Please read this. It may seem like common sense to some, but we learned the hard way. We have an electric fence installed, and my Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier always respected her boundaries. However, we learned a very difficult lesson last night. When a dog wants something, it will go after it. Our 1.5-year-old dog has recently been chasing chipmunks in the yard, and her hunting instincts have become more active as she matured.
Last night, she saw a chipmunk in the driveway and chased it at full speed. Despite calling her, which she usually responded to 99% of the time, she bolted through a 12-foot pinch zone (an area where she would be shocked if she entered) and crossed the boundary line 5 feet from the road to catch the chipmunk. Tragically, she ran into the road and was killed.
The point is, I should not have relied solely on the electric fence. I should have had a physical barrier to prevent this, no matter how many times I saw her respect the boundaries. She had never gone near the boundary in our driveway until she saw the chipmunk last night. In retrospect, I realize it’s in her breed’s nature to instinctively chase vermin. I feel incredibly guilty and responsible for not doing more. We are devastated.
I’m sharing this not to blame the equipment but to inform the community that electric fences are invisible and can be penetrated. If you are considering one, please think again. If you have one, I urge you to replace it with a physical fence.
I’m so sad for your loss. You have learned a painful lesson that others would be wise to learn from. Hopefully, hearing a story like this would cause some electric fence supporters to stop and listen, but I fear that others will have to learn the lesson the same way you did.
This is simply one of the issues with electric fences: if the desire to pass through is strong enough, the adrenaline will lessen the pain enough to allow the dog to escape. Then either a catastrophic accident occurs, or he is unable to go back in. Or something else could get in, leaving him unable to escape.
OMG, I am so sorry for you. My dog is not very smart, and she has run into cars twice, one of which the Ahole driver even accelerated to hit her (he was detained, by the way), and I have suffered both times, thinking she was done for, but she just stood up and ran towards me, I can’t even begin to imagine what that feels like, but I have been close.
I’m glad your dog was not seriously wounded by dashing into the traffic. Is she now listening when you tell her to stop because you’ve given her extra training, or is it because of the repercussions of not listening the first two times?
OMG!!! I am terribly sorry! I’m familiar with the feeling. My 10-year-old Borkie died in my arms on December 22, and I still feel her motionless corpse. I’m really sorry this happened!! I’ll say a lot of prayers tonight to attempt to alleviate the grief.
Very sad:( Dogs are part of our family. However, the fence is not actually a fence. It is a training ground. Unless you actually utilized an electric fence. Invisible fencing is great. You must teach your dogs this fence. I’ve had it for years. It is the most agonizing task to ‘walk your dog and teach your yard’, but it is absolutely necessary! It has enabled me to transform ‘run at the sight of the open door’ dogs into ones who will sit in the front yard and hang out while you plant.
Oh, I’m so sad for your loss. But hopefully, your tragedy served as a painful lesson for others. Reading the sad narrative has provided advice to advocates of the electric fence. Every dog owner must speak with a skilled dog trainer.
