I'm posting this as a warning to everyone.

On my way to an emergency session with an aggression case, going down a narrow lane with too many cars parked on the side. I had (thank god!) slowed down to 20mph going through a particularly narrow part with 2 trucks on either side. A female German Shepherd, like a flash of black and tan, comes zipping across the street from behind one of the cars. I screeched to a halt and turned to the left, away from her but she ran into the front of my car before I could stop.

Immediately after that 2 other dogs from the other side of the street came charging over into the road, but luckily everyone was stopped.

The dog seems allright but I gave the owners my number to call me and make sure. Everyone involved here was very very lucky.

Talking to the owner, apologizing and watching him check her over he told me "I never thought she'd run out the door like that."

Just yesterday I saw someone else's elderly lab get hit by a truck. That dog was not so lucky and died very quickly. My friend who I was with, lived in the neighborhood and told me "That dog has always been loose, they never have even a collar on him. He's always stayed nearby and nobody ever thought he'd go into the road"

Being old with bad hips and overweight he couldn't get out of the way of the truck.

Please folks, never give your dogs any opportunity to get into a situation like this. Just because they never have doesn't mean they never will. If you have an open door or an open garage or an open gate, have a long line on your dog or keep them in the house.

I'm sorry mods if this is not training related but this just has me so frustrated and sad and angry at the same time. Accidents happen and it is our job to protect our pets and loved ones from getting hurt when we could have prevented it.

Prevention is 9/10s of control.

Edited by Jennifer Marshal (06/05/2008 09:15 PM)
Edit reason: spelling

And along very similar lines, PLEASE secure your dogs inside the vehicle. Crate, Champion rig, whatever.....

An accident, from a minor fender-bender to a major collision, often results in a terrified dog and car doors being opened, whether by concerned bystanders or by EMT people trying to help human victims.

A terrified dog released into traffic is bad in more ways than one ... including running far enough to become completely lost if he isn't hit by a car.

 Quote: jennifer marshal

I'm sorry mods if this is not training related .... Prevention is 9/10s of control.

It is training-related, though.

Dogs who are not trained not to dash out an opened door are being done a serious disservice by their owners.

"OMG, he just ran out when my granddaughter opened the door!" and "Our guests didn't close the screen door after themselves" are not explanations for why the dog is now dead on the street. "I neglected to train him not to go out the door unless I am with him" is the explanation.

Great point Connie. If my dogs aren't crated (too big of dog or crate) then they have a car harness on and are strapped in and a leash on their flat collar. I didn't used to but it is very important and makes a big difference. It maintains control of the dog if you are in an accident and also prevents your dog from being the cause of an accident (by bugging the driver etc)

Jennifer: Sorry for Your bad experience. As a SAR group we do pet rescue to keep sharp and almost every call we get is from a Dog owner who failed to teach their Dog properly and opened their door and the Pet escaped. One of my favorite sayings when i taught dog owners was to ask the dog owner whether or not their Dog loved them or just lived with them. It was amazing the responses I got from the Dog owners and part of my instruction was teaching how to bond with Your Dog so He or She ( the Dog ) loves to be with the owner.



Tom

Edited by Connie Sutherland (06/05/2008 09:50 PM)
Edit reason: deleted O.T. paragraph

Tom, I don't want to criticize or offend you in any way, but yes, that last part was too far off topic.

Rather than alter your text, I'm just deleting the last part. Perhaps it will be better suited to another thread.

Thanks.

Hi Connie: No offense taken. One of " MY" dogs was part of my story/ post so You can only imagine how angry Iam at the "person" left in charge of this great GSD and it was recently. I was called to SAR the Dog and our scent track lead to a driveway and stopped. After speaking to the people in the neighborhood someone picked up the Dog. Part of my business was to work with the Handler until both the handler and Dog were comfortable together. I preached over and over and over -- A Dog that loves You will die for You. After I went to the handlers home and saw the conditions that "my" dog was living in --I do not blame the GSD for running away. Plus speaking
to other's that the GSD was always left in the car for hours after hours just makes me
filled with anger. Add to that my Wife and I went out to dinner and a movie and came
home to a Older GSD chained and locked to my Garage fence. The GSD is covered in ticks and fleas and really under-weight and my Wife seems to believe that the GSD is a Dog She trained years ago. Iam so fed up with all the Dog abuse here in the Delaware Valley if You could see this GSD we got tonight and knew how sweet but well trained our lost Police Dog is You would join me in my fury.
Sorry I am venting-- How do i start a thread ?? Please advise me I have several topics
such as Warning signs on vehicles with K9's. Some Search and Rescue questions etc. Thank You for Editing me-- shortly I'll catch on. Best regards, tom

Tom, it’s easy!

Just go to the list of forums, (not the “Active Topics”&hellip and pick he one that your topic fits into. There are a TON, so scroll all the way down to the best one.

Open that thread up. At the top of the list there is a button that says “New Topic” it is right next to the “Forum Options.”

From there... I’m sure you got it!

Good luck and I look forward to reading your topics.

Jessica

Tom,

To start a new post click on the forum list and find the forum that fits you topic best. For example there is a forum for "Urban Search and Rescue".

Click on the forum you want and then find the "New Topic"button...then you are all set

It DOES take a while to figure out the ins and outs of the site. You will have it down in no time. You can PM me if you need further help.


Edit: ooops, Jesica beat me to it!

Got a call just now from the man with the dog, after a few X-Rays she is fine, sprained/strained knee and a tear in her pad with a small cut on the side of the head.

He says he is going to keep all his dogs contained from now on. This taught him a lesson to never take anything for granted with his dogs. I'm glad things will be better but this situation had LUCK written all over it and for others the story is not as nice.