Hannah, my brothers dog, is a reformed escape artist. Keith lives in a house that is situated in a five-acre fenced compound in the country (its a self-storage facility). Youd think this would be dog heaven! But as a pup, Hannah learned that there is much more fun available outside the fence and down the road other loose dogs, kids playing, ponds to swim in, deer to chase. Her mentor was a neighbors dog who used to escape his yard and run along the outside of Hannahs fence. Hannah! Come on out so we can play! She did, and what fun!
Keith nearly lost his mind trying to find and block all the places where Hannah could slip out. The problem was, shes a big, young, athletic dog who needs a lot of exercise; she comes unglued when she doesnt get to play outside of Keiths secure but tiny private yard. Hed take her out to the big yard after the storage facility was closed for the evening so she could chase hard-hit tennis balls and run along with the managers golf cart up and down the aisles of lockers until she was tired.
Frequently, though, at some point, Hannah would run after a ball and then keep running for the far fence. By the time Keith (running after her and yelling her name) could reach the far side of the compound, she was through a hole only she knew about and off for adventures unknown. Luckily, she would always come back within an hour or two, muddy and happily exhausted.
Keith spent hours filling gaps beneath the chain-link fence, but since he never managed to witness the moment or site she wriggled through, his work felt pointless and endless. He called me several times for advice, and I sent him WDJ articles about teaching her to Come! and developing off-leash reliability. But training skills like these can take a long time, lots of successful practice and as few opportunities to practice the unwanted behavior as possible. The escapes kept happening. Half joking, I once suggested that Keith tie Hannahs tether to one of those big rubber balls that have a handle the kind little kids sit on to bounce. She could easily drag it around, but when she crawled under the fence, the ball would get stuck and hold her there, marking the spot where she got out like a buoy!
One afternoon, Hannah escaped right after Keith had taken her collar off and given her a bath. She was running around the big yard in that exuberant post-dog-bath way, when she ran around the house and took off for the mystery exit. She didnt come home that night. The next morning, after driving around his neighborhood calling, checking the roadside ditches, and searching the kennels at his local shelter, Keith made a lost dog flier and started posting them. One pole a mile from his house already had a found dog flier on it with Hannahs abashed countenance appearing between the tattooed arms that held her for the photo. Mr. Tattoo was grateful for the reward money, although his wife hinted that they might have to spend more on cleaning the sofa where Hannah had spent the night!
Fortunately, Hannah seems to have (survived long enough to have) grown out of her trips abroad. Other dogs may not be as lucky. Read Pat Millers article (“Preventing Great Escapes”), and take her advice about over-fencing your yard before you bring your new dog or puppy home.
-Nancy Kerns
