What Do I Do Now?

[anna_66]

I was coming home from work a little bit ago & guess what I seen? Both Roxey & Huney in the middle of the street:eek: :eek:
It's a very busy main road too!
I am so MAD & upset,what do I do?
Just so happens that the dog catcher was right there as I was pulling up & she had just gotten Roxey in the van, but Huney was standing in the middle of the road. I called & she came to me. So I put them both in the car (soaking wet, it has been raining) and drive to our house around the corner.
I have ahold of both of their collars & open the door to the house. Huney goes in & guess what...Roxey runs off again:mad:
I had to pretend we were going bye-bye to get her to come back!
I don't understand, she has never acted like that.
The dog catcher said that someone called 911 & reported that a dog had gotten hit at that intersection. I checked both of them & they seem fine. I rubbed them down & neither of them acted like it hurt or anything & I can't find any places. Thank God!

But, now what do I do? I'm afraid to let them out in the yard again. The gate was closed so the only way I can figure they got out was to jump the fence. I can't understand. Roxey's never tried to get out before, what happened to make her do it this time?
Am I going to have to crate them all the time now, only let them out when I can watch? I'm just so terribly upset right now.

[ellensy]

Eeek! What a SCARE!! just glad that they're both ok! :eek:

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Oh Anna, I am so sorry to hear about your escape artists' episode! I am so glad that they are both unharmed and that you got to them before they were taken to the pound.

Do you normally leave them out in the yard when you are gone? Can they not be trusted to be uncrated when you are not there? Are they destructive? Perhaps if you keep them in different rooms while you are gone to avoid damages.

If all else fails, you may have to crate them while you are at work.

[ramanth]

OMG Anna!!!! Maybe Huney jumped the fence and Roxey followed? What a scare!!!! Kia did the same when I visited a friend. Everyone went inside and we left both dogs outside to play and she jumped the fence. She can't stand to be seperated from me.

I can't leave Kia outside alone if the fence is under 6 ft.

I'm sorry she did this to you. Has she started doing anything else that is odd?

*hugs*

[Glacier]

I am glad they are both ok.

Huskies are such little wizards at getting out. You might have to crate them to keep them safe. Are they trustworthy inside without supervision? What type of fence do you have? We went through several versions of our dog run when we first got huskies. We now have a six foot wire fence, that is also buried two feet underground. Muskwa could clear the fence if he really wanted out, but he goes to work with my husband almost every day. He spends very little time in the run.

Our neighbor's husky used to come visit us regularly when she escaped. He now has a ring of electric hot wire fencing at the top and bottom of his fence. It keeps Abby in and doesn't hurt her if she does get zapped. She learned pretty quick not to touch the fence anymore.

It's so scary when they escape. I am glad both your babies are safe!

[Andie]

That's terrible!

Katie use to jump our fence but I wouldn't suggest doing what Dad did to stop her. He put an electric fence up so the one (and only) time she jump after that she got shocked :o :mad: I was so mad at him! I finally convinced him to build a taller fence (which he hasn't finished! MEN! :rolleyes: ) I don't know if you would want a taller fence but its a thought.

[Vermontcat]

Wow! It sounds like you all had a big scare! Do you have a neighbor who is home during the day who may be able to check on the dogs for you? When my brother's dog was younger she learned to go through screens on windows and doors to get out and luckily the next-door neighbor works at home and was able to keep her at her house with her dog until he got home. It is a good thing your dogs had their collars on, I assume they would have an ID tag with your name and number on it in case they get out again and someone finds them.

[Tina]

OMG!! I'm glad that both dogs are ok. And that they did not get hit by a car. I know it has be really scary. I really hope you can find away from them jumping the fence again.

[anna_66]

Oh thanks guys! I'm glad someone was here to read this! Mark is at work & I didn't want to worry him with this.
No, they aren't destructive when they are in the house alone at all. This has NEVER happened before that's why it scares me so much. I don't know if I can trust them now.
I was also wondering if Huney could have gone out first & Roxey just followed. Now that she's done it, will it make her want to do it again? I just don't know. She (they) haven't been acting odd at all.
And yes, we usually leave them out (I'm usually only gone between 2 & 3 hours at a time). Neither one of them liked being crated, they liked being out to play, then when I came home they would come in the house & sleep.
I don't have a problem leaving them in when I'm gone. I'm just afraid now, will they try & get out when I'm home also?
Poor Angus, he was just pacing the fence when I came home:(
Roxey keeps following me around now & staring at me. She knows I'm upset, because she usually don't do it this much.
Anyways, thanks. And if anyone has anymore suggestions or thoughts, please, please let me know!

Oh, & they do have id tags & license, good thing since the dog catcher was here!

[ramanth]

Kia is crate trained. I don't have a yard I can keep her out in but if I leave her out of the crate at my place or my parents, she destroys stuff. But not at Andy's house. :rolleyes:

But then, he doens't have a lot of stuff. :p :D

[sasvermont]

What about installing an electric/invisible fence inside your fence/yard? They are rather cheap these days. Many of my neighbors have their dogs in their yards this way, just not the regular fence and the invisible at the same time.

My experience is that once they figure out how to get up and over, they will continue! Yikes.

I personally would do a higher, deeper fence, but that may be too darn expensive.

What about a surrounding pen? Wide, tall, etc. but not the kind you can get out of. It sure beats staying inside the house. Maybe you could build one that has a little roof to protect the pups from the rain.

Good luck. I am so glad neither doggie got hurt. I bet you were/are so upset. I would be too! Yikes x 1,000,000!

[Dixieland Dancer]

Oh Anna, I can just imagine how upset you were and are! I would be a nervous wreck. I'm glad neither of them got hurt. I don't have any suggestions but hope you can get a good one from someone else.

[lovemymaltese]

osh, you must have been scared to death, I do not know what I would do.

[Logan]

Anna, as upsetting as it might be for the pups, I think "better safe than sorry" until you figure out how they got out. I would have had a heart attack, right there on the spot, I think. I know it scared you to death. :(

Keep them inside when you're gone, and when you are at home, I'd watch them like a hawk. Whatever got them out the first time is bound to do it again. I just have a hard time picturing little Huney being able to jump your fence!! Are you sure they didn't dig out?

Be safe, take a deep breath, and then consider your options. I'm sure you'll figure out something. And as unpopular as this might be, if it took an electric wire to keep them in, I'd do it in a heartbeat. It's either a little shock to learn a lesson or potentially losing them.

Have a good weekend.

Logan

[Stenograsaurus]

There's this anti-jump harness on the market. I don't know how well it works. I don't know anybody who owns one. It looks funny but if it saves a life, it might be worth it. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=640

[Cincy'sMom]

What a scare!!!! Thank God they are both okay!

We leave both our girls in the house when we are gone. Living in town, I am just too afraid they will find a way to get out of the fence or someone would let them out. Cincy is still crated cause she chews on the door frames, but Sadie has the house (except the bedrooms). They really don't seem to mind. Cincy goes in her crate pretty willingly and Sadie just sleeps on the couch :)

Is it possible they got out underneath somehow?

[Twisterdog]

I'm glad you caught them. Things could have been much worse!

My sister has seven Siberian huskies. She had to put electric wire around the top of her six foot fence. Judging from her experiences, if a husky wants out, it is going to get over the fence. The electric wire stops hers, though. And it doesn't do any damage to them, it's just a little shock. My sister and I both touched the wire to make sure before she used it with the dogs. It is quite an unpleasant sensation, that's for sure, but its not agonizing or anything. Better a little shock once or twice than hit by a car.

[Dixie Belle]

You said it was raining? Prehps the storm scared them. Belle and Blue are very storm scared. We just had the tropical depression thingy and Belle was on the porch. During the worst part of the storm, she freeked and tryed to take our door off the hinges. My husband opened the door to get on to her and she bullied her way inside and layed down. She stayed in until it stopped raining. Keep an eye on them in bad weather and see if you can stop a pattern.

[Sudilar]

Oh, I am so glad they were not hurt!! I would have passed out!!!

Even though I have a large yard with a 6 ft. fence with key locks on all the gates, I still go out in the yard with them. In fact, now, if someone isn't outside with them, they would rather be inside. I am such a worrier.

[aly]

Anna,

My goodness, I am about to have a panic attack just reading this thread. I am sure you are beside yourself with worry! I am so glad things turned out okay and neither of them are hurt. I hope you can find a good solution to the problem.

Huney and Roxey - pleeeaaaaaaase stay in your yard, ok? You'll be much safer and happier and you won't give your mommy a heart attack! Angus, you keep your eye on those wild girls for your mommy.

[shais_mom]

Oh My Goodness!!! Sweet Little Roxey?! The one who stole my heart?! ugh, she must have taken lessons from her new friend Keegan!!
I really don't know what to tell you to help other than make the fence bigger or use an electric fence.
I am so glad they are both OK!! Leave to the ornery girls!!! And poor Angus being the old gentlemen he is knowing they were in harm's way and in TROUBLE WITH MOMMY!!!
Good luck and Keep us posted!!!
CONFIDENTIAL TO HUNEY AND ROXEY FROM KEEGAN:
GIRLS: You can't do that again!! I mean I get loose and my mom had to get in the car and chase me around the neighborhood but I stuck in the yards. DO NO GO INTO THE ROAD, silly girls!!!Roxey, I beg of you not to do it again!!! I won't get to see you at the park with Huney and all our friends if you do it again!!! Your mommy might put you in permanent timey-out!!!
Slurps!!
And paw slugs!!!
Love,
Keegie!!

[anna_66]

Thanks everybody! I still was really upset last night when I came home. Can you just imagine coming home & both of your dogs laying in the ditch or on the road dead? The thought of it just kills me.
Yes, it was raining, but not storming. Mark said he looked around the fence, no dig holes, so they had to have gone over:rolleyes: (figures!). He could tell the corn had been moved around alot, so maybe there was an animal they were after? Who knows, there's been plenty out there before & they never tried to go over.
We do have an electric fence (about 10 yrs old). We put it up because Angus crawled over the fence a few times after we moved here. But it hasn't been turned on in forever. So we're going to put up new wire, and get a kennel also. That way if we have to be gone all day they can be outside instead of having to stay in the house. I haven't let them out alone since this happened & Roxey can't stand it! I just told her "tough!" I hate having to think of taking her freedom away, but if I have to I will with no 2nd thought. Can't really think of any other answers to our problem but the electric fence (can't afford to get a really high fence & even if we could I don't think it's allowed where we live. Guess we'll just have to see if this fix works. Please everyone pray that it don't happen again. I don't know if they could be that lucky twice!

[turner]

Oh No!!! Anna...I am glad to hear they didn't get hurt and wern't taken by the dog pound! That must have been very scary! I'm glad to hear everything is ok though!

[ChrisH]

Oh, Anna, that must have been so very scary. Thank God they ended up safe and sound. I can well understand you not letting them out on their own right now, I think I would be the same. I do not have any suggestions for you but from what everyone says your plan to renew the electric fence seems a good option. Prayers going out that it never ever happens again.

[mugsy]

I agree with Logan. Better a little less freedom and not out running. Our dogs are inside whenever we're gone for that very reason. I would just die if that happened...so I TOTALLY understand your feelings. We crate some of ours and let others out to roam the house because they are trustworthy enough. Reading your story brought back that fateful day when all but Sox got out one morning before I went to school...that was awful, to say that I've changed THAT routine is an understatement. Poor Angus, he sounds like a worrywart...good for him to be worried about his sisters. I would definitely suggest crates or leave them in the house.

[slleipnir]

How high is the fence? Maybe you could make it bigger? If it keeps them in, then it would be worth it.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Anna, what a scare, you must have been terrified when you saw them in the street, I know I would have been. I agree if they once found out they can do that, it will happen again.
I think the outside pen would maybe be a good idea, one can get pretty tall chain link fence and make it big enough so they have some room. Our son had a Rottweiler and that's what he did, Bear was in there during the day and he put a shade thing on top and when they got home from work he would come in the house. I don't think the chain link fence would be that expensive and one could do that themselves.
Good luck in whatever you decide and I am so glad both of them are O.K.
Jackie, Miss Daisy and Perry

[AdoreMyDogs]

Anna, that is a tremendous scare! I know that it would be SO expensive, especially since your yard looks so huge from the pictures, but is it at all possible to put up a wooden privacy fence? Kersey can and will jump cyclone fences if she is tired of being in the yard, so we knew that if the house we found didn't already have a privacy fence, that we would have to put one up right away. We were lucky that the house already had one, but we were prepared in case the house we found needed one.

If the privacy fence is just too expensive, then the electric fence sounds like the best idea.

I am so sorry that you have to go through this. While we were getting our kitchen remodeled, the guy who was doing it was careless with the dogs and he left the gate open a couple of times. I was not aware of it because my sweet neighbors lured the dogs back into the yard with a handful of cookies and she shut the fence behind them. I came home one day with a note on my door that they have found the dogs either in the front yard, or sniffing around in the boulevard, and put them back in the yard. Boy did I give that contractor a piece of my mind!

Anyway, good luck. I hope they don't do it again, although I would keep them indoors until you get something resolved, because not that they know how to, I would fear that they will keep doing it.

[tatsxxx11]

Oh, Anna, what a fright!! I'm so glad you got there just in the nick of time before they were hauled off to jail! And so relieved to hear that no one was injured. My Cody (Husky) can scale any fence!! We have a large backyard, about 1 1/2 acres. The back half is 6 foot fence, wire, buried 1 ft. below ground. The rest is privacy fencing. She HAS escaped before and since then, I never leave her or Star alone outside if I leave; even with the gates locked. She is so bonded to me after having been adopted that she will even try to climb through windows, bust through screens, scale fences, anything to find me!:confused: Once she climbed the wood pile and got over the fence that way. Sounds like you've gotten lots of good advice. Glacier sure knows Huskys!!:D One problem with electric fences is that they don't prevent other dogs from coming IN! But that, combined with a kennel, sounds like a good compromise. I know how terribly frightened you were. Just the thought of them loose on the streets gives me shivers. God was definitely keeping an out for them that day. Give those sweeties a hug from all of us.

[Lynn101]

I am so sorry to hear that. That must have been a terrible situation. I hope your dogs don't do it again.

My dog is like that also. I let him out in the backyard to run around. But then I go back outside to get him and he is gone! I search and search and I cannot find anyway for him to get out. So one day I watched him threw the window and what do oyu know he somehow opened the gate even though it was shut. How strange.:confused:

Lynn101

[anna_66]

Well....I think we found the way they got out! They dug under the fence. It wasn't a very big place, but big enough if they squeezed! There must have been some kind of animal or something (at least I'm thinking that's what it was). Don't know how we missed it yesterday!
Anyway...we spent our day off at the store spending $$$$!! We got new stuff for the electric fence & put it around the top & the bottom. And we got a kennel (10x10x6), and we will leave them in there when we are at work (which is normally only a few hours, as long as the weather is ok, if not..they will stay in the house). No more freedom for the girls when we are gone! I feel horrible, but what am I supposed to do?
The only bad thing is we're not going to put Angus in it. So I'm just wondering how they are going to deal with that. If it's a problem, I guess I'll just leave him in the house. He don't care:rolleyes: that's where he is most of the time anyway!
And lastly...guess who already got into the fence? Who else, Roxey! I feel bad saying this, but it was so funny. It was dark & part of the wire was touching a blade of grass. Well, of course she had to see what it was. Oh was she ever sorry. She couldn't figure out what happened! And when she was trying to get away from it, she touched it again:eek:
So she runs up on the porch, and I don't want her to be afraid to go back out into the yard, so I go out with her. She looks at the wire & I swear...she touched it again:eek: Needless to say, she was ready to go in the house!
Now Huney, she went over to it & came within hairs of touching it, & it was like she could smell it, she didn't want anything to do with that wire! Good! Maybe now, they'll stay away from the fence!
Sorry again about the long post, & thanks for everyone's concern:D You all know how to make me feel better!

[Logan]

People like you, Anna, and your husband, are the kind I love!! Going to any effort to keep their dogs home where they belong!!! I don't like loose dogs running through my yard. Not only do they leave me "presents", but they upset my dogs terribly!!!! I sure do wish there were more loving, responsible owners like you! :D Good luck with the new setup. I hope it all works out for you.

Logan :)

[AmberLee]

Oh, Anna!

:eek: What a relief the dogs are safe! And what a pain you had to spend one of your days off fixing the fence. It does sound like it will keep the girls safe though, and that must bring you peace of mind. {{{hugs!}}}

[wolf_Q]

Oh Anna that would have scared me too! I'm so glad that Huney and Roxey are safe! I can't even count how many stories I've heard about huskies and getting out. Everyone said, make sure you get a 6 ft fence!! Well the fence around our yard is almost 6 ft, but it's an old wooden fence. Smokey had dug under it plenty of times, so I know it would be all too easy for Nebo. I'm paranoid just letting him roam around out there when I'm home. I never let him stay out long. But he too dearly loves being outside. I could never trust him alone in the house (my parents wouldnt' allow it anyway). He has a large crate that he sleeps in, but I feel bad leaving him in that for long periods of time. He has 10x14x6 ft dog run. We found it used in the paper. My dad also built a roof on it. There's some wood running across the middle of it (to get height) and then wire all over the top, and a tarp over that. It is slanted on either side, so it can handle the snow. We just had a tarp there before, and it was caving in with just rain, so I knew it wouldn't last until winter lol. We don't have anything to stop him from digging out yet, though. So far he hasn't tried, but I know I should put something there just to be better safe then sorry. I'm not quite sure what to put there though.

It sounds like Roxey and Huney have already experienced the electric fence enough to leave it alone! Poor pups, lol.......but I think it's better to have alittle bit of a shock then be running loose. I'm sure they will be a bit jealous of Angus at first, but hopefully they will get used to it. They'll probably just be glad to be able to be outside!