Now that my kids are grown I have to worry about my dogs

[muttmeister]

Never a dull moment here.

I live in a small town (less than 200 people) but we have a law that says your dogs are supposed to be penned or on a leash at all times.
When my dogs have to go potty, I put them out on a leash clipped to a rope that is tied at one end to my house and at the other end to a tree about 30 feet away: two dogs, two eyelets on the house, two trees. It has worked great for years.
Now some new people moved to town. They have a small long haired daschund and a big dog who is definitely part German shepherd and part something smaller and blonde. Anyway, their dogs run free. They have often come in my yard and they all bark at each other and there has been no trouble. The big dog has been friendly to everybody in town. Meets the school bus, plays with the kids, loves everybody, or so I thought.
Yesterday I heard my dog screaming in the front yard and went to check and the big free dog had him on the ground trying to bite him behind his ear. They only thing that saved my dog is that he has a lot of hair there. I ran out and chased the neighbor dog off.
No real damage was done - the skin was not broken but my big dog (half golden retriever and half cocker spaniel) is now terrified and does not want to go outside to go potty anymore. This promises to be a barrel of fun.
Why can't people just do what they're supposed to do and be done with it. They have a fenced in pen where the dogs could be. They certainly don't need to be running all over town. If they don't hurt somebody else, they will get run over and killed or poisoned or shot. I just don't understand why some people think the rules don't apply to them.

 

[AnnieO]

Time to talk to the neighbors.

Something sounds off... I couldn't say what. However... If there is a law, there is a law. I'd tell them... Since there's been no problem until now, no one has really worried about it, but they need to know... And that their dog was biting yours, who was on a leash in your yard... And you don't want anything to happen to their dogs.

If this doesn't help? Sigh. Police...

 

[Star*]

Mutt,

First off, I'm terribly sorry about your baby and hope he will recover soon. The barrel of fun you mention? I would buy some cheap liver either raw or fry it - and put it in a baggy. Each time it's potty on the hook time? I'd offer a few small pieces of treat so that he gets used to equating going on the hook with a positive. It won't come quickly but it will help.

We live out in the 'not so anymore' country and the people behind us and down the road from us moved in and decided that they also didn't need to pen up their dogs. Our yard is fenced, so it's never been a dumb-dumb issue, AND we have bulldogs that are like our children so they are NEVER EVER allowed out of the yard off a leash. One loves motorcycles and would chase one down, another 'loves' people, another loves stray cats (love being used here loosely). Yet these neighbors dogs have wandered into our yard on several occasions and caused fights amoung OUR dogs with each other. LOVELY. So we have caught the dogs and held them for 'ransom'.

We figure a complete rear-chewing from us vs. a trip across county, fine from the animal control, possible forced neutering, shots, and kennel fees is worth it. We offer that the first time. Second time? He gets a trip to an opposing county animal shelter. We're not saying which county. We have on occasion taken dogs back to neighbors that have just gotten out, but if you are a neighbor that notoriously just opens the door and allows your animal to run at large? Your animal is better off taking a chance at another shelter for adoption. If the person gets another dog? We'll call the local sheriff and report them. I do not mess around with idiots that can't take care of animals. It's not fair to the animal. It's not fair to MY dogs, and it's certainly not fair for me to continue to pay for the gas to take them to the shelter. I have a zero tolerance after rescuing 107 animals last year dumped on our property, and burying the 4th dead dog this year dumped at the end of our woods. This year so far thanks to the sheriff and our photo album we've had 2 dogs dumped, zero at large, 3 new dog pens and 1 yard fenced in completely. Our reputation preceeds us - and I'm proud of it.

 

[donna723]

Way to go, Star! You are my hero!

And MM, I know exactly what you mean! It's the most frustrating thing! I live in a very small town too, and my house is on a corner, a short half-block from the main street in town with quite a bit of traffic. I have four indoor dogs and no fence which adds up to many, many potty trips outside with dogs on a leash. We have leash laws here too but you'd never know it! If you ever see one of my dogs running loose, I guarantee you, you will see me right behind them trying to run them down. And chances are, I will be waving a treat in my hand and yelling, "Cookie! Cookie!" - that has been known to stop them in their tracks!

But it's everybody else! There are a lot of houses in the block behind me and it seems half of them are content to let their dogs run loose! And every dog seems to have decided that my front yard is a public doggie restroom. Burns me up because I am very careful with my dogs' health and I don't want other people's wormy dogs pooping in our yard! And of course, if there is another dog in our yard, mine will go ballistic when I take them out! I started out the door with two of them the other day and there were FOUR little dogs peeing and pooping in our yard! Two were some small long haired breed, both completely matted up, the other two looked like pit bull puppies. And here was this goofy woman strolling down the street with these four dogs, completely oblivious to the fact that they were pooping and peeing in my yard and that cars were trying to dodge these dogs when they ran into the street to follow her! I just wanted to smack her!

My oldest Boston, Ragan, is almost nine and was sick for months with a whole series of infections. Her vet wanted her to get more exercise so once a day I would put her leash on her and walk her around the perimeter of our huge yard. We were in the farthest end of the back yard (back door was locked) and this little fuzzy dog came running up to her, wanting to play. Ragan was in no mood to play but as we tried to move on, the little dog followed us. Not too bad, but then I noticed his "friend", a huge, muscular mixed breed dog that was standing on the edge of the yard, giving us the evil eye, and moving slowly toward us - me and a rickety, elderly, sick 20-pound Boston! And of course, Ragan, being a Boston, was ready to take the big guy on! They have no clue how little they really are. But I picked Ragan up and started walking around the house to the front door, resisting the temptation to run, but thinking that any minute, that gigantic dog was going to be on us! I've never seen either one of them again, not even sure if they live around here ... do people go visiting, bring their dogs along with them and let them run the neighborhood while they're chit-chatting? We really don't have "Animal Control", just a severely crowded county shelter, and it's almost a sure death sentence for any dog who ends up there, but I will call if I have to!

 

[muttmeister]

No animal control here either and if I call somebody it's the sheriff who is a half hour away and has bigger fish to fry than a loose dog. So I guess I'm on my own. Will talk to the neighbor tonight and see what can be done.

 

[Star*]

I do remember a certain Donna running through neighbors yards in bathrobe and slippers chasing a certain Boston Terrier - OMG I still roll thinking about that one.
Mutt - We don't have a 'wonderful' animal control here either. Lax, lame. We called one time when our baby was stolen and put up posters and said "Please help find - reward" - called the place and it's about an hour ride from our house, the woman would have to walk the distance from my dining room table to the fridge to look and see if anyone new was brought in and she refused. Then we asked her if there was any bulldogs and she said "Yes there is." So we headed out. We got there and there was a Beagle, three labs, and two mixed mutts. Not that I was picking on her intelligence but surely if you work for animal control you can tell a Beagle that passes your desk from a Pitbull. It broke my heart. We never recovered our baby. Other times when we have tried to catch vicious dogs at large we have been told that we must have them available on a leash for them to 'pick up' at their convenience. As far as dog catcher? That is long gone. Conveniently tied up on a leash that we don't get back.

We asked to have a cage brought out for a particularly nasty lab that was terrorizing the lady down the roads chickens and we were told to come get it. The ladys husband called and said he was going to shoot this 'curr' and was told by animal control if he did? He would be arrested for animal abuse. He would have to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt the lab was vicious. If he shot the dog on a day that no chickens were killed? The man would go to court and be fined over $2500.00. We were also told unless a dog came into our yard and bit one of us - not caused our dogs to mame or damage each other even though at one time one of them needed stitches from biting the other due to the stray, and we shot the stray to stop the fighting? We would also be considered animal abusers and be fined and ticketed. If our dogs were out - even in their own yard, tied? And a stray attacked and we shot the stray? We would be fined, and ticketed. We were amazed at the level of stupidity - but the sheriff said "prove to me that the dog wasn't just wandering through your yard uneventful." We said "Well if there is damage to our dogs?" He said "Your dogs should have been in a fenced in area or penned up." OMG! Amazing. You do the right thing here and still can't win. So that's why we have taken the stand that we did. I'm not sure if I'm a hero or not - but I DO know I'm not allowing MORE unwanted puppies to come into a world where irresponsible pet 'owners' allow those animals to run loose too - out on the road, in the ditch - burns my hiney like a forest fire.

OH LOOK - My calendar has BALLERINAS on it!

 

[TerryJ2]

Oh, I am so sorry for you and your dog.

Definitely, some tasty tidbit re-training is in order to get your dog to go outside again.

I would definitely talk to the neighbors. No fair to you or your dog that you can't be in your own yard.

Let us know what happens. (I think they will be in denial and say their dog loves everyone ... )

 

[muttmeister]

One nice thing about living in a rural area where everybody has (usually multiple) guns, when something like this happens, if it gets too bad, the problem is taken care of and everybody is quiet. No way they're going to go CSI and try to do a ballistic match with a gun and a dead dog. But he is a nice dog in most circumstances and I really do not want to see that happen to him. The neighbors are usually reasonable so maybe talking to them will help. We'll see.
As far as the treat thing goes, my dogs already get treats after they come inside so I don't know if that will be much of a help.

 

[donna723]

Star, did you check out November?

And yes, that was my little Trace (aka "Houdini") that I was chasing through the neighborhood, just a little over a year ago. I'm on to him now though. That was the last time I trusted him too. Now, if I have to open the front door, he's either in his crate or I've got a firm hold on his collar. He's not trying to run away, he just sees his chance and he's thinking, "FIELD TRIP!!!! WOOHOO!!!" And now I've got to get him a harness because he can pull backwards and slip right out of his collar! In the year and a half that I've had him, he has porked up from a skinny 17 lbs. to a chunky 25 lbs. and has reached the point where his neck is bigger around than his head and if he pulls backwards the collar slips right off over his head. He doesn't do it to deliberately to get away, it's more if something has gotten his attention and he wants to go his own direction to check it out ... last time it was a flower pot that he found fascinating!

 

[Star*]

CSI ballistic match - ROFLM microscope off......too funny

FIELD TRIP? WOOOHOO? LORD HELP ME - all I have to do is spell walk and I'm toast. So I started signing to DF that I'm going for a (signs W.A.L.K) and Casper the smart has figured that out. So now I just take old Helen Keller along.

 

[donna723]

It's amazing how much they pick up on! Don't know if I told y'all this one ... When I was working, I usually left a few minutes after 7:00 a.m., right after "Good Morning America" came on. Ragan was the last one out of the crate so I'd put her in her crate right before I left. This was back when Diane Sawyer was still on GMA. Ragan got in such a routine that as soon as she heard Diane Sawyer's voice on the TV, she'd go into her crate, sit down, and wait for me to close her door! Even if I had the day off, she'd go right in the crate as soon as she heard Diane Sawyer!

It's a never-ending battle! Earlier this afternoon I had to go to the grocery store and while I was starting the car and pulling out, I saw the neighbor's little mutt dog walk by. He went in to my front yard, he peed, he pooped, then he walked right up the porch steps and ate all of the food that I had put out for my outside cats! Little bugger!

 

[AnnieO]

My cats know "fishie" and Bubbles knows "cookie". Even if you spell it. Problem is, Jett doesn't get it when I say, "why don't you get him one of those little crunchy dog bones"... because the mutt has also figured out "treat".

Jett will walk up - "can I give Bubbles a c-o-o-" and the dog will be all over him. Meaning I can't say NO.

Dang it, dogs are smart...

 

[donna723]

I can tell my Katy that it's "Ragan's turn", and she will run right in to her crate and wait for me to close her door, then let her sister out! And at night, I can tell Katy that it's almost bedtime ... she will eat a few bites of food (has to have her midnight snack), then run to the kitchen to get a drink, then right in to her crate! She knows the names of the rooms of the house too. She'll be looking for a toy, and if I tell her "It's in the dining room", she'll run right in to the dining room and start looking there. And while I'm talking to her she looksme right in the eye and cocks her head ... she understands every single word I say to her! Even spelling things around her doesn't work. She knows!

 

[Hound dog]

I stopped spelling in front of molly while she was still a puppy. Cookie, buiscut, cheese, yum yum, nummy num, bye bye, walk, play, ball, leash, yard, creek are all words I can't spell in front of her. lol So far she's the only speller in the family.

I had a basset years ago that would sometime slip out of the house...........To call her home I'd just start calling Holly! bye bye! She'd be at my feet in 30 secs flat. The fact that going bye bye was her most fav thing in the world (cuz it meant going to mother in law's house where she got ice cream ect and spoiled out of her mind) saved her life literally more than once. When we had just moved down here from dayton we were staying at mother in law's house until our apartment was ready. Nichole accidentally let Holly outside, she comes in to me hysterical because in her excitement Holly took off. There was no way if she got any distance she could find her way home. So with my heart in my throat I'm shouting all over the neighborhood at the top of my lungs Holly go Bye Bye!! So she can follow the sound of my voice. mother in law's neighbors looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I was about to give up when I heard toenails on pavement, I yelled louder and kept right on yelling. Next thing I knew she was at my feet wagging fiercly and shaking with terror. Poor thing. But it worked.