Quote: rick miller

I am not sure why you all are arguing this with me.

I am not sure either....it is pointless. And I allowed myself to get sucked into it.......which is bad on my part.

 Quote: rick miller

Carol, I never said you don't know HOW to control your dogs! Is that what you are so upset about?

Not upset or angry, just a bit irritated. And done with this thread.

Keith, I agree it should be locked.

My apologies. Again.

It doesn't need to be locked. No one should be so thin-skinned that they can't handle an adult debate. So what if it got off topic? Doesn't real conversation jump around the same way? No biggie, IMO. Carol and I jumped into a debate w/someone whom we fail to agree with, and he responded several times. I'd much rather be around people who I disagree with that care about their dogs than people who are apathetic. We can simply agree to disagree and move on.

Rick, I guess I don't find his antics "amazing" anymore. They just make me nervous! When I'm really worried, I just bring him with me and he stays in the Jeep all day, but lately it's been too hot.

Hello,
As a neophite to this group can I throw two cents worth into this fray?
If one owns dogs long enough we all learn the hard way that the unexpected will always jump up to bite us. And we all seemingly have to learn it the same, with something completely unexpected. Mostly I like to believe most stories come with a good ending, as my story does, but alas I know of too many that do not. So take the warning for what it's worth.
While she is long sinced passed; to this day I remember her as one of the best in my life long line of dogs. She had her edges and wasn't perfect. But rock solid and deticated to a fault. Very good in ob. no matter the distraction. Under stress knew exactly what do to (look to me). I could go on all night about this dog but to make it short she was a dream come true and drop dead gorgeous (people would actually stop in the middle of the road with comments or offers!). She was about 5 or 6 years I think, at any rate well past her basic training ( if there is such a thing) and we were in the large field behind the barn doing what some i guess find unfathomable, playing. When the unexpected happened, a hot air balloon comes cruising over the tree line. Not 50 feet off the ground. Cool! I recall the dog no problem, both of us are watching this thing floating silently through the air. She was upset at first but I calmed her with no problem. And then the pilot hit the burner, Holy cow! Did my dog freak, I got hold of her and then her collar and then the pilot hit the burner again! My dog totally lost it; slipped the collar and was gone. Just like that. I won't go into the panic or the chase after, but she made it back safely home thank god. But it is one illustration of how stuff happens. Did I ever think to introduce her to hot air ballons? Is this my fault? in the end I guess it is, but one never knows whats around the corner, so take heed novice dog owners. One never knows.
As to RFID chips I will consider them alot more seriously when they are standardized through out the US. and all vet services and rescue societies routinely scan all new dogs coming under their perview.


If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong
Randy

Good post Randy,

Thank you for sharing that.

 Quote: carol boche

Good post Randy,

Thank you for sharing that.

I agree.

Lots of reasons posted here for thinking carefully and weighing the pros and cons of the ID methods.

Also, houses are burglarized, and earthquakes happen, and car accidents happen where EMT people on the scene take care of the humans, and then open the back door to get the dog before the car is towed, release the dog's Champion restraint system, and the terrified dog bolts .... and someone else in the dog's house besides the primary handler is stupid and opens the crate to play and then leaves the dog out of the crate ..... and the vet's staff take the dog outside while s/he is there for the day for tests, and the dog bolts ... and a dog owner has a heart attack and falls in the street and the leash is dropped .... and on and on and on and on......

Doing volunteer work at a shelter allows one to hear many, many ways that a dog is separated from the owner (yes, out of the owner's control), via an unforeseeable situation.

Remember Hurricane Katrina? The rescue people taking humans just did not, would not, could not take the dogs. Now there are many people re-examining the policy, but what does that have to do with the unforeseeable separation that happened between those thousands of owners and their dogs?

And when the rescue helicopter has taken on board the human's infant and toddler, and the human can stay there with their dog or get in the helicopter with their children.....

And those were pet dogs. There's a whole 'nother story, too, about dogs with jobs.


Anyway, I think my dogs are extremely well-controlled, and I haven't lost one. I know it could happen, though.

But it's understandable --- wanting to think that if we do everything "right," then we'll never lose control, and nothing bad can happen.....