Who let the dogs out?

Who let the dogs out?
Which fence do you prefer?

I have had the same picket fence encase my yard for the last 16 years, the pickets are worn and breaking off, the posts seem to be rotting to the core and there are escape holes in various areas. Ugh, the thought of replacing the fence around the yard is mind numbing because of the cost and labor as this would be a do it yourself project and I have an acre of property to enclose. The most recent replacement of a portion of the fence was about three years ago when Steeler was returned to me. Steeler was an unneutered rambunctious dog who was very much used to breaking out of the yard and running the streets. To this day I hear stories from neighbors of Steeler’s former owner just how often he would break loose. It would have been helpful to know this bit of information when he was returned to me as my four foot picket fence with its rotted and broken pickets were certainly no match for him. My other dogs kind of respected the fence for the most part, well except for Crazy Bentley, if he found an easy opening, he too would go out and explore. Bentley absolutely loves his Debbie, our neighbor.

So which fence is the best choice? That can be a hard and expensive lesson to learn. I have gone through pickets, chain link, sonic, and stockade fencing over the years and they all had their loop holes. The picket and stockade fencing were shown to be no match for the dogs as they could climb over, dig under, or just push their heads through knocking out picket after picket until they made a hole big enough to fit through. Because of the criss/ cross pattern of the chain link fence, it actually gave the dogs good footing to just climb it like a step ladder and hop out to the other side, so unless it was ten feet tall with barbed wire at the top it was found to be useless for such giant breeds. Somehow I don’t think the neighbors would like living next to a house with barbed wire, it might look too prison like! The invisible or sonic fencing work for some dogs and not for others, and once the battery runs down in the collar the dog is not getting the warning signal anymore so off they go!

So after purchasing and erecting a four foot stockade in the back part of the north forty as I like to call it ( makes me feel so Dallas like), to keep Steeler from getting out did not work for the reasons I stated above, I went to the $300.00 sonic fencing. Sonic fencing requires no wires, it is a unit that you set up in your home or a shed (with electricity) and this allows the dog a 90 degree radius around the unit. The dog wears a radio collar just as they would with the underground wire system. Steeler respected the sonic collar for a while until the battery ran down which happened way too soon in my opinion, so unless I could remember to keep back up batteries in the home at all times I was back in the same situation in which I started. Also if the electricity went off, the sonic box would not work.

Hmmm, what to do, what to do, what to do? Steeler getting loose was down right dangerous for his health and he was also showing Bentley where the escape holes were! Crazy Bentley is not as street wise as Steeler is, but is always looking for opportunity to go out and romp.

What I finally found success with was the hot wire fencing. This is how my picket fence, being in such deplorable condition, is able to keep my rambunctious dogs in the yard! A hot wire system can be connected to any existing fence you have. I used this fencing years ago when I lived in NY and remember hooking it up here when we first moved in but the original box that I brought to PA with me had since died, or maybe it just needed a fuse but Pete didn’t know so he threw it out! Yes, yes, it is easier just to blame poor Peter who until recently had very little experience with all things mechanical. Heck, I remember when we were without a phone for nearly a week because Peter decided to cut all those pesky wires that were hanging from the basement rafters!

A hot wire is an exposed wire that attaches to existing fencing (or posts) via plastic conductors and is attached to a box which sends electrical current through the wire so when you touch it you get a little shock. The wire and the conductors also act as a visual to the dog, unlike a sonic or buried wire that the dog never sees. When we first hooked it up we all got zapped buy it because while doing lawn work or going to chat with a neighbor over the fence we would get a little too close to the wire that we somehow forgot was there, and ZAP right across the shins! And there were times when I thought it was not working properly because I saw a dog brush up against it and not yelp so I’d ask Peter or the boys to tap it with their fingers and see if it was still working. “Oh SHIT!” I’d hear as they would quickly pull their hand back into the safety of their body and then check to see if their heart was still beating! “Yes, it’s working!” they’d reply and then some expletives would follow that sentence.
What I did not realize at the time was that it was only the dog’s hair that was touching the fence, not an actual body part that would feel a shock! Ooops!

So without hesitation I would recommend a hot wire fence for these simple observations made by myself having tried many different types of fences over the years.

1) When the dog touches the wire once, they never go near it again, (my box has been turned off for months since Steeler touched the wire and he has never attempted to go within two feet of the fencing)
2) There is a visual for the dog to see and remember unlike sonic or underwire fencing and no batteries or radio collar needed.
3) It is easy to install on an already existing fence, the total cost is approximately one hundred and fifty dollars, depending on the size of your yard.
4) You can really screw with the family by having them test the fence for you every now and then! Just kidding, get a fence tester it’s worth the extra ten bucks.

But hey, you know your dog better than anyone so go with what works for you:)

Sonic fence http://www.petmarket.com/petsafe-wireless-fence-p-88.html

Hot wire http://www.farmsupplystore.com/departments/electricfencesupplies?gclid=CMTOuMaR55oCFQ06kgodKFKBCQ

Fencing~ installing a hot wire http://www.gomestic.com/Do-It-Yourself/How-to-Install-an-Electric-Fence.67355

Goodbye old friend

Dakota South Five

(Cody)

The Loss of My 16 Year Old Friend

Dakota South Five, June 1993 ~ July 24, 2009

Good bye friend,sung by Linda Ronstadt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBHcUv_42zI

At times when I have been out and about with Chance or Steeler visiting the public I will occasionally hear this comment from people: “I love dogs, but I could never own one because I can’t go through all the sadness when they die.”

I never really knew how to respond to that statement as the death of a pet is a very hard and personal thing to go through and each person reacts differently to it. I prefer to grieve privately, not tell anyone but family what happened and when friends do find out I appreciate just a short note of acknowledgement and nothing more as I am not an easy one to talk to about such a subject in person, as the majority of my close friends have experienced. The death of one of my dogs will leave me speechless and blubbering like an idiot for several days or weeks on end.
So to all those well meaning people, a note or nod of the head will do for me and be warned, even a nod can open the floodgates of my heart.

Others though, are helped by talking openly to anyone who will understand their pain and I admire them as they probably get through the loss a bit faster or perhaps a little bit easier as burdens are easier carried when there are others to help lighten the load. There really is no right or wrong way to grieve over the loss of one's pet just as there is no right or wrong way to grieve over the loss of a human companion, but after Cody’s euthanasia on Friday, for some reason the above statement came to mind and now I think I may be better equipped to answer it from a personal standpoint.

"For me, sixteen years of happiness is worth the struggle of a few days or even weeks of pain that you will feel when it is time for your friend to cross over the rainbow bridge."

Dakota South Five, AKA Cody, my Cocker Spaniel, was not as well known as my Newfoundland’s, he did not possess their outwardly charming personality and in fact many did not like him. His fear aggressive personality was a real turnoff to those who met him, but his personality was not his fault. When a person brings home a fear aggressive dog it is their duty to try and change the way the dog views the world. In Cody’s first year he was trained in obedience and he did go out and socialize frequently as we would bring him to our boy's baseball games, take him for walks through town, or rides in the car when we went shopping, but it was not enough, and as the household increased yearly with more dogs, although Cody still went many places, he rarely came in contact with people and very rarely was he in contact with dogs outside the family. He was as much as a socialite as Peter and I are, and that is not saying much since it has been 17 years since our move from NY to PA and we can still count the number of neighbors we know on less than ten fingers!

Some may have known Cody personally and some may have only heard his name mentioned through me or Peter. Depending on which of one of us you talked to would determine if you would like him or if you would head for the hills when he came near you. To me, Cody was always friendly as I was the apple of his eye, his tail always wagged when I walked into a room, and in his youth he would wait by the back gate for me to come home, be it rain, snow, sleet, or hail, and no one could budge him away from that gate with just a call of his name, he waited there unless he was physically picked up and moved. He was a smart dog and was always eager to learn a new trick. He would wave a paw on command and bring me any item that I would ask him to bring, a shoe was a shoe, a slipper a slipper, and a ball was a ball, he knew them all. He enjoyed his car rides, and trips to his Grandparents house when my father was alive, and he liked his stuffed Kong which he still played with until the end of his life. He still got excited when cars pulled into our driveway, excited for the very company he did not know how to handle once face to face with them.

Peter did not quite see Cody in the same light I did, but I understood where he was coming from.


No matter how you remember Cody, he was a great example of a dog that came with baggage. Baggage that he should have had extensive help with to overcome, so as the old saying goes, “Don’t shoot the dog, shoot the owner!”

I still have six wonderful, healthy dogs in my charge all being around the same age, maybe a year or two difference between them, so I suspect that one year I will really be bombarded with the passing of loyal companions and I don’t envy my family, friends, or coworkers when this inevitable process takes place.

For those of you who may need help with your grief there is a great site where you can talk with other owners going through the same thing. You can also register your pet to have a candle lit in their memory. I will be lighting a candle for Cody at 10 PM EST on Monday as well as for the rest of my dogs that have gone before him.

http://www.petloss.com/

An animated story of the Rainbow Bridge
http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html


The story of the Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... Author unknown...