Mainer Warns About Common Household Item That Killed Her Dog

Emma Pierce lost her one and a half year old golden retriever to a bag of chips...

WGME 13 did a story about Emma's warning and tragedy. Emma breeds golden retrievers. She ran an errand one day and left Finley, her young sweet dog, for about 20 minutes with the other dogs. A friend checked in and found Finely with her head in a bag of chips...lifeless.

She had suffocated. Emma knew looking at Finley, she was gone. But she had no idea that suffocation was a problem. Emma can't help but replay Finley's last moments. She is trying to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else's beloved pets. A woman in Houston lost her dog to the same thing back in 2011 and started a non-profit group, Prevent Pet Suffocation.

Most people have never heard of this. I know I haven't. The Mylar-type bags create a vacuum-like seal around the neck and as the dog tries to breathe, the bag tightens, cutting off oxygen. It's not a common problem - but when it happens, it's often deadly. Pets are curious and get into things they aren't supposed to get into. Experts say there are simple things you can do to prevent this.

• Serve snacks in a bowl and store them in plastic containers, out of your pet's reach.
• Cut up the bags so they’re no longer a hazard.
• And make sure your trash can has a secure lid, or is stored behind a cabinet.

But Emma also wants you to know that crate training or keeping our pets in a safe space in our home if we can't 100% trust them, is super important. She regrets that at 1.5 years old, she thought Finely was ready to not need the kennel anymore when home alone, even though she occasionally got into things. She honestly thought at the time, that that was just normal puppy stuff. When in reality, she wasn't ready. She wants more education for both suffocation and crate training. Love your furry family members and do all you can to keep them safe.