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I've never owned a dog, but, through the years, I've seen the flyers taped to the light poles in the neighborhoods, announcing Lost Dog. Tonite someone tucked a Los Dog flyer under the windshield wipers of nearly every car in the neighborhood. Mind you, this is a townhouse complex, with a courtyard for their dogs, with 6 foot wall separations.
I understand ferrets all to well, being a ferret owner, and I know, when walking my ferret around the neighborhood, he gets out of his leash, it's comparable to a bird flying away! My ferret does not respond to his name, so it's Good-bye, perhaps forever!
But I'm puzzled over lost dogs. if a dog wiggles his way out of his leash, they run away, and won't respond to their names? or are there particular types of dogs that are more apt to run away from their owners, once they have that freedom?
Maybe you should try a dog. You could probably find one that is friendly with your ferret.
I lived in a rural area and rarely had my dog on a leash. When I let him out in the AM he took off and I had no idea where he was. However, he always came back when I whistled. Some dogs will do this some won't. Some will get lost or get anxious and wander into the roads or walk down the middle of them until they are hit by a car. I have found several dogs this way. Usually I was able to find their owners. Dogs that are well trained and adjusted to their surroundings will not run away but young, boisterous dogs often will. Also if they are not neutered they may go looking for *******.
Or slips past the owner when he opens the door, or climbs over/digs under a fence. There are lots of different ways that a dog can get loose.
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they run away, and won't respond to their names?
Most dog owners have poorly-trained dogs. It's not easy to teach a truly reliable recall (by which I mean the dog is so well trained that he will come even when highly excited or distracted, not just when he is calm).
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or are there particular types of dogs that are more apt to run away from their owners, once they have that freedom?
Yes. Dogs from breeds bred to work in close cooperation with people (like herding breeds or gun dogs) are easier to train to recall reliably. Dogs from breeds which work independently (sight hounds, scent hounds, sled dogs, terriers) are much tougher to train to a high level of reliability.
I've never owned a dog, but, through the years, I've seen the flyers taped to the light poles in the neighborhoods, announcing Lost Dog. Tonite someone tucked a Los Dog flyer under the windshield wipers of nearly every car in the neighborhood. Mind you, this is a townhouse complex, with a courtyard for their dogs, with 6 foot wall separations.
I understand ferrets all to well, being a ferret owner, and I know, when walking my ferret around the neighborhood, he gets out of his leash, it's comparable to a bird flying away! My ferret does not respond to his name, so it's Good-bye, perhaps forever!
But I'm puzzled over lost dogs. if a dog wiggles his way out of his leash, they run away, and won't respond to their names? or are there particular types of dogs that are more apt to run away from their owners, once they have that freedom?
I know someone who was driving with her dog in the car. She stopped to get something out of the trunk, and the dog jumped out of the window and ran away. She never found it.
Thanks for furthering my education on dogs that get lost!
Vacanegro: I would love to have a dog some day, a Norwegian Elkhound or German Shepherd, but I live in a townhouse complex where they issue noise violations for barking dogs, along with fines, so that rules out a dog for now. What I really wanted was an animal I could take walks with, and, if it's not too hot (ferrets are heat sensitive and nocturnal) he's good for close to a mile a night. And? They don't bark, make no noises! Perfect for my current lifestyle!
A co-worker lived in a townhouse complex, and, after 3 noise violations for her dog barking, she had to get rid of the dog!
They can slip out they can be Hudinis. I had a sheltie at the age of 10 yrs old that became a climber after I finally plugged all the holes from her digging! BTW the fence was chain link 10 FOOT Tall! When I saw her I Froze! How the Heck was I going to get her off the top of the fence [taller than Me] She Jumped! Lucky no bones broke! She Proudly presented me ith the Perfect Front [Obedience command where dog comes straight to you sits perfect!] So no way I could yell at her for the climb & jump! She would have thought the recall front was why I was up set!!
Small dogs like Boston Terriers (another dog I owned) are also heat sensitive and also can't go out too much in hot weather.
You might be interested in hearing that I had a deaf Dalmatian for 15 + years. It is a common birth defect amongst them but breeders usually have them tested and put them down if they are deaf. Anyway Dalmatians normally have a hyperactive disposition but this dog was almost surreal in her calmness. It was intelligent and I taught her to responded to hand signals for come, sit, stay, etc. I also rarely put her on a leash. She simply would not leave my sight. Kids would flock to her and she never bit anyone. She would have made an ideal dog for someone nervous about barking - as long as you took her for walks.
There are so many unforeseen circumstances that no one can guarantee they would never lose their dog. To give you just two examples of what has happened in my area:
Last year a woman went to work and left her golden retriever at home. She was living in an apartment on the second floor of a complex and because it was going to be a warm day she left her (screened) windows open. In the late afternoon an unexpected (and fierce) rainstorm rolled through, and the subsequent thunder scared her dog, who at some point leapt through the screen and ran off. Despite months of searching, she never did find him.
And a couple of weeks ago, a couple of blocks from my house a man was exiting his car to enter a drug store when he suffered a heart attack. Paramedics were called and he was rushed to hospital, but in all of the confusion his dog, a lab mix, jumped out of his car and ran off. Many people joined in to help find the dog, food was left at the car, etc. Unfortunately this happened in an area with several heavily-trafficked roads, and the dog was found the next morning several blocks away, having been killed by a car.
As much as dog owners do try and protect their pets, things do happen. This is also why pet ID tags and microchipping are so important.
I've never owned a dog, but, through the years, I've seen the flyers taped to the light poles in the neighborhoods, announcing Lost Dog. Tonite someone tucked a Los Dog flyer under the windshield wipers of nearly every car in the neighborhood. Mind you, this is a townhouse complex, with a courtyard for their dogs, with 6 foot wall separations.
I understand ferrets all to well, being a ferret owner, and I know, when walking my ferret around the neighborhood, he gets out of his leash, it's comparable to a bird flying away! My ferret does not respond to his name, so it's Good-bye, perhaps forever!
But I'm puzzled over lost dogs. if a dog wiggles his way out of his leash, they run away, and won't respond to their names? or are there particular types of dogs that are more apt to run away from their owners, once they have that freedom?
Well, I will tell you how I lost my dog (I found her a few hours later).
My maids left the front door slightly ajar without realizing it.
I was walking through the house and saw the door open...then realized I hadn't seen my dog in a while.
She had run down the street.
A neighbor got her, but we were searching hours for her bc the neighbor had her in the house.
So that is how I lost my dog.
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