The Great Escape! How to stop it

By Josh Weiss-Roessler - Source

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’re doing some housework inside while your dog is safely hanging out in your backyard, barking every once in a while at interesting odors or offending sounds. Everything is normal until suddenly the barking is coming from a different direction — your front door!

Confused, you get up to see what’s going on and are shocked to see that your dog has gotten out. Thank goodness she ran to the front door and started barking, because she could have gotten herself into some serious trouble.

How to keep your dog from escaping is a frightening problem that has plagued many owners — though many may also simultaneously wonder if they should put their pup in some kind of Houdini-eque magic show to exploit his talents!

There are two things to consider if you have an escape artist of a dog: why he tries to escape in the first place, and what you can do to stop him.

Why dogs decide to roam

Dogs roam for all kinds of reasons, and in many cases, it will depend on the personality of your individual pooch. Here are some of the most common causes.

Protecting territory
If your dog tends to bark whenever neighbors come into their backyards or strange sounds are heard on the street, he may attempt to get out to keep his area safe and get those “bad” people to go away.

Loneliness
It’s all well and good to have a backyard for your dog to roam around in, but she needs your attention, too. For some dogs, this can be actual separation anxiety, and leaving is an attempt to find you, but others simply want to hang out with somebody — anybody! If you leave your dog alone in the backyard for too long, she may attempt to leave just to have some kind of social interaction. Along those lines…

Your dog has found something fun
When dogs escape and discover something exciting beyond the fence (another dog to play with, a field to run around in, food), they may keep trying to get out so that they can go have fun again. Why were they trying to escape in the first place? Probably because they were bored.

Your dog has found a friend
If you have an unneutered male dog and there’s an un-spayed female in heat somewhere in the neighborhood, he will smell her and he will try to find her — and have enormous incentive to get out of the yard however possible, whether over, under, or through the fence.

Chasing
Does your dog try to pounce on squirrels during walks and yank out of your grasp because he just knows he can get to that bird before it flies away? If you have a pooch that likes to hunt, he may be escaping because he’s after another animal and will do whatever it takes to get to it.

What to do to prevent roaming

First, install a fence
Hopefully this is obvious, but you never want your dog outside without your supervision if she’s not in an enclosed area of some kind. A physical fence is usually best, but if you are unable to do this in your neighborhood, using an electronic fence is better than risking the possibility of your dog running into the street.

Keep your dog engaged
If you believe that your dog is escaping due to boredom, try to find ways to keep him interested. This might mean getting a few more toys for the backyard, taking longer walks, or teaching him a new trick once a day.

Prevent digging
One of the most common ways for dogs to get out of fenced-in areas is for them to dig a big enough space to crawl under the wall or gate. You can decrease the chances of this happening by placing a chain link fence or large rocks along the edge of the yard, or by burying chicken wire under the ground at the base of the fence so they can’t dig through it.

Spay and neuter
If your male dog is neutered, he’ll be far less likely to try to escape in search of females, and if your female is spayed, she won’t turn your house into a magnet for every unfixed male dog in the area. Bonus points: spayed and neutered dogs can be healthier, live longer lives, and don’t contribute to the problem of too many unwanted dogs around.

For more tips and tricks about keeping your dog from escaping your yard, talk to your vet or a local dog professional. And of course, the best way to keep your dog from escaping is to not let her outside unless you are able to supervise her.

Keep your Dog safe this 4th of July

Dog insurer Trupanion receives more anxiety-related claims in July than any other month of the year. Specifically, in 2014, it received 45% more anxiety-related claims in July than the average month. Many times, the claims in July list noise or fireworks a cause of the anxiety. It’s not fun to watch your pet in distress, and frightened pets have a greater chance of running away. So how can you keep your pet happy and safe?


6 Tips For a Pet-Safe Fourth of July. 

Beat the heat. Many families spend a lot of time outdoors on the Fourth. Make sure your pet has access to shade and plenty of water throughout the day. If your pet has short or white fur, you may want to invest in pet-safe sunscreen to keep them from getting burned.

2. During the barbecue, don’t feed your pet scraps from the grill. And watch to make sure they stay out of the trash. Rich table scraps can give your pet a serious stomach ache and non-digestible foods like bones and corn-on-the-cob can damage their digestive tract.

3. Give your pet a safe space during the celebrations. Your pet will feel most secure in a familiar, safe environment. This could be a bedroom, a crate, or a favorite gated-off area where your pet spends a lot of their time. Make sure they have access to a comfortable bed, favorite toys, and water throughout the night.

4. Provide white noise to drown out the sound of fireworks. You can leave the television or radio on, or just turn on a fan in the room to help sound-sensitive pets get through the evening.

5. Talk to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety There are many products available to help decrease anxiety—from body wraps to edible treats. Your veterinarian will help you determine the best tools to help your pet reduce anxiety. There are also methods available to help condition your pet to the noise over time.

6. Keep identification on your pet at all times. Unfortunately, many pets get lost during the first week in July, especially on July 4. Even if you follow all of these tips, your stressed pet may find a way to get out of the house. Always keep an ID on your pet with updated information and consider microchipping your pet just in case their collar or harness slips

Even 68 Degrees Outside Can be Too Hot for a Dog Inside a Car.

Summer is here and for many people (and dogs) that means so is the unbearable heat. Summer for humans means wearing less clothing and taking a dip in the pool or ocean, but summer for dogs can be harsh. Imagine not being able to take off your winter sweater, even when it’s 95 degrees out. It’s painful to even think about! For dogs, that is their reality.

Now that we’ve had a refresher on the rules, the question remains – what do you do when you see someone else’s dog in a hot car? Here are a few tips from the experts:

1. Get informed.

According to the Humane Society, the first thing that you can do to help a dog in a dangerous situation is to learn the facts yourself. Check out your town or state’s laws on leaving an animal in a car. Gather the phone number of the police department’s non-emergency line and also the animal control department in your town. Be prepared so that you aren’t left trying to solve the problem at the last minute, and wasting what could be precious and critical moments for the overheated dog.


2. Take down the car’s information.

The Humane Society says that when you see a dog left in a car, immediately take down the vehicle’s model, make, color, and license plate number. These can be used to report the owner for neglect or irresponsible behavior, and also to identify who the owner is.

3. Have the owner paged.

Go into the local businesses or buildings nearby and notify a manager or security guard. Insist that they make an announcement over the intercom with the license plate number to inform the owner of the dire situation.


4. If you can’t find the owner, call the authorities.

This is when having emergency numbers saved in your phone comes in handy. Call the humane authorities or the police to come and assess the situation.



5. Do not, by any means, leave the scene.

This is probably one of the most important things to keep in mind. If you have to, have someone else watch the car and the animal while you run inside the building. According to PetMD, signs of heatstroke include restlessness, excessive thirst, heavy panting, dark tongue, rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, and lack of coordination. Keep a close eye on the dog for these symptoms, as it could mean that the situation needs to be acted upon very quickly.



6. If the authorities take too long, take action.

If you very honestly believe that this dog is in bad condition and showing symptoms of heatstroke, assess the situation and get a witness to back you up. Remove the dog from the heat immediately and wait for the authorities to arrive.


7. Take proper steps to care for the animal.

When the dog is removed from the hot car, the situation isn’t necessarily over yet. Get the animal into air conditioning as soon as possible and give him cool water to drink.

8. Spread awareness.

While it may seem like an easy thing to remember, some people don’t realize the dangers that heat can have on animals. Kindly remind friends and family to leave their pets at home when they run errands. The Humane Society suggests asking local businesses to hang up signs during the hotter months reminding people not to leave their dogs in their vehicles. Most importantly, if your town doesn’t have a law regarding leaving dogs in cars, attend a town meeting and start lobbying for one.


While we hope that you’ll never have to use these tips, it’s important to have them handy just in case. According to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), hundreds of pets die from heat exhaustion every year. With these tips, you may be able to lower that number.

Remember – a cool dog is a happy dog!


Source Barkpost

Figo Throws His Body Between Blind Owner and School Bus: Dog and Owner Survive

A golden retriever service dog named Figo saved a life when he leaped in front of a small school bus in an effort to protect his blind owner.

"I've seen dogs protect their owners when an intruder is coming at them, but not from an automobile," Brewster Village's chief of police John Del Gardo told ABC News. "I've never seen that before."

Audrey Stone, the woman that Figo guides, was walking through an intersection on North Main Street on Monday morning when a bus struck the pair in the center of the walkway, police said.


"Right before it happened the dog did something really heroic," Del Gardo said. "He sort of lunged at the bus. It injured his leg and paw, and the woman received multiple injuries. When EMS came, he [Figo] didn’t want to leave her side."

Brewster Fire Department's second assistant chief Moe DeSantis, who was at the scene of the crash, said the bus was carrying two school children, and no one on the vehicle, including the driver, was injured.

The driver, Chief Del Gardo said, was issued a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Del Gardo added that Stone is currently being treated in the hospital with numerous fractures, three broken ribs, and a laceration to the head.

Figo, who received an operation at Middlebranch Veterinary in Carmel, New York, is now doing well in his recovery process, according to his vet Dr. LouAnn Pfeifer.

Pfeifer, who has been caring for eight-year-old Figo, said she is not surprised that he sacrificed himself for Stone.

"This is what they're trained for," she said. "He’s a good boy. He's been a patient of ours since he was in service of Miss. Stone and he is just a wonderful dog."

Pfeifer added that her facility will be holding onto to Figo upon Stone's release from the hospital.


Source ABC News