It definitely felt like I aged 10 years in a few minutes this am. I must have looked like a complete crazy person. My neighbors don't know me because I moved up here mid-winter, and only recently has it warmed up enough for chance encounters with neighbors outside. I went running outside at 10:30 am with 2 leashes, 1 dog, a sample bag of cat food, wearing Christmas themed pj pants, a bright yellow Georgia Tech hoodie sweatshirt, no glasses so i can't see, randomly shouting "HAVE YOU SEEN A LITTLE DOG RUNNING AROUND!" at my neighbors.
Both of my girls are microchipped. I know there is a lot of debate about collars. I fear, especially with the martingale style, that mine will strangle themselves if they get caught on something when I'm not around. In this case, I'm glad Callie didn't have a collar on because the rungs on the porch are so close together, she may have caught the collar without realizing it & jumped & hung herself. I do worry that they will get out & somebody will find them but not know to check for a microchip, but even dogs with collars can lose them while running around loose. So I don't think there is a right or wrong answer for when to collar them. Mine don't usually dart out of doors, so I don't worry about it too often.
As for the porch; that will not be accessible to them if I can not supervise them from now on. Fortunately I will only be here for a couple more weeks, so I won't worry about adding chicken wire or anything. I'm already saving up for a basenji proof fence for the new house though. Callie is quite the escape artist when she has motivation (clearly!)
Heart Attack!!!
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This morning I woke up to take Alani for her morning walk. I was a little tired and disoriented still and just threw on some clothes. When I got my coat on I walked to the door and I just let her out!:eek: I didn't put her collar on or anything I just let her out like it was a cat.
I've heard the stories of training that people talk about but have never chimed in because Alani knows the basics but not anything fancy and not by my doing.
When I walk her I've been making her stop and wait until I catch up so the pulling will stop if only for a minute. Thank god for that. I yelled stop, stay and she just waited for me to walk up to her and pick her up. Whew! I'm pretty sure my hands didn't stop shaking for a good hour after that.
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I yelled stop, stay and she just waited for me to walk up to her and pick her up. Whew! I'm pretty sure my hands didn't stop shaking for a good hour after that.
I too can relate for this has happened to me. Isn't it a blessing that another dog walker or animal wasn't in eye shot of Alani? My husband took Duke out without his collar - we have an underground fence. I did not realize his collar was off until he came back inside (5 minutes later) and he came to greet me. I freaked! :eek: Whew! Either Duke knows and respects the ritual boundry lines or else nothing got his attention to bolt. I'm getting him micro chipped. Mistakes happen.
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WOW, yeah, title this: things we do to whiten our hair early! Glad it turned out okay!
Debra
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Sahara went out her doggie door once before I could get her collar on as well, but thank God she didn't go beyond her boundry. I also have the underground fence and she is afraid to go even close to the boundry. I had to spike it up b/c I found her in my neightbors yard once chasing a cat. The problem was she would not go back over the boundaries to get back in the yard. I had just got back from work when I saw her, I would freak if she disappeared. She will also chase the cars that pass my house, but stops short of the boundry. It is a good thing I have it or she would be dead by now. Sometimes when I come home from work it is dark and she is sleeping somewhere new in the house and I freak when I can't find her. I will start calling her and she comes to me slowly and stretching with a look like as if to say, " Yea, what do you want, I was sleeping sooooooo good". haha!!!!!:D
