Almost Got Away

I just had a scare. I was taking Leena out to use the bathroom, and even though I am constantly tightening her collar, she wriggled loose (scared by a rolling garbage can... it's windy today). Luckily, I was able to coax her around the apartment to our door in the back by saying "C'mon, Leena, let's go!" It took the promise of Honey Bunches of Oats to finally get her inside.

The moral of the story is that I need to continuously check her collar, and everyone else should, too. Never knew it'd get so loose on its own!

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sandy Stickney on October 14, 2011 at 12:55pm

So scary! I have had close calls with both my corgis pushing past me to get out the door, and once they are out, they conveniently can't hear me any more. I live on a quiet street that connects to a busy street, and my loose corgi was headed straight for the busy road, at full speed. I don't know how I got him to stop, but he must have finally responded to the sheer terror in my voice, because all I could do was imagine the horror that I was about to witness first hand. I have also had my other corgi wriggle out of her collar. I usually use harnesses on them when we are out and about now, and sometimes I connect the collar to the harness, as an added layer of wriggle-protection, as our dog trainer told us they can also wriggle out of harnesses! (They can be such wriggly little stinkers!)

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bradly and Jenny Boesen on October 14, 2011 at 1:02pm

Wow, you had a very scary close call, too. We're 2 blocks from one of the busiest streets in our city. It would break my heart to lose Leena. Usually, we take her out with the harness (especially if for a long walk), but I like to just take her out for a quick bathroom break without it (she loves biting at the harness). Very scary, esp. when they do not listen to you. The only reason she didn't run further, I think, is because she is pretty frightened of the outside world and really wanted to follow me. We have a neighbor who lets her Jack Russel Terrier out to do his business without anyone watching him and no fence (we live in an apartment), and I can't believe she risks that.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandy Stickney on October 14, 2011 at 1:19pm

Yes, I would be inconsolable if something happened to them. We have worked very hard on getting them to be calm at doorways. I even make them wait at the bedroom door before they go to their crates for dinner. So luckily they are pretty good about it now, but I still can't let anyone watch them for me. We board them when we go away so I don't have to worry the whole time that they have slipped out the door. I have 2 older dogs that are pretty good when not on a leash, but we have so many dogs in our neighborhood that I don't let them loose. I don't think I would let my dogs out without keeping an eye on them, even if they are well behaved because you just never know what might happen. I would suspect your neighbor hasn't given much thought to the possibilities.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bradly and Jenny Boesen on October 14, 2011 at 1:46pm

I suspect the dog has always been allowed out alone... I don't really know. He's an older Jack Russel ( I bet he's 9 or older, judging by how he scales stairs). They're just lucky he is how he is and that he doesn't roam.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on October 14, 2011 at 1:19pm

I wouldn't be without my martingale collars for busy/unknown areas...they can't wiggle loose:) Just a thought and I know how scary this is as we live in the country and mine aren't leashed but once in a great while will take off:( This is why emergancy recalls are SOOOOOOO important, Sage will drop anything and come running when she hears "Sage, come front" otherwise she may or may not respond to just "come".

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jane on October 14, 2011 at 1:29pm

I've had Luke pop out of his martingale twice now. He seems to have figured out that if he doesn't tighten up on the leash too much he can still back out of it, little smarty pants. Thankfully he doesn't usually go anywhere but it still scares the crap out of me! I keep his tighter than I would like now, but better safe than sorry. Henry has never come out of his.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on October 14, 2011 at 1:38pm

That is scary...smarty pants is right!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on October 15, 2011 at 9:07pm

yes the importance of an emergency recall can't be stressed enough! All of my dogs have always been trained on long leashes and then off leash so when/if they get out its nothing special and they just wait for me to come. I can leave my front door wide open and Franklin wouldn't even think about heading out. However, I had a rescued german shepherd several years ago who was VERY skittish and one time when I was camping she slipped her collar when she spooked and ran out on the highway! It was the scariest thing ever. She had an awesome guardian angel though because right as she was jetting down the highway a police officer was going by and turned his lights on and escorted her while she ran back to me. Soooo scary though! She was never without a choke chain or martingale again!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David, Sons & Thia the Corgi on October 14, 2011 at 2:22pm

Thia has only gotten off collar once and was as surprised as I was, but I got a harness to try…….she will not move with it on not even for peanut butter…Brat. We live country but I have to do more work on recall as she has found three cottonmouth snakes this year and a lot of garden snakes to.