This warning message was posted on a GSD email list I belong to.

My name is Kim Bratton and I am a newf breeder from Ohio. I've
had newfs for 20 years and been breeding on a small scale for about 9 years.
The reason I'm posting is to issue a warning out there to anyone who uses or
recommends using the dividers that come with the wire crates. I recently had
a litter of newf pups, and sent them to their new homes this past weekend. I
got a call Wed morning that no breeder ever wants to get. The phone rang at
6:30 a.m. which is never good as I don't get calls that early unless there
is a problem. It was a sobbing hysterical puppy buyer who got up to let her
puppy out to potty, only to find him dead....with his head hung between the
divider and the crate. She said the divider fit in very tight and was hard
to insert. He had somehow gotten loose one of the hooks that secures the
divider and got his head hung. She said she never heard a sound from him,
she guesses he was unable to make a noise by having his airway cut off. She
called the company who makes the crates, but wanted me to warn everyone I
could of the danger. I'm just sick over this and want to warn as many people
as possible.

Kim Bratton
Greenwood Newfoundlands

how sad

Oh my gosh, how awful. That makes sense that it could happen...I had not thought of it...but yeah. Oh...everyone must be so upset.

I don't know if people remember, I used one of those panels as a baby gate and Ava jumped it and landed on the hook - it went through her paw pad. I had to carry her out of the house with the crate panel still attached to her - my mother carrying the panel - she drove to the vet, I was in the back seat with Ava. The vet came out with bolt cutters and cut the panel off, then took her in the back and they had to operate to get it out. I thought I was being so clever and cheap...so that's another, weird warning. Not in any way as bad as that story...ugh.

Oh how sad. I used one of those dividers when I got Benny (my newfy pup) and a newfy pup between 8-10 weeks has a huge head. So very scary and sad:((

How awful.

I can not imagine finding a pup this way when I thought I was helping to train her and keep her safe.

So sad.

how terrible..

Aw....

I've never liked those hooks. I used some crate dividers to make a panel for my car but cut off those hooks and then covered the ends with soft electrical tape. I have one crate that has one of those doors that lifts and hooks but the hooks are small and I've had dogs get caught on that a lot so whoever is in that crate at training wears NO collar.

Thanks for posting this. I have used the wire crates and dividers for years. I just bought another one today, I think I will add zip ties to the end to double secure it.

Thanks again