Gentle Reminder To Keep Your Hounds Secure...

[Guest BlueDaisy]

Dear All,

 

First let me apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum. I looked through the Greyhound Amber Alert section but as that is only for actively missing hounds and our Rocky is finally home safe and sound, I'm really not sure where this post belongs. If anyone knows of a better area to post this to, I will gladly move it.

 

I wanted to share an incident that happened to us last night that could have been avoided entirely had we only made sure the gate to our backyard area was securely closed. We are very proud owners of a wonderful 4 year old retired racer named Rocky (call name: WV's Salt Rock). He's all black with just a small white patch on his chest. We've had him for about a year and a half now. Even though he's done a fabulous job of adjusting to life as a family member, he is still quite nervous at times and spooks easily, especially when it comes to anything new.

 

About 9pm last night, we let him out the back for what should have been a brief potty break before coming in for the night. After about 5-10 minutes, we realized we couldn't see him. We have a small backyard & the only area we can't see from the back door is the side of the house by the gate. One of us ran out to check on him and we noticed the gate was open. Needless to say, our hearts sank, especially because he didn't have a collar on. We both ran outside to check the walking path we always go to in hopes he would have gone to our "favorite spot" on the path. No such luck.

 

When I got back to the house I called our local PD non-emergency number to report him gone. The first thing the dispatcher asked was "Is this about the black greyhound"? I was absolutely floored. By then, Rocky had only been gone about 20 minutes and the police had already received a number of calls with more coming in by the minute. He gave me the closest intersection to where Rocky was last spotted and told me to head up in that direction. He took my cell number down & promised to call me back with location updates as they came in. He ended up calling me twice, with "last spotted at" information, told me he had sent 2 patrol cars to the area and directed me to head that way. God bless him.

 

In the end, our beloved Rocky the Rock Monster was corralled by a patrol officer and a compassionate bystander who happened to have an extra leash in her car. When I finally met up with the officer, he was sitting in his car on the side of the road with our Rocky standing in the back seat of the car, absolutely exhausted. When all was said and done, Rocky had traveled over 3 miles in just 30 minutes. And had traffic snarled in all directions for about a mile each way.

 

To help you understand what a miracle this truly was, we live in a very rural area of Bucks County Pennsylvania. It was late at night and there are NO streetlights - anywhere. Rocky is an ALL BLACK dog - without his collar on. What were the chances anyone would even catch a glimpse of him, anywhere, let alone be able to catch him?

 

As it turned out, the kind officer who had caught him said everyone who called with location information all said he was running smack in the middle of the street, directly over the double yellow line and refused to move off of it. And because of that, he was able to be seen by cars passing by who promptly called police. And that's exactly where they were able to leash him...on the double yellow line, as he refused to budge from it until they led him off the road and into the back of the patrol car.

 

Since I don't know much about the racing industry and how these beautiful dogs are trained, I can't say if his attraction to the yellow line was connected somehow. All I know is that God was certainly watching over him last night. And his mommy & daddy learned a big lesson about double-checking that the gate to the yard is always closed & locked before letting him out. And about keeping a collar on him at all times when he goes outside.

 

Hopefully, sharing our little "adventure" from last night will help prevent this from happening to someone else. This time, we were lucky; next time, it might not end as well.

 

Warm Regards,

Blue

 

Oh...and other than sore pads on all 4 feet, he was completely unscathed - truly a miracle

[Guest Teresa]

We have 2 gates in our yard. The one we don't use is padlocked and we keep a bungie strap on the one we do use for extra protection. Thank God Rocky got home safe. What a scary thing to have happen.

[luvhounds2]

I'm so glad Rocky made it back home so quickly, and safely. Unbelievable how it all played out!!! Rocky must have many Angels looking over him!

 

We also keep our gate locked. We use a chain & padlock. Too many kids in the neighborhood over the past 10 years who don't always respect other's bounderies!

[Guest FawnFan]

Thank goodness for a safe return and that Rocky is unharmed (except for the sore feet). And what a wonderful community you live in! I've been on many a lost hound search and I don't think I've ever heard of any having that many calls without posters being plastered everywhere in the area. And the police, they were extremely helpful from what you described. This is a great story and I'm so glad everyone came together and helped your boy get home safe and sound. Thanks for sharing!

[Feisty49]

What a scare for you and your family. My heart was beating fast just reading about the account of the 30 minutes. You're a good person to post a reminder about being so very careful. None of us can ever be complacent when it comes to safety for our hounds.

[JAJ2010]

Terrifying! Thanks goodness he was came back quickly and safe! Sounds like your Police Dept rocks!

[Guest SealDogMermaid]

Thank you for sharing your story with us - you must have been beside yourself :-( I would have been such a mess! I have passed a link to this post along to some other grey moms and dads. We could all benefit from reading a story like this every once in a while to keep us on our toes. Im so glad Rocky was ok and that there were helpful people who came to your aid :-) I too wonder about the attraction to the double line - hopefully someone jumps in about if that is a result of their track training! Im very curious to know as well!

[Guest BlueDaisy]

Yes, we were VERY blessed to have as much help as we did last night. I thank GOD Rocky was smart enough to stay on the yellow line, as I really believe that is the ONLY reason anyone was able to spot him.

 

Can you imagine though? Driving down a quiet rural road at night to suddenly find a greyhound racing along the double yellow line? All alone? How bizarre that must have been for the drivers passing by, lol.

 

Our fence isn't a chain link, it's one of those wooden privacy fences with a door handle that latches closed. Clearly, it isn't very secure. Rocky's daddy is going to see about adding some kind of additional security measures to make sure the gate stays closed.

[deboosh]

Although most of our property is fenced, we are planning to gate the entry points on either side of the house next spring. After reading your story, I think it would be wise that we permanently close off the least-used side to lessen the chances of this happening to us. We don't have a grey yet, but I appreciate reading the posts from others, especially when they concern the safety of our animals. I am so happy to hear that your beloved Rocky is back at home safe and sound with his loving family. Thank you for posting your experience.

[robinw]

How scary! I had the exact same thing happen to me yesterday! I let the dogs out into the backyard for the third time of the day. Nobody came when I called them in. I looked and the gate was open and there weren't any dogs. I went to the front of my house and saw Iker a few houses down. I ran towards my door and he followed me into the house. Then I grabbed a leash and collar to look for Treasure, who was absent. I called her a few times, and somebody from the nearby trail replied that he had her. A wonderful man with two little dogs heard me calling her. He called her and she came to him, so he grabbed her collar.

 

Very scary! I am so glad that your story has a happy ending.

[TheFullHouse]

Thank goodness he's home and unhurt. I have a suggestion for you. I have several black and black brindle hounds and I was able to get 1 inch tag collars where the actual tag can be attached to the collar so nothing is left dangling. There is a reflective strip on the collar that is so good I can see my dogs in the yard with no lights on. The moon light shines off of the reflective strip making my dogs easier to spot in a dark yard. This might help you spot him in your back yard. Glad he's home safe and sound.

[Guest BlueDaisy]

robinw, I am so glad to hear you were able to get your babies back. Terrifying, isn't it, when we first realize they're gone? What makes it worse is knowing it was completely preventable.

 

Jilly, that's a great suggestion. I'm going to look into getting one. Although it will only work if he's actually wearing the collar. Too often we've let him out for a "quick one" without his collar on. I was never completely comfortable with that; now, that's a practice that will end immediately. His collar stays on at all times from this point forward. I don't think my nerves can handle another night like last night.

[Wonder]

Your story brought tears to my eyes. I'm so happy to read a happy ending.

 

Both my gates have been locked the last few years but I still worry.

[PatricksMom]

There are break away tag collars if you have safety reasons for taking his collar off. I read this suggestion from someone here and I'm doing it for my next dog--get a second tag made up that reads "if I'm loose I'm lost" so that if people see your dog loose they'll know he's not allowed to be out.

[schultzlc]

I am so glad to hear that Rocky made it back home safe and sound! What a stressful night you had.

[Guest dmt]

So glad everyone's babies are ok. How scary for all of you.

[maryz]

My heart was racing as I was reading your story. Thank God your boy is safely home. We, too, live in a rural area and have a large fenced-in area for our Sherri. We have three

gates, one on each side of the yard and a large gate to allow our tractor to fit through. We have locks and heavy duty bungee cords on all of them. I am so paranoid, I actually

take her out on leash for the last two turnouts of the night. She also wears a tag with the words "If I'm alone, I'm lost." Thank you for the reminder and I'm so happy you had a

happy ending. Your community sounds wonderful.

[Guest BrianRke]

I am so happy that your story had a happy ending. Thanks for sharing.

[seeh2o]

You are so very lucky to get your boy back and unharmed. My heart dog ran away, climbed a tall fence because he was afraid of illegal fireworks. It's something you never ever get over. As a result, I've become a nut about keeping my two secure. The fence is now higher and the gate has a deadbolt on it which I lock religiously (I have a crazy neighbor who thinks mi casa e su casa...it's not and now he can't get in the yard without a lot of work).

 

My two are also black and are very hard to see them in my fairly large terraced yard at night, so I have had break-away reflective tag collars made for my two. Pam from Cozy Coats is making two more for me right now as the two she made several years ago are pretty worn out! They are made from 3M ribbon, the same stuff they use for emergency personnel who are often in low light situations. The stuff really reflects. Also, Wendy from Needlenose Neckware makes some great and super reflective tag collars, too. She made one for my parent's black dog, works great!

 

When I walk them at dusk or night I have these super bright little lights dangling from their harnesses, they really can't be ignored as they swing, wiggle around and flash very brightly on the ground (you could mount it to the top of the harness, too).

 

I work with them on recall (super important) and use a squawker for it. I have 3 squawkers that I keep in strategic places: home, car and in my dog walking gear. When the dogs are with me, I am never without one. I also have small leashes all over the place, including in my dog walking gear.

 

Finally, if the worst should happen, I have gps units attached to their tag collars. I have two Tagg Pet Tracker units. I test them regularly and their tracking capacity is really incredible. When I went to my s/o's house in Las Vegas I checked their location. At the time Claire was on the couch on the North side of the house, Carl was laying on the dog bed on the South side of the house. The software and gps was so sensitive that it showed (when I hit Track) where we had parked, then where each dog was spread out in the house. It was phenomenal and really makes me feel like I'd have a chance to find them if they ever got away from me. They even work in the wooded hills of the park near my house.

Edited October 12, 2012 by seeh2o

[PatricksMom]

Finally, if the worst should happen, I have gps units attached to their tag collars. I have two Tagg Pet Tracker units. I test them regularly and their tracking capacity is really incredible. When I went to my s/o's house in Las Vegas I checked their location. At the time Claire was on the couch on the North side of the house, Carl was laying on the dog bed on the South side of the house. The software and gps was so sensitive that it showed (when I hit Track) where we had parked, then where each dog was spread out in the house. It was phenomenal and really makes me feel like I'd have a chance to find them if they ever got away from me. They even work in the wooded hills of the park near my house.

 

If you don't mind my asking, I couldn't find on their website, about how much do these run?

[seeh2o]

It is $99.95 for the base unit and collar unit (comes with cords and attachments). The service is $7.95 per month. A second collar unit (I liked it so much for Claire I bought one for Carl, I couldn't bear the thought of him getting away and I didn't get one for him) is $89.95 and only .95 more a month for the service. You can synch both Tagg collar units to one home unit. I bought a travel unit as I go to Ed's in LV a lot, so I need it for there.

 

Here is a link to the page with prices and packages.

 

FYI, it survived an attack (may have actually saved Claire from stitches) and a skunking. They are pretty tough little devices.