I hope you're able to put the time (and possibly money) into training Trillion so that this tragedy doesn't happen again.

 

How did that beagle keep getting out while you were gone? And, if you didn't have $250 to bail your old dog out and had to ask your boyfriend for help, what if the new dog gets sick? What if your boyfriend breaks up with you or runs out of money?

I hate to be a wet blanket, but he whole situation is a bit scary to me.

 

Trillion looks like such a pretty and happy dog. Malamutes and Huskies can be very very stubborn... It takes a lot of work and patience to train these awesome dogs. As stated above, please take the time to make sure she does not have easy escape routes. I understand dogs can and do have high prey drives, but there are certainly ways to prevent escape situations. Best of luck! Looking forward to seeing the little one get bigger!

 

As a beagle in the forrest the problem was recall and my moms large dog breaking the fence so they could get through my moms dog is a lab greyhound mix, he would be let out to do his bussness and if he wasnt let back in within a few min he would break the fence or jump the fence and sit at the front door to come inside.
He hates going outside. Even to potty and with so many holes in the fence id let wizzard out into the yard and he would just slip through the gates hole and be on a sent.
Allthough im sure if i could magicaly get his attention when he was on a sent he may not have gotten far but the fact is, that day i wasnt even home. My sister let him out to go to the bathroom and didnt bother to check on him or let him back in... Shes six mind you... Wasnt til later my parents realized he hadnt been around and they called me to tell me he was missing.


Trillions breed is suborn and as im told their recall isnt that great either, when they run they run.
Allthough she knows her name and will come when called if she got out i verry much doubt she would come back as happily as she does indoors. Then again shes never been in the backyard, only the front.. so i dont worry about her getting out of the yard.
On top of that i dont think anybody visiting a place for vacation should take any animals they believe to be homeless let alone away from the place they found them.... If you find a dog you believe to be homeless take him to a shelter neerby if you must intervien. Not one hours away.

 

I didnt make this post in order to be attacked by old mistakes i think im paying for the price of that now with him being gone thanks. I just posted to vent a little.

 

It is not that anybody is attacking you. I can't speak for everybody else obviously, but I was just concerned that you understand that a puppy, and in particular a puppy of a stubborn breed will be difficult. I just want to make sure that you are working on training and adequately stimulating the new pup. If the pup isn't mentally and physically stimulated enough, she will try to find her own games or adventures, and quite possibly go running off into the woods. Just lending you my advice.

 

THAT DOG. Has a name and it's wizzard. He got out from holes in the fence. I didnt have to ask him, he offered to get him because he knew how much wizzard ment to me, if trillion gets sick she goes to the vet, our vet has a payment program. If he breaks up with me, i still have a job to make payments for anything she may need from the vet, i dont see how he can run out of money since he has a stable job as a dental assistant. And even if he did. Once again i still have a job. It was a scary situation to be in, my hands were tied for the day.


I dont have a time machine nor a car that can safely go record speeds to pick him up before they closed.
If they close at six and im talking to them at five and it takes two hours minimum to get there, do you think i can make it?

It may seem childish to you to be upset but wizzard was the first dog i had ever owned or my family had ever had in their house i proly hadnt done the homework on having a dog then but i know more now than when i first started. Three years ago.

 

Mighty achilles, that comment wasnt really directed twords you, you offerd insight without being harsh or snappy about it. And i thank you for that.

 

This is a dog forum, not the general public, which means that many of us will be super concerned over the welfare of a dog and that's what you're getting with these responses. I understand your needing/wanting to rant as everybody needs to sometimes but do consider the circumstances and the place that you've chosen to do it in. You gave this rant on a forum with people who would probably sell their possessions to get their dog back from that situation, I know I would. Again, nobody is trying to be mean here, we're just concerned over the welfare of the dog. I am very sorry for the loss of your dog, Wizard (or is it two Z's on purpose?) as I can only imagine that going through that was incredibly painful. However I think that the responses here are not only out of concern that it may happen to Trillion but are out of concern because Trillion is of a breed that is known to love to run and have poor recall. It sounds like you have thought the care of Trillion a little more through but what about the holes in the fence? Are they patched? Or do you just never let Trillion out in the back yard? Huskies/malamutes are big dogs with lots of energy, they need ways and opportunities to run and move around, does she get that? What if she does get out and the same thing happens, will you be able to retrieve her from the shelter or will the same story happen again?

Also, there is no shame in getting a new dog right after losing one. Many people lose a dog and get a new puppy within the next 3 or 4 months. However, it sounds like you didn't put any thought into getting this puppy because it was a gift from your boyfriend due to your sadness over the loss of Wizard. That, to me, is a replacement dog. I'm not saying that you replaced your dog but your boyfriend sure tried to. I mean, whose going to say no to a puppy, especially one as adorable as Trillion?

 

Make sure you have a collar on trillion with contact info. When your dog runs away and someone finds it they can call you instead of taking it to a shelter.

It sounds like if Wizzzard had a collar with your contact info you wouldn't be in the situation you are in now. Tourists find a dog the think is stray, they see the collar with your phone number, they call you, you come pick your dog up and everyone is happy.

 

Better yet, spend $25 and get Trillion MICROCHIPPED. Then get him into a GOOD puppy K and start training him ASAP. Patch the holes and do NOT allow your new pup to be outside unsupervised EVER.

 

I think you should assess on whether you can handle this puppy. A big dog like a husky/malamute is going to be a LOT harder to control than a beagle. No one here is attacking you, but the well being of dogs always comes first here. It seems that what happened to Wizzard could have been prevented with a collar, tag, and leash. If you know he runs away and has bad recall, you have to take every step possible to prevent escape. People aren't being mean when they think of him as a replacement dog, that is just what it seems like. A week is basically no time in between animals. This is going to be a tough journey for you.

By the way, I understand your vet has a payment program, but sometimes they won't do it if it is less than something like 300 or 500 dollars. Also, what an emergency happens and you have to go to the after-hours vet? That is usually $85 dollars just for walking in. Things happen with pets where you don't have the luxury of a payment plan. If you aren't prepared to possibly spend a few hundred dollars, I HIGHLY suggest you start saving up now. Don't rely on a payment plan. Be prepared to sell stuff to pay for you dog.

Example: I got a new puppy about two weeks ago. I bought the insurance and figured I was set. That very night he gets sick, and of course the insurance hadn't been approved yet. I had to sell a bracelet at a pawn shop to pay for an emergency visit. And even if the insurance had gone through, here was a 250 deductible, meaning I pay 250 and then they may cover the rest. I would still of had to pay $250 dollars. Your vets payment plan may have one too. If you have an emergency where he gets hurt and you have to pay up thousands of dollars for surgery, I can almost guarantee you it won't be as easy as just paying the vet $100 dollars back every month.


I do not mean ANY harshness whatsoever. I understand the heartbreak of losing a dog and how a puppy can make it better, however, a dog is a living creature so his well being is going to mean more to us here than your feelings. No one is going to attack you, but they will tell you the facts straight. It is harsh because no one wants to here they aren't prepared for a puppy, but the fact is sometimes people just don't have the resources necessary to pay for care.

 

I do not mean ANY harshness whatsoever. I understand the heartbreak of losing a dog and how a puppy can make it better, however, a dog is a living creature so his well being is going to mean more to us here than your feelings. No one is going to attack you, but they will tell you the facts straight. It is harsh because no one wants to here they aren't prepared for a puppy, but the fact is sometimes people just don't have the resources necessary to pay for care.

DING DING DING!

People here are very blunt, we don't pull our punches at all when it comes to the well being of dogs.

 

Don't listen to people saying things about a "replacement dog". If you felt ready for another dog, that's your choice...... Are you ready? I hope so.
I really hope you are taking the advice here and doing what is needed to keep history from repeating itself. I'll say I don't feel sorry for you. I tried to put myself in the same type of situation. If my dog ever got out, the problem(s) would be fixed pronto. If I couldn't fix the problem(s) i'd re-home the dog myself to a safer home before it got to the point of someone else doing it for me. There's a lot of good info on this site to read & learn. Good luck with Trillion.

 

K, I'm not going to comment on how the dog ended up at the shelter or anything else that's already been covered....but am I the only one who finds it odd the shelter wouldn't stop the clock and hold a dog that's been identified as belonging to someone? For even ONE more day? They've laid out that they're charging a daily rate for the care and keeping of the dog, what's one more day?

 

Here's the thing about working shelter/rescue- if you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times before and 90% of the time, it's lies. People who work in rescue tend to have a very dim view of humanity for a reason. People call all the time crying and carrying on about their precious dog, oh, give me more time, oh, please just one more day!, what, $300, that is a lot of money, you know. Then they string you along, day after day, then a month has gone by, the poor dog's been languishing in a small concrete kennel for the whole time and nobody's picking up the dog.

Honestly, OP, I'm a bit concerned about this situation, too. Beagles are much easier dogs than malamutes, and all that heartbreak with Wizzard could have been prevented with a $10 tag. and if you don't see why your boyfriend's money may disappear, well, several thousand generations of women forced to rely on men for money would like to have a word with you.

 

I see a couple little red flags, for me. I'm gathering you're young but if you're old enough to have a boyfriend, you're old enough to be responsible. You saidWizzard was untrained, didn't have good recall. That type of dog absolutely needs to be secured, meaning you check your fencing. You knew your dog was at a shelter, if you can't get there before they close, you be there when they open. Take a cab, bus, whatever, you be responsible for your dog and get him. I'm sorry you don't have money but when you have pets, you have money r a credit card for stuff like this.

 

On the shelter issue, I was thinking maybe since OP said the dog was well known to be out and about and there was a discussion at the store when he was found, that the people purposely brought him to a shelter 2 hours away and told them about this dogs history. Maybe the shelter thought it was a bad idea to give the dog back and so lied about the dog being adopted. (?) Who knows?

 

That would be my guess.

 

On a forum I frequent that has NOTHING to do with dogs, there have been a few threads started over the years from people complaining about this dog or that dog that repeatedly runs loose, jumps the fence, etc. It's been jaw dropping how many people reply "Just take off the tags, take a long drive and drop the dog off at a shelter. Teach the owner a lesson!" As a dog lover and shelter volunteer, I was flabbergasted by how many people said "That's what I'd do." & "That's what I did!" Although I do understand where they are coming from. Loose dogs are a serious safety risk to the public and a nuisance.

Because of this, I'd think someone in town who was sick of the dog running loose took a drive and dropped him off.

Your lesson has been learned. Fix the holes in the fence. Use a tie out. Have him microchipped and/or tattooed. Don't allow a 6 year old to be in charge of supervising him. Start an emergency fund now. And good luck for you and Trillion!

 

I love how everybody assumes the worse of me, and thinks they know the situation or how im taking care of trillion now, i have you know trillion has a tag. Wizzard had a tag and a collar... They had a wrong adress but a correct phone number.I LIVE ON A MOUNTAIN WITH NO LARGE STORES AND ONE BUSS. Cabs dont run up here as far as i know, we have one buss that goes up and down the mountain once a day and drives around to stops all around the mountain. It takes over an hour alone to get down the mt via the buss.. i dont even know why im answering to you people as if i need to, it was verry wierd they wouldnt hold wizzard. It was wierd he was adopted so quickly i believe the family who took him away, also adopted him... Why else would someone take him so far? You pass around four shelters just driving there from here! I have a savings fund for trillion and her vet dosnt advise getting a microchip until she gets fixed at. Four months. I dont have things to sell nor do i even have a place to sell things up here. My sister wasnt in charge of letting the dogs in and out she just knows if theyre scratching at the door they have to go out.
Wizzard was poorly trained as i had absolutely no knowledge of dogs when i got him, and im quite aware it was irrisponcible to get one without knowing evvverryything there was to know about them but hey that dosnt help me now does it? On top of that tieing out your dogs isnt alloud in this town, you will be fined. If your dog is tied out for more than an hour. And i know this due to ting my moms dog out when we were gone once and we got a letter on our door and they actualy cut his harness. Which my mom is still looking for compensation from because it was a rather exspensice harness. We coverd the holes when we found a new one.

I WAS NOT HOME TO SEE THE FENCE TO LET HIM IN OR OUT..
Is it required to be home 24/7 to have a dog? Should i be aproved by you guys first before i further in getting pets? Trillio n has HER first set of shots. Next come at 12 wks shes 10 today. She dosnt go outside as she has no shots. She can do basic comands she comes when called she dosnt go in the backyard at all because its not puppy friendly and because why does she need to be there? I have family who stays home when im at work twice a week and im able to watch her myself. I understand looking out for the dogs best interest. But feel free to be a little less judgy about it. Also id never rehome my dog because of something that can be overcame. Also im sure by mentioning that he got out often made it sound like he gets out everyday when he really only got out ill say once every three weeks to a month... But due to being a small town thats litteraly one street big everybody knows everybody and everybody knows their dogs.

 

On top of that tieing out your dogs isnt alloud in this town, you will be fined. If your dog is tied out for more than an hour. And i know this due to ting my moms dog out when we were gone once and we got a letter on our door and they actualy cut his harness. Which my mom is still looking for compensation from because it was a rather exspensice harness.

Are you kidding me? She wants compensation because she endangered her dog by leaving it unattended on a tie-out and LEFT THE PROPERTY? I love how you go on to ask us to be less "judgy" from there...

I understand why you couldn't get there on time. I really do. I've lived in a small town with no vehicle of my own. Hell, the idea of bussing or cabbing can be unreliable too because there's no guarantee you'll be able to get back on any public form of transportation with a dog accompanying you...even if there was a bus that ran there. If the whole thing really went as you say it did, I have sympathy for you over the way it was handled dishonestly by the people who picked the dog up and by the shelter. This whole story just gets more and more messed up as you go though....That's quite the chain of incidents working against you through no fault of your own....after a chain of entirely preventable incidents. It's not required to be home 24/7 when you have a dog, but it is required to be responsible for that animal at all times. That means taking reasonable precautions to ensure it doesn't get off your property unattended. I have a son near the age of your sister and I can tell you he knows that the door to the house doesn't get opened without a grownup being made aware, whether it's for him to go outside, to answer a knock, or to take the dog out. Also, if your fence is being "broken" by the bigger dog on a regular basis, you either supervise the dog outside at all times, or you build a decent fence because a dog like that should NOT be able to break a solidly built fence in good repair...certainly not all the time like that....and even if you have a magic escape artist dog, nothing replaces supervision. An accident or mistake is once, maybe twice...I'd even believe an accident that happened a different way every time with you trying some new solution every time, but I don't believe an accident that keeps happening the same way, with the same patchy solution every time. What's that saying about insanity? Something about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?

So, you can make excuses all you like, but I hope you don't really believe them. I hope you really do plan to do things differently. If you're not judging yourself harder than anyone else here, you're doing something wrong because the guilt over the way your dog was lost should be eating you alive. It doesn't matter whether Trillion is a replacement dog. What matters is that you've learned your lesson and with all the defensiveness going on in here, I don't think you have.

 

On top of that wizzard was well socialized.
He could sit lay down roll over shake but he did not have a good recall unless i was directly infront of him.
I sometimes even wonderd if he knew his name because it was difficult to get his attention

 

Once every 3 weeks is once every three weeks too many. Beagles are known escape artists, you knew wizard liked to roam, he shouldn't have been outside without a leash without a person on the other end of it.

Take our advice, because malamutes are even worse than beagles: always on a leash, a tag with current information and a microchip with current information.

And if wizzard didn't know his name, you need to reevaluate your training methods. Beagles are super friendly, sweet dogs, malamutes not nearly so much as a breed. In a year or two you could have a nightmare on your hands.

 

Take our advice, because malamutes are even worse than beagles: always on a leash, a tag with current information and a microchip with current information.

We have had to adopt that level of "security" with our newest dog. Turns out she's got a fair percentage of sight hound in her and she CANNOT be trusted not to take off after some real or imagined little animal. Totally different than our other dog, an ACD mix, who sticks right by our heels and worries constantly about knowing where we are. We've had to make quite a few adjustments in our lifestyle to accomodate the "runner", but I never want to have to panic over losing the dog. Bad enough when my son dropped the leash and she ran a yard away and I found her in less than 5 minutes! We've never even let the ACD mix out alone (she can be aggressive and she needed one of us there to make sure no one came in or near the yard while she was outside), but we were able to just step out the back door with her while she did her business, no leash necessary. Not with the new dog!

 

You sound like a broken record.
Once again you act as if i dont allready know this as if the others here havent been saying the SAME THINGS.

She has a tag she will eventually have a microchip she dosnt get out anyways. And im ovbiously going to have her on a leash when she does get out of the house..

 

And i did not let wizzard outside. I was not home at the time. My sister was not in charge of the dogs. As far as i knew at the time all the holes had been coverd with plywood.

 

Im not here to talk about my moms dog. She wants to be payed for the harness... Why would you tie out a dog if youre outside? What would be the point?

Im defensive because you all act like youre on some high horse and youre so much better than me, that you can just give me your attitude and be like oh but we mean it with good intent. I dont care how you ment it. I did not ask for your advice. I wanted to vent. I didnt even need any responces thus i did vent. And here come you guys so high and mighty judging me for something im allready upset about. I dont even know why i bother joining forums because even when i am looking for advice everybody just talks to me like im incompitent and i dont understand anything. And when trying to further exsplain what im asking you all just get ruder and ruder.

 

I did not ask for your advice. I wanted to vent. I didnt even need any responces thus i did vent.

*responses

Perhaps you should create a blog. You can block people from being able to post comments.
This is a forum not a blog, this is a public forum that allows people to discuss and give their opinions.

 

If you feel like you are being judged and criticized on numerous forums, you need to examine how you are presenting yourself. Here's the thing about forums...if you post, people will respond and you cannot control HOW they respond.

 

That's because you make yourself sound incompetent and when you start making excuses that don't help your case at all, you sound even more incompetent.

Some people tie a dog out so they can watch from the house, some people tie them out and leave them out for potty break periods. Some people have different ideas about what's ok and safe for tie-outs, but I doubt any responsible dog owner thinks it's ok to ever ever ever tie a dog out for over an hour while you're not even there to check on them. If you don't see what's wrong with that, I hope AC gets fed up with you and rescues Trillion too.

 

Rescues? Is she in danger? I didnt make excusess i said i wasnt there and filled in the story where things were assumed im quite aware what went wrong.