Thank you Collette! for rescuing an unknown lost dog and restoring her to me.
My family has been using an underground electronic dog fence through 10 years and 5 dogs. It allows us to give our dogs free range over 10 acres of property without worrying about their safety. The humane society considers it "inhumane," so we had to get a special waiver in order to adopt our most recent dog. It is ridiculous and only indicates that they don't know how these systems work.
The dog goes through a training period. They may get shocked only once, possibly twice during training. After that, all it takes is the warning beep to deter them from the boundaries. One unpleasant shock (which I have experienced as well!) in exchange for a lifetime of free roaming and safety. No leashes, no choking, free to hunt, swim in the pond, and be as dogs are meant to be for at least part of their doggie lives.
Once, when the collar was OFF one dog, she wandered over the line and was hit and killed by a car. A few people mentioned that they had seen her: "Oh yeah, I saw a dog walking around earlier. I was wondering about that."
It was heart-wrenching, an accident, and if there was blame to be assigned it was to us. But still, there was that ache in my stomach - why didn't the people who saw her go and get her? or call someone? put her somewhere safe? In this day and age, especially around traffic, loose dogs are never meant to be loose. When you see one, it means that something is amiss and the dog is at risk.
How often do we see something wrong and just say, well it's not my problem? How much trouble is it, really, to pick up a stray dog - or help a stranger in trouble? I have picked up dogs several times, and I have never regretted it, nor have their grateful, if abashed owners.
Clara's collar was on yesterday, but apparently malfunctioned. (still broken, and I await the fence guy to come and repair or replace) All it took was one day without reminder beeps, and her testing of the boundaries got her over the line and into trouble.
Thankfully I got that phone call from Collette. "Your dog was in the road, and people were driving around her, so I picked her up. She's very sweet." Collette waited for me to drive and meet her and pick up my wayward pup. I don't know her, and only got her first name, but I am forever grateful for her intervention and kindness. Thanks to her, our dear friend is still with us!
A light-hearted thought for the day: There is over an hour more daylight now than there was when I began my sunrise outings on Jan. 1. Sunrise is 21 minutes earlier, sunset is 42 minutes later.
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