How Many Times Has Your Dog Escaped?

[samoyedman]

...and how did they managed to do it?

Happened to me for the first time in 9 years. Bloody idiot I am. Left the gate open. :-(

Got a note on my door from a lovely neighbour who brought him home.

[Flashsmum]

Glad he is home safe!

Harry (greyhound) twice, both times when we'd only had him a short while (adopted him at 18 months), and both times was getting him out of the car and not grabbing his lead quickly enough. The bugger went for a run (both times at night) and then returned happy as!

Whitney (great dane), twice. We adopted her at age 4.5yrs and she was fine to start with. We had a minor hurricane go through on a weekend, and the following Monday were at work when I got a call that she had been found by someone. I went to pick her up, she had escaped again but was found by an electricity worker, bleeding really badly as she had run through a rural fence and cut and artery. He had bandaged her up, I took her to the vet, and they put her on a drip overnight. She lost a lot of blood. Apparently there had been a loud bang from some workmen, and she freaked and got over the fence for the first time ever. We fixed the only low fence on the "wrong" side of the house.

The second time she escaped, I got a call from my neighbour who had seen her at her workplace (school up the road) and then helped me drive around looking for her for a couple of hours before we found her. My boss also joined the search, and we were on the phone with the council ranger as she called us every time there was a reported sighting. The workmen next door had dropped a piece of metal from a rooftop, the bang set her off, and she got over a 6 foot fence.

The dogs are now locked in the house when we are not home as we aren't taking anymore chances with a scaredy dane clearing fences when she thinks there's a monster coming to get her! Luckily hubby is a shift worker, so they don't need to be locked up too often.

[Better Late]

Twice, human error both times.

The first escape happened not too long after we came home with her. Maybe a month or two. I don't even remember what happened exactly but it had something to do with me being an idiot and leaving the screen door ajar as I was bringing the shopping in. My kingdom for a front yard with a fence and a gate. Anyway the next thing I knew she had vamoosed out of the house, I'm sure the entire suburb heard my expletive laden rant as I raced around trying to find her collar and lead, which my darling partner had moved to a different solar system for some unknown reason. I remember thinking to myself at the time...would it make a bit more sense to actually go after the dog? Oh wait...no use going after her if you cant keep hold of her...no recall to speak of...groan.

Located the collar and lead, ran to the front door thinking of all the possible trouble she could have got herself into, was just about to open the screen door to step outside when around the car sprinted a quite panicked idiot dog who had somehow cottoned on to the fact that being at home with me had more value than the big wide stupid culdesac-come-crown-land that we live in/on. I'll never forget the look on her face and I admit I did laugh :laugh:

The second time was a few months back, we had gone out for a bushwalk and we were standing by the car sorting things out. I was by the boot trying to stop the camelbak from leaking water and I thought my partner had a hold of the dog who was on the backseat fully kitted up ready to go. All of a sudden there's a commotion and a blue merle blur zips past me, she had seen a wallaby. I asked my partner if his hand was okay as we started to run off after her...he goes 'ummm yes its fine because I wasn't holding on to her' !!!!!!!

We searched and searched and called and cried and panicked and called and yelled and nearly went hoarse for close to an hour. Tripped over ourselves through thick bushland, this was about 5.30pm here in Victoria and we were rapidly losing light. We were trudging back to the car and still calling out, resigned to the fact that we'd have to go home, call the ranger, get torches/food/god knows what else and come back to look. She had nicked off in her harness, leash and wet weather jacket...I was so worried she'd be caught on something unable to move

Thankfully just as we reached the top of a crest near the car we hear a frantic scrambling and a bark, turn around to see our little escapee sprinting up the hill towards us. I've never dropped to my knees and cried in relief over a dog before! Even my partner blubbered and he reckons he doesn't have feelings lol men.

Glad your boy is home safe :)

Edited August 7, 2015 by Better Late

[JRG]

Even if they get out, mine just hang around by the car waiting to be taken out!

A friend once told me never to walk my dogs off the immediate area to the yard (I live on acreage) then they would not know the area, so would not take themselves for a walk.. I have found this to be true.

[Little Gifts]

Only twice with Miss Stussy. Both were my fault. First time it was a hot summer day and we were taking all three to see a doggy psychic (don't ask). I blew a tyre near home and when I got out to look the little rodent jumped out of the car window (which I'd stupidly put all the way down when we stopped so I could 'watch' them) and ran down the laneway to a huge park she knows. There was a bmx meet going on and my poor sister ran after her but couldn't spot her. I had to stay with the car for the RACQ and to sort the other dogs out. Eventually she came back by herself exhausted (as did my sister!). The second time was only last year. We keep a collection of collars, harnesses and leashes inside as well as on the front verandah and I used to drive Stussy to the local 7/11 every Sunday morning to get the paper as a treat. I let her on the verandah and discovered all the collars and leashes had been moved back inside so I went back in to grab one without realising the front verandah gate was not closed properly. So off she went. She actually followed the path my car takes to the 7/11 and instead of just crossing the road to it was running around the big roundabout when a lovely family stopped, opened their car door and she jumped straight in. Meanwhile I'd been given false advice from some kids that she had gone to our local park so I went there looking for her first (as well as the 7/11. Eventually I came back home and started ringing around. As it was a Sunday the lovely family had taken her to the closest open vet about 20 minutes north. They'd done a microchip check but had been too busy to call me. I had her home in about 2 hours.

I left Tempeh on the front verandah recently by accident and she was clinging to the front door desperate to get back in. She has no interest in leaving the property.

Glad you got Fluff back so quickly Sam.

[WeimMe]

My little guy was escaping and we didn't even know because he'd go out and then come back under the fence like nothing had happened! I was taking him for a walk one morning and a lady in her yard remarked "Oh is he yours? He was in my kitchen having breakfast this morning!". We had to put chicken wire under the entire perimeter of the fence dug into the ground to keep the little bugger in.

I'm pretty sure that he hasn't gotten out again.

[samoyedman]

It was a bit stressful for me. There's a busy road from here and I worry he could have gotten run over. And I hear things about dogs being stolen.

Thank God for nice people.

[Ci]

I am lucky. My ones never.

But I did babysit one who would jump the fence all the time and I would have to chase her up the street. And she could clear a 6 ft fence with ease. Nerve wrecking!

[Dame Aussie]

We had tradies and a gate was left open, our bad, we thought it had all been closed up, I let the dogs out and when I went to get them they were gone. I called them and they came back all out of breath from running the streets

the only other time Lili squeezed through a tiny gap in the side fence and gate, think something must have scared her as there was hair stuck on the gap it was really tiny and not a gap a dog would normally see as an option! She then sat on the front doorstep till we got home.

It's awfully scary, I'm glad fluffybutt was brought home quickly.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Dame Aussie

[Rayhay]

Only once!

Husband accidentally left the side gate open, which is usually fine, as ours don't normally venture too far out of the house yard when someone is home, and he likes working out the front and having them with him, anyway, he went inside through the front door and both dogs followed him inside, and he opened the back door to put them outside, grabbed car keys and went up the street, was gone for about 15 minutes.

Upon return, he saw two of our three dogs running around our street (we live on a quiet dirt dead end road) they were just sniffing around, wandering aimlessly, however our third dog a Rotty bitch had decided to wander off into the bushland over the other side of our street, I thought in all honesty, she's gone, she will never come home, someone will find her and keep her, or worse.. We drove around all the roads we could near our house, screaming, yelling, calling until we had no voice left, I was in tears, I was extremely upset to the point I eventually was exhausted emotionally and physically, my husband continued to drive around, I was home busy on the phone trying to call pounds, rangers, neighbours, you name it, I literally put the phone down, decided to just sit on the front porch and think for a minute...I looked up, only to see Miss Samantha (our wandering Rott) wander down the driveway, exhausted and thirsty!

She had been gone around 3 hours, I have never been so relieved in my life, I cried and cried out of sheer relief. It was nice to feel her big Rotty kisses again! Phew.

[HazyWal]

Maddie squashed herself through that square wire fencing once to chase another dog but I was in the yard at the time so she didn't get far. They both took off out the front door within half an hour of arriving in this new house when my mate that was the removalist who bought my stuff down went out to the truck and left the front door wide open. Luckily there were two cats in the window of the house next door so they stopped and stared at them for the minute it took my mate to tell me they had bolted. They would've had no chance of coming back as we had just arrived in Victoria and they didn't even know where they lived!

[BullBreedBoy]

Baxter used to dig epic holes under the fence to get out if alone when he was a pup. Then it just stopped. Dunno what changed. Luckily I live in a quite area, and the old lady next door is a dog lover so she brought him home!

[Zombie Bait]

Twice with Sierra the ridgeback and twice with Brembo.

The ex left the garage door open and forgot about it and Brembo took himself for a walk. I realised about 20 mins later that he wasn't around, ran outside and called him and he appeared from the end of the street and came running back.

When we moved house someone opened the gate and let Sierra and Brembo out. I didn't know and was driving home from grocery shopping when I spotted a good looking dog sniffing around someone's front yard two streets from home. Realised it was my good looking dog, pulled the car over, opened the passenger side door and told him to get in, which thankfully Brembo did. Sierra was missing for about 45 mins at that stage, called the ex who was on his way home to search near our old place whilst I searched the streets around the new place. He found her running alongside the road near the old place, opened the car door and called her and she jumped right in and was so happy to see him. After that the gate was padlocked.

The last time with Sierra was when someone let off a firecracker in the street whilst we were out. She cleared a six foot colourbond fence and disappeared for 18 hours. I was frantic and an absolute mess, called the rspca, local council, all the local vets etc. Luckily someone found her and called the rspca and they put us in contact with them. The ex went to get her and as soon as she heard his car she broke free from her rescuer and jumped in the ute. After that I locked her inside when we were out because any loud noise freaked her out and she would try to escape if we weren't home. Having a noise phobic dog that could clear six foot fencing was very stressful. The last I heard, the ex was giving her free range to the house and yard when he wasn't at home and as long as she could "hide" in his room if she heard a scary noise she was ok. I wouldn't of been comfortable giving her the chance to escape but unfortunately I no longer have any say in the matter.

[sas]

Zero - have been lucky enough to live in properties that just don't have the set up to allow for it.

[Podengo]

Once. The gate latch had bent and popped open in high winds. I had let Elsie outside to toilet and she wasn't scratching at the door within a minute like usual, I looked down the side of the house and the gate was wide open. I ran outside and called her and she came running back... Had been across the road and up the street a little

[Dame Aussie]

It's great to hear about all the good doggies coming home when called!

[Rascalmyshadow]

With 5 little dogs here my house is like Fort Knox, multiple doors/gates to get off the property, however twice Astro has dissappeared into the next door neighbours yard, turned out he was following my two large rabbits that had dug under the fence. My husband has laid chicken wire along the fence line so now no one can get out.

[Bjelkier]

Never, thankfully!

[YippeeGirl]

I would say once. I had been doing something in the backyard and I thought I'd shut the side gate, but the latch hadn't shut properly and so if you pushed on the gate it would open.

I was inside when I get a knock on the door, and it's my next door neighbour asking me if any of my dogs were out, as she had a German Shepherd wandering around in her front yard.

I could see one of the dogs in the backyard, but I go out the front, and there is a very sheepish looking Ares standing there. I nearly had a heart attack at the time. We live on a quiet, dead-end street, but I kept thinking about what could have happened, especially if he'd gone after someone's dog.

I would suspect what has happened was that Ares got out the open gate, and when the other dog tried to do the same, she shut the gate behind him. He's then been unable to get back into the yard, and so has just wandered off.

Now I make sure I really give the gate a solid push to make sure it is shut properly before I go inside.

[Two Best Dogs!]

I've only had her 6 months and only had one close call - the night of the dog attack she bolted but I kept my front gates closed so she stopped there. That gate has since broken so I need to fix that in case of other bolting and so she can join me in gardening. All the other bolt risks were on your usual walk so I walk her on a martingale to avoid a panicked slip.

She lives indoors cause like with zombie bait - a scared dog that can clear 5 foot when startled is a bit risky. My backyard fencing is 6'5" but I don't want to risk it. She prefers indoors when alone anyway.