Google

A Dog Escapes

The scary event that led us to install hidden fencing

On a dark and stormy night — seriously! — we let our dogs out in the backyard before going to bed. After a short while, Dino, a beagle-border collie cross, was back at the door, waiting to be let in. He'd obviously had enough of the light rain. It had rained on and off for several days, and we were all quite sick of it. Taffy, a young golden retriever, was still out. I called her, but there was no answer. This wasn't unusual behavior. She was probably tracking a squirrel at the bottom of the yard, so I let her stay outside a while longer while we watched some television. The rain never seems to bother her.

Dino and Taffy lazing about

Dino and Taffy: lovers or co-conspirators?

A few minutes later, Dino barked at something he saw moving outside at the front of the house. We shushed him because our infant daughter was sleeping and went back to watching TV.

After ten more minutes, it was time to get Taffy in to the house. I called and called, to no avail. Finally, I resigned myself to putting on a jacket and boots to fetch her from the yard. Something had obviously caught her attention.

Make life easier for you and your dog! Watch one of Dove Cresswell's online dog training lessons for free and see what a difference some training can make.

Once outside, however, I could find no trace of her. Worried now, I went back inside to grab a flashlight and proceeded to walk the entire length of our long wooden fence.

And there it was: a new hole. Taffy had taken advantage of the wet weather and the softened ground to dig herself a larger hole. Squatting, I took a close look at the hole and saw a big tuft of her fur hanging off the bottom of one of the boards. How she'd managed to squeeze her body through that hole I don't know, but obviously she had. And now she was gone! If we had heeded the warning signs, we could have prevented this by installing an Invisible Fence brand system, but we hadn't, and now we had to search for Taffy and hope that she was safe.