gentle leader collars, and they may need to use a 

coupler to fasten the dog onto a neck collar while using these training devices.  Using Premier Collars  

or my version of them and the Volhard snap around collars has improved security at our kennel and 

among our clients a great deal.  I have seen a Borzoi snap a chain choke collar.  Walk your dog on the 

show grounds with a secure collar and lead, not a flimsy show lead.  A Borzoi I know and love paid 

with her life when a new owner put her on a loose show lead.  She ducked out of it, escaped, and 

was run over.  When you raise puppies, put out the few dollars to supply each puppy with a size small 

puppy collar, get some jump rings, and make up some tags as the dogs are sold.  Your clients will be 

appreciative, and by seeing your care and concern, will be more careful from your good example.  You 

can remind them to get the next size of collar ordered, and I often fill requests for new tags when people 

are moving.

Aside from show sites, homes where you are visiting can be fatal to your Borzoi.  Check for poisonous

 plants, and insecure yards with low fencing.  Now is the time to get out that Flexi-lead, if you feel the 

dog can jump your host's fence.  Be sure your dog is not a hazard to their pets or children.  A recent 

unfortunate incident occurred when the dog's owner left her in a home with a child.  The child opened the 

door and let the Borzoi escape, and it was lost for 9 weeks, caught in a trap, and nearly died. Toes were lost, 

and the devoted owners spent hundreds of dollars to recover it.  The Borzoi should have been taken along, 

tied, or placed in a crate in a secure area.  If I was dealing with children, after knowing of this incident,

 I would also lock the crate door.  A $100 spent on a fold down crate and a cheap lock would have saved 

endless hours of searching, recriminations, and sorrow for the people, and saved much suffering, for the 

lost dog. Very young children cannot be trusted, and causing the death of your pet when they are too 

young to know better could be very traumatic. Does this article indicate that Margery has become a 

paranoid?  No, all these recommendations are based on dealing with Borzoi, including boarders and 

rescue, since 1988.  Everything I recommend here is based on my own uses and practices, and on 

observation of dog losses and deaths.  They are based on real situations, and solve real problems. 

You cannot save dogs from death in car crashes, tornadoes, or attacks by armed people. 

However, often it is the little precautions that count.  I have had dozens of calls from people who have

 found lost dogs, as far away as Denver, and was able to supply a contact number.  Not a single dog has 

been able to break a Premier Collar or our Canadian version of it and escape to its death.  No locked gate 

with a brass snap in it has been pried open by a Borzoi.  Check your own situation, and for a very modest 

outlay you can greatly improve the chances of your Borzoi not escaping, or being recovered and returned 

to you if it does.  May you and all your ‘Zois' have as long and safe a journey through life as possible, and 

be spared the heartbreak caused by slipshod accommodation and negligent practices.  

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