huge scare

[Puglove2]

i am still shaking.

i put winston's leash on to take him out to do his business in the front yard of my house. well, basil, who was previously sleeping, comes running out of nowhere and escapes through the door which was opened just a crack. he then starts running like crazy and doing pugtona all over the road and into the hedges and the neighbours lawn.

he's never escaped before. i was so freaked out that i left the front door open and ran after him. in hindsight, i know you are not supposed to chase them because then they think it's a game... but i honestly didn't know what to do. i was so scared. my heart was going so fast.

then i tried calling him softly and pretended i had a treat in my hand. he kept doing pugtona, so i had to chase him. after falling on to the cement sidewalk and scraping my hand, i finally got the little bugger.

when i turned around, winnie was waiting on the lawn, watching in amazement and my yorkie had escaped out the front door as well and was standing in the middle of the road.

i feel like such a bad dog mommy. i should have put them in their crate, even though they were sleeping. i can't tell you all how scared i was that he was going to get hit by a car.

anway, i'm glad it's over. now to get some polysporin for my scrape...

[Meganb]

Oh I know how that feels. Both Cooper and Maggie have escaped and I try my hardest not to run after them. I run inside and grab their bag of treats and just get their attention. Maggie has gone across the road once in a huge pasture and I was standing in the middle of the street to make sure that the cars would at least slow down. I do praise them when they get to our yard b/c I want them to know they are a good dog when they come back.

[EZDave]

Yes,
I can relate to your fear quite well.
It's been a couple of years but, it is still very clear in my mind.
Little Man ran out one day. I was home for lunch of all things and the furball ran right past me out onto the road. One of those jacked up 4x4 trucks came flying down the road and I still believe he had intentions of killing my baby. At the very last second he slammed on his brakes and slid across LittleMans entire body.
The poor thing had rubber from the tires all in his fur and around his head.
I still don't know how he survived that with only some bruising and swelling.
This is the reason I had to put up gated sections throughout the house.
I might have attempted escapes but, so far I haven't had any make it back out to the road.

[eclecticmk]

That is the scarrest feeling! Because I have a large fenced in yard, I never really worked very hard on "come". Until Molly slipped out of the back gate when I had my back turned for a second. That was one of the worst five minutes of my life! I lost sight of her within seconds. I finally got her back in when I did catch site of her by running back to the house. She thought is was a game of catch and she followed me back into the yard. We've been working on "come" ever since but I'm hoping I don't have the opportunity to try it out.

[Puglove2]

thanks for sharing. makes me feel a little better, knowing i'm not the only one with the escape artist. the treat thing is a good idea, but i was just frozen with fear and couldn't think.

anyway, i'm glad your babies were safe and sound after their escapes and i'm glad my little brat is safe and sound in his doggie bed. no more outside for today, only pee/poo breaks. i need to catch my breath.

[Puglove2]

it's funny, because i've been trying so hard to teach basil "come" but he doesn't respond very well. this scare has made me want to contact a professional dog trainer to see what i'm doing wrong. i'll have to work on it a bit tonight.

That is the scarrest feeling! Because I have a large fenced in yard, I never really worked very hard on "come". Until Molly slipped out of the back gate when I had my back turned for a second. That was one of the worst five minutes of my life! I lost sight of her within seconds. We've been working on "come" ever since but I'm hoping I don't have the opportunity to try it out.

[Harley&Mack]

what scary stories. I am so glad your babies are okay.

my worst escape incident was when I had both boys in the truck and they usually just sit happily in the cab behind the seats but somehow as I opened the door harley squirrmed under the seat and out the door. We were in a parkinglot two steps from a busy road. He looked like he was about to take off to the road so I yelled at my husband to shut mack in the truck and I ran straight for the stores. One store had their door open so i ran in. Harley thoght it was a game and followed me in and my husband followed and grabbed him. The wedding dress shop owner was not impressed but I didn't care.

[Harley&Mack]

it's funny, because i've been trying so hard to teach basil "come" but he doesn't respond very well. this scare has made me want to contact a professional dog trainer to see what i'm doing wrong.

we went to doggie school and Harley was #1 at the come command in his class. unfortunalty when we are out or just doesn't feel like it - he refuses to come back. I think it is the pug stubborness.

[Milosmom]

So glad the babies are ok. That's a totally terrifying experience (even just thinking about it) and one of the things I worry about most as we live on a very busy highway.

So far Milo has never made any attempt to get out *so far* , the worst scare for me was when the meter person came and left the gate open as they went out , something I've repeatedly asked NOT be done . Milo and I went out together but he didn't make any effort to run away. It was like he knew that wasn't a good thing to do. He just laid down and waited for me to close it then he ran around like normal.

[Puglove2]

milo is a very good boy! i wish basil was like that - but he is a little hyper puppy after all.

now that he is sleeping soundly, i am tempted to laugh about it just a bit. only because he looked so cute doing the pugtona outside, but it is still really terrifying to think what could have happened. i suppose i had some guardian angels looking down on me today.

the first dog i ever had was a yorkie, who escaped from a friend's yard while being watched when i was away. he got hit by a car. i always had some trouble forgiving the friend who let him get away, but now i know just how hard it is to entice them to come back. probably even harder for a stranger.