Hi Peggy, Yes.it just seems to be such a problem with lost dogs lately. I wonder if with the economy people are stealing others' dogs and then selling them so that they can eat themselves. I do applaud you, and the others who have rescued dogs from shelters and given them a good and secure home and future. Dolly & Desi know to 'stay' if I open the door, and they will run out and around my neighbors if they are the ones at the door.otherwise they both stay about 5 feet from the door when I open it.
Since I have the rolling shade over my front door, and I haven't been feeling real good any day lately, about the only door that me and Dolly & Desi go out of is the laundry room door going to the garage. With my torn meniscus in my knee, it is usually to go in the car, but there is so much that can go on in that little space also. I have them ready to go out with me, I have been leashing them and let them walk into the garage and they usually stand by the car door waiting for me to open it. But, with having to remember to set the house alarm, lock the door to the laundry room, etc., sometimes my mind is in too many places at one time and could easily make a mistake. One day, I almost pushed the button to open the garage door instead of turning off the light in the garage. I don't know what would have happened.Desi may have run off because he is the little investigator, but just one wrong move and our dogs could be gone in a split second. We think certain things, such as they would never run off, but we don't know all of the factors that would make our dogs decide to do something other than what we would expect. There is a family down the cul-de-sac that is almost right across from my house. They have a Pappillion which is either a little older or a little younger than Desi. They never have a leash on her, and I see her running across the intersection by herself so many times. My neighbor said that one day she was over at her house when she was gardening, and she carried her back home. This is not a one-time occurrence, and other than the fact that someone gave them the dog, I really don't see that she gets any supervision and maybe not even any loving from the kids anymore. Anyone could just scoop her up and keep her or sell her. I just heard this past week that she was missing, but that was a third-party comment. But, I can bet you that if she is lost or stolen, or maybe even been hit by a car, that they would be the first people to run to an attorney to sue someone. I know that everyone on this group loves and cares for their animals, and to me (and most likely all of you) our animals are not just animals, but actually a part of our family just as kids and siblings, etc. It is just so hard for me to understand why some people treat their animals the way that they do. There is another family in my community (whose back yard would be behind mine, but it is over one house and one street from me. Their two dogs bark almost incessantly during some days (I don't hear it every day, but those must be the days that one of the owners are home). A neighbor down the other side of them actually took a chair in their back yard and looked over and there is a big dog (possible a lab) and a beagle that are on very short chains out there. I know that they got a letter from the HOA a couple years ago about the beagle barking and they took it to be de-barked, but it didn't work right and it sounds like it is dying when it howls now. The animal control has been over there several times, and has looked over the wall and seen the dogs on the short leads. I haven't heard them barking in several days, so perhaps the animal control found them home and fined them for cruelty to animals. I just don't understand why someone would do that to their dogs. Well.I know I am preaching to the choir here, but it just bugs me to no end how some people don't care for their animals like they should. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peggy & The Girls Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2011 1:36 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] Watching our dogs Your right Joan, we can't be to careful...but those accidents can happen and when they do, (like what happened to you) it's enough to give a person a heart attack. But honestly, given the amount of constant missing dogs, I wonder if the majority of pet owners are just plain dumb, ignorant, careless, stupid or what? I have never seen so many so called missing dogs, as I have this year. Makes me wonder just what is going on with people and their pets. I had to train both my girls to sit/stay whenever I open my door. Both tried to run out countless times when I first rescued them. I think that a lot of re-homed dogs try to run away in the beginning because they think that they can find their way back to their original owner. Princess portrayed that for months, by crying at the window and constantly going to the door saying that she wanted to go out. Princess would also constantly smell the ground like a beagle that was tracking something when I walked her. I think she was trying to pick up a scent as to where she was and how she could get back to her original home. Gigi tried to run out the door to follow me constantly, because she was so afraid of loosing another owner, due to her being shuffled around so much. Not only did I immediately on the same day that I got them, put an ID tag on them, but also had them microchipped. Princess learned the sit/stay very well, she now goes to her bed whenever I leave. Gigi would sit by the door and watch me leave, so I had to be extra careful with watching her as she tried to run between my legs just as I was closing the door. She was very quick a couple of times and I was just as afraid of slamming the door on her as I was of her running out door. So it took a little longer to train Gigi. Now she watches Princess and copies from her by going to her bed as well, when she sees me at the door. Gigi has now built up enough self-security and confidence that this is her forever home and that I am always coming back for her. Once I am inside the apartment complex I can even drop her lead to the ground and she will follow me to the door. I can't do that with Princess, as she has a high prey drive and as soon as she sees a squirrel or a cat she is in pursuit and doesn't think where she is going, she just runs for the prey. I have taught them both to 'stop' and 'come' and they do it very well, except that Princess's prey drive instinct is so high, I don't think that she is capable of it as long as she sees a cat or a squirrel. She knew the word 'cat' and 'squirrel' when I got her. So I think a big part of the problem is that she was trained as a puppy to chase them, which is now imprinted on her. It is so important for pet owners to put an ID tag and microchip, and train their dogs to sit and stay whenever the door is opened, as well as train your dog to 'stop' and 'come' on command. -------Original Message------- From: Joan Croft <mailto:[email protected]> Date: 4/16/2011 3:35:15 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] NO LONGER MISSING: Fair Lakes, VIRGINIA (Fairfax County) - M... About a year ago, my exterminator came to spray my front and back yards. At that time, I had a puppy gate across the bottom of my side yard gate so that Dolly & Desi couldn't get out. Well, this one time, the exterminator didn't ring the bell to let me know that he was done, and I wasn't feeling good. The next day, I was sitting on the kitchen floor looking for something that was supposed to be in my purse, and Dolly was sitting right next to me watching. I thought it a bit odd, not that she would be sitting by me, but Desi had become such a little Mommy's Boy about a month before when Dolly had her knee surgery. I ran outside and yelled and called for him. I came in the house and looked everywhere that he could be, then out to the front yard yelling and screaming his name. I came back in and checked the house again, and then ran out the back door again. I think that Dolly knew why I was upset and calling Desi, so she gave out three short barks and there comes Desi across someone's front year and zooming back into the backyard under the gate, just like he had gotten out. I was sooooo upset. He was only missing maybe 5 minutes, but that five minutes seemed like 5 years. I (and Desi) are so lucky that he was not stolen, injured, or anything else. Shortly after that I got a new side yard gate that not only didn't need the puppy gate in front of it, but was also solid so that the dogs couldn't see everyone at the community mailbox across the street and bark at all of them. We can all be so careful, and then just one little thing that happens can change our lives forever. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2011 7:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] NO LONGER MISSING: Fair Lakes, VIRGINIA (Fairfax County) - M... My heart is just breaking for Bella's mom and dad. NEVER EVER let them out of your sight. After our back door, apparently not completely tightly latched blew open, I came downstairs and frantically located our dog and 2 kitties outside, happily sniffing everything, in our backyard. Mine were thankfully safe, but I vowed to tighten up security and never let them out of my sight ever again. Lynn In a message dated 4/15/2011 8:26:27 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Sadly, Bella's body was recovered late yesterday. :( Raven Lucy & Molly & Stella, the Girl Doggies Huginn, Riddari, & Dixie Chick, the Back Behind the Barn Ponies
