It depends on the dog and your situation. I have never and will never allow my dogs to be outside when no one is home. A concrete fence would probably solve most of my issues (snakes, tree limb breaking fence, neighbor kids harassing or even poisoning). I'm almost 60, have had exactly zero dogs who loved being in their crate (except my first rottie who wanted it for sleeping in, gate open.. she didn't NEED a crate from the time she was about 6 mos old). But if you give them good quality toys and chews, dogs generally chill out. They sleep up to 18 hrs a day so I consider a crate a good safe haven. My basenji is fine left in my bedroom now that she's grown. My 2nd basenji didn't destroy things, she'd pee on my bed.. so she got crated. My first was incredibly dog aggressive, so the rotties and chow ran free, she was crated when I was out, slept with me at night (as did/do the other 2).
Left home with one came back with two!
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This morning Beeji and I set off on our morning walk. It was cold here in southeastern NC but no so cold that we were miserable. The sun was shining and Beeji was having a great time marking all his ususal spots.
We headed down a street we have walked many times and saw one of the neighbors come out of his house with his dog, Carley. She is an older mixed breed about the same size as Beeji. She is very well behaved, heels and doesn't pull on her lead. Beeji saw her and immediately wanted to go over to play. I put him in a sit, since I didn't know what either of them would do, even though Beeji just loves other dogs.
Robert brought Carley over and the two dogs did the usual sniffing and circling. Beeji got a little too busy and Carley gave him a big bark and Beeji immediatly got to my right side and sat down. Then he looked at me like "what a woman!"
He then walked back around me to her but this time was much more calm and quiet. She licked him, he licked her and all was fine. But she established that she was the royal one!!!
Robert told me to be careful going on past his house that there were two dogs out. One is a big mix breed that seems friendly but very timid and the other is small terrier. When I asked if it was a female mostly white with a black and tan head, he said yes.
This is the little girl terrier that Beeji brought home the day he got out of the fence. Before Robert got through telling me this, here came the two unleashed dogs.
The mail stayed back but the little terrier came running up and began to play posture with Beeji, and of course Beeji wanted to play back. It took all of my strength to hold on to him.
I could get her to leave so I got Beeji turned toward home and we began walking/dragging ourselves back to my house. The female followed and then got ahead of us, which made it Beeji trying to drag me!!
I decided I couldn't fight him on lead so as soon as we got to our house, I just opened the back gate and took him inside. The little female followed. so I took Beeji off leash and they went at it, playing, running, yapping, throwing toys in the air and basically having a blast.
I just sat down and laughed my head off. First it was Beeji chasing Lil' Hussy (my nick name for her) and then they would go behind the storage house and when they came out it was Lil' chasing Beeji.
They never really got totally tired but they did slow down a bit and both came over to me for some rubs and hellos. Beeji was first to get his pets since I didn't want him to think he wasn't wanted, plus it is his yard and he is first!
Finally both were huffing and puffing but still not really slowing down and it was time for Beeji and I to head inside to get breakfast for mom. I didn't and don't trust the two of them to stay in the yard alone.
I also didn't want Beeji to go in the back door and have the chance that Lil' would follow. (Who knows what they would have done to the house!) plus I didn't want him to go in and then when he comes back out and she isn't there, he might try and dig or climb out to find her.
So I put his lead on, took them both out the gate, and around to the front yard. I told Beeji to say goodbye and we would maybe play another day.
Lil' Hussy took off across the road to smell the fence across the street and Beeji and I went inside.
He was exhausted and had a huge drink of water, climbed up on the couch and crashed for two hours!!
I want to find the owners of Lil' to make sure she is up to date with shots, etc and to chat with them about leaving dogs out and off leash. It isn't good for anyone.
Tomorrow, we will walk in the opposite direction!!
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Cute
But PLEASE do everyone a favor & find Lil Hussy's owners. She can get killed by car, animal, disease, etc. -
Cute
But PLEASE do everyone a favor & find Lil Hussy's owners. She can get killed by car, animal, disease, etc.I agree 100 %. There are several dogs who run the neighborhood and we can't seem to get the owners to understand the dangers. One fellow, not the little JRts owner, actually said that he lets his dog out in the morning and if he doens't come home then it was the dogs fault for getting in the wrong place. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHGHGHHGHGHH.
Sorry, it didn't help. I live in a rural area and the town is small. A lot of folks don't think of dogs a companions or part of the family, they think of them as disposible things for lack of a better word.
At the end of hunting season, our local animal control, pitiful though it is, is full of hunting dogs that either slipped their collars or worse, were taken off their collars and run off since they weren't "huntin good". The majority of these dogs are euthanized withing 72 hours which is hard, but better a quiet death than starving to death in the swamps.
I think I have figured out the house where this little JRT female lives. From what I can understand, the father works in a town over an hour away, the mom is a flight attendant and is rarely home and their child is kept by the grandmother. This family needs a dog, like I need to gain back the 70 + pounds I lost!!!!
Another neighbor who is great with dogs and works hard in the neighborhood to help take in lost dogs and I had a long chat tonight. She called animal control but they told her they couldn't do anything unless they saw the dog off leash or out of its yard.
I forgot to mention that my friend is an older woman with a heart condition and takes her small mix breed female for a walk every morning and evening. The little JRT female will come running up and jump on and nip and bite my friends dog and when her dog tries to get away or fight back, my friend gets tangled in the lead and has nearly fallen. She is getting scared to go out with her dog.
She said that this morning, when she spoke with a different person at animal control, that fellow told her she was calling the wrong place, that she needed to call the police since she is in town limits.
We both shook our heads. I told her that I was tempted to go to the family and see if they wanted to get rid of the JRT and if they did, take her to the Vet Hospital to see if she has had any shots or has been neutered.
The only thing stopping me from asking them for her is I have used up a huge chunk of saving on Beeji and I don't know how he would take to another dog in his new home so soon.
However, I am planning on talking to them about why they are letting her out and not keeping her in the fenced area they have.
I will work on keeping my temper and try to use all my mediation skills.
Pray for me and/or send lots of positive energy my way!!
Aloha,
Cheryl Wordweaver
saddened by the ignorance of humans who get dogs because they are cute, or are popular or adorable as puppies but never take care of them, give them training, love or attention.
