Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/collar-saves-dogs-life/

There are lots of good reasons why dogs should wear collars. Collars help keep dogs safe on walks. They carry dog tags and ID. Some collars carry reflective strips and GPS trackers.

But one Utah dog, Coconut, has found a new and novel use for her collar. After being repeatedly shot at by an angry farmer, this lucky dog’s collar saved her life.

According to KSL-TV, Coconut’s brush with death began innocently enough when the mischievous dog and her canine brother, Axel, dug a hole under the family fence. The pair were gleefully chasing sheep on a neighbor’s farm when the farmer shot the dogs with his shotgun. After all, according to Newsweek, that’s perfectly legal in Utah.

But while the man fired off several rounds, repeatedly striking the dog, none of the bullets were fatal. That’s because several rounds bounced off Coconut’s collar, which was equipped with a metal (and apparently bullet-proof) GPS tracker.

But Coconut’s incredible collar–which really went above and beyond in this case–still wasn’t through. Even after being repeatedly fired at, the GPS kept working long enough for the husky’s owner to find her.

“The thing is, normally we get, ‘This is where she is,’ and then by the time it updates again, she’s like a mile away because she’s just running,” Carly Kendall told the station. But this time, the GPS tracker wasn’t moving. Coconut’s owner immediately knew something was wrong.

Kendall jumped into her car to go her dog, who was lying bleeding on the side of the road. At first, it looked like Coconut had been hit by a car — until Kendall saw the bullet fragments around her dog’s body.

The dog had been repeatedly shot, but several rounds had bounced off Coconut’s now-dented GPS collar. Other bullets pierced the dog’s neck but left through her side, leaving the lucky dog with clean wounds that only required some stitches.

“Somehow she’s fine. I have no idea how,” said Kendall, who is certain the collar saved her dog’s life. “The collar stopped a bunch of the shells that would have hit her right in the neck, which would’ve caused more severe bleeding, and it kept working so I could find her, which is a miracle,” Coconut’s owner said. What a lucky dog!

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog