*sigh* loose dog

[slleipnir]

Today I decided to walk home from work...I got my dad to drop Zeke off so I could walk him then instead of after. It's about 40-50min walk. I was about 15 mins from home, and I see this dog running around in someones yard. (keep in mind, I'm walking down on of the main roads, and at 5:30 especially, it's a busy road!!) So I'm thinking who is the idiot who let their dog run out in the yard like that? I didn't think much more till I got up to the dog. Once the dog saw Zeke he ran up to us, then darted off into the traffic! I nearly screamed in shock cause it was VERY close to being hit. He came back in, and I tried to get him to come. I offered treats and everything, but it seemed all I was doing was pushing it to the traffic. I went into someones yard trying to get him to follow me. He darted back into the traffic and again, narrowly avoided being hit! This time he stopped in the road and just looked at me...in the MIDDLE of the road!! The people stopped and waited for the dog...but one person got impatient and zoomed off. Eventually the dog ran to the other side of the road and started off into someone elses back yard. The dog didn't seem to like Zeke I guess...I figured it was on a safe street anyway (hardly any traffic) so I decided to take Zeke home, and go back out in the truck to look for it. Unfortunatly, I didn't find the dog, so I really hope someone picked it up. It really scared me when it kept going out in traffic! I didn't know what to do. People must have thought I was a horrible owner letting my dog out in the road...I suppose the probably knew it wasn't mine though. Poor dog, I hope it's ok.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

It's too bad you couldn't get that dog- that must have been horrible to watch. I've also seen loose dogs and found that for whatever reason, they won't get close enough for you to grab them, and I never want to scare them INTO traffic. It's a tough situation- you want to help but sometimes it's impossible. If I can't get the dog, I usually call the animal shelter because that way if the dog is lost the owner has a better chance of finding them.

When I lived at my mom's house I saw tons of dogs just running around loose- people would actually just let them out, or they would escape from the yard and the their people didn't care. It's a very quiet neighborhood with very little traffic. There is a school at the end of the block so people are supposed to be driving only 20 mph, and yet I've seen 2 dogs get hit on her block!!!! I wish people would just confine their pets to their yard for safety.

[zoomer]

That's too bad, people these days I hope someone picked it up, and I sure do hope he's all right!

[MariaM]

Oh my goodness, I get SO mad when I see loose dogs. Not because I'm afraid they'll get hit.....because we live in such a small town that there's barely anyone on the road, but because Major LOVES dogs. If he sees a dog on a leash a bit away, he gets kind of excited. Some dogs make him more excited that other ones. But the loose ones...he gest SO hyper. The dog will always follow us and I have the hardest time getting Major home because the dog will be right near us.

[lisahumphreys882]

I had a similar experience, except with my own dog and i did get him back. I started walking but then i wasn't holding the leash properly and it slipped out of my hand and my dog, benji, ran out onto a pretty busy road, meanwhile, i'm trying to catch him and he's running right through traffic. I eventually caught him because he had stopped to go to the bathroom. But, when i caught him i just collapsed to the ground and sort of started crying because i realized how lucky i was to get him back. And i had only gotten him a few months before. It was the worst experience ever and what horrible guilt i had. *Now i always make sure to hold the leash properly i even wrap it around my hand several times so if he tries to run away he can't*

[lute]

poor dog. i hope he's ok. unfortinatly where i live there are a ton of stray dogs. just today i almost hit a small beagle and what looked to be a boxer mix. if the roads are too busy i'll pick the dog up. i live in the middle of nowhere and there is barely any traffic.