The Escape Artist
When we first brought little Keno home with us, his foster mom warned us that he is a little escape artist. She claimed that even with her cyclone fence, he manages to put his little paws into the openings and climb up and over her fence and he escaped that way once and she had to track him down.
Our backyard has cyclone fencing on the right side and back where there is a lot of brush, trees, weeds, etc so he doesn't mess much with that part of the fence anyway. But on our left side we have a vinyl picket fencing that has these 3" gaps between the pickets. Along this short part that faces the front we had put up chicken wire to keep our dogs in which has always worked. Also next to the chicken wire we have these two tall weathered privacy fencing pieces with a smaller one in between that connects to the house.
When we first got Keno, we saw how easily he could squeeze right through the 3" gap in the picket fence....oops! So hubby installed chicken wire along the fence about two feet high or so. It kept him from squeezing through and was invisible to the eye. But he did manage to jump right over that small weathered wood piece one day....so hubby put it higher up and put chicken wire along the bottom.
That's the way it has been since we got him back in March and it has always worked....basically chicken wire everywhere.
Well, not too long ago little Keno and his accomplice, Mini Sue saw that the wind had blown the side/back door to the garage open and the garage door was open and out they ran....directly across the street where our neighbor has two Labs. They also have a picket fencing in the front and Keno easily slipped though into their yard barking his head off at their two huge Labs. Of course, once the labs turned to look at him, he hightailed it out through the opening and back to the other side where he still barked his fool head off until Hubby could get him. Well, the door was open so no wonder they got out.
A few days or so I went to let the dogs in and could only find Mini Sue...Keno was running around in our neighbor's yard next door!! How on earth did he get out??? So we tested him. I put Mini Sue on a leash and we went in the front yard and hubby let Keno see us. Sure enough, he jumped up on that smaller piece of weathered wood thingy and since it is higher now he had to push with his back legs and jumped down on the other side!...Little Scamp....
So Hubby has temporarily put up something to block his advantage but he will soon have to put it up even HIGHER with more chicken wire under it. We saw him try to climb over it and it doesn't work now...he can't....AHA!...And that should solve Keno's escapades once more...
WRONG!
So yesterday the dogs were outside and Keno was barking and chasing a squirrel as usual...and the squirrel went flying into the neighbor's yard next door and next thing I knew Keno was on the other side of the fence chasing it!! That little Squirt now puts his paws into the openings of the chicken wire and climbs up and then goes through the opening gap....Unbelievable!! And he wouldn't come to me when I called him...he just kept running until he couldn't find the squirrel and then he came. He was two doors down by that time. I'm lucky that I saw him do it or who knows where he would have been by the time I even noticed that he was gone.
So now we don't know what to do. We are watching him like a hawk. We are going to have to put in a whole new fence...one with no gaps...a total privacy looking one....which will cost us big time. Hubby suggested loosening the chicken wire so when he tries to climb it, it will weave and fall over and he won't be able to get a good grip. I don't know...maybe it will work....otherwise, big bucks! We have a 1/2 acre lot so it's a long fence.
I'm a nervous wreck everytime I put him out now....I have to really watch him. If he gets out all he can think about is chasing some squirrel and he'll be long gone before he realizes that he can't find his way home.
Our backyard has cyclone fencing on the right side and back where there is a lot of brush, trees, weeds, etc so he doesn't mess much with that part of the fence anyway. But on our left side we have a vinyl picket fencing that has these 3" gaps between the pickets. Along this short part that faces the front we had put up chicken wire to keep our dogs in which has always worked. Also next to the chicken wire we have these two tall weathered privacy fencing pieces with a smaller one in between that connects to the house.
When we first got Keno, we saw how easily he could squeeze right through the 3" gap in the picket fence....oops! So hubby installed chicken wire along the fence about two feet high or so. It kept him from squeezing through and was invisible to the eye. But he did manage to jump right over that small weathered wood piece one day....so hubby put it higher up and put chicken wire along the bottom.
That's the way it has been since we got him back in March and it has always worked....basically chicken wire everywhere.
Well, not too long ago little Keno and his accomplice, Mini Sue saw that the wind had blown the side/back door to the garage open and the garage door was open and out they ran....directly across the street where our neighbor has two Labs. They also have a picket fencing in the front and Keno easily slipped though into their yard barking his head off at their two huge Labs. Of course, once the labs turned to look at him, he hightailed it out through the opening and back to the other side where he still barked his fool head off until Hubby could get him. Well, the door was open so no wonder they got out.
A few days or so I went to let the dogs in and could only find Mini Sue...Keno was running around in our neighbor's yard next door!! How on earth did he get out??? So we tested him. I put Mini Sue on a leash and we went in the front yard and hubby let Keno see us. Sure enough, he jumped up on that smaller piece of weathered wood thingy and since it is higher now he had to push with his back legs and jumped down on the other side!...Little Scamp....
So Hubby has temporarily put up something to block his advantage but he will soon have to put it up even HIGHER with more chicken wire under it. We saw him try to climb over it and it doesn't work now...he can't....AHA!...And that should solve Keno's escapades once more...
WRONG!
So yesterday the dogs were outside and Keno was barking and chasing a squirrel as usual...and the squirrel went flying into the neighbor's yard next door and next thing I knew Keno was on the other side of the fence chasing it!! That little Squirt now puts his paws into the openings of the chicken wire and climbs up and then goes through the opening gap....Unbelievable!! And he wouldn't come to me when I called him...he just kept running until he couldn't find the squirrel and then he came. He was two doors down by that time. I'm lucky that I saw him do it or who knows where he would have been by the time I even noticed that he was gone.
So now we don't know what to do. We are watching him like a hawk. We are going to have to put in a whole new fence...one with no gaps...a total privacy looking one....which will cost us big time. Hubby suggested loosening the chicken wire so when he tries to climb it, it will weave and fall over and he won't be able to get a good grip. I don't know...maybe it will work....otherwise, big bucks! We have a 1/2 acre lot so it's a long fence.
I'm a nervous wreck everytime I put him out now....I have to really watch him. If he gets out all he can think about is chasing some squirrel and he'll be long gone before he realizes that he can't find his way home.
posted by Diane @ 6:54 PM
1 Comments:
At 7:34 PM,
Judy said…
Maybe have to hook him up to a long chain/rope when you put him out. I'd hate for him to get hit by a car. We have to put our dog on one or when she sees a squirrel or chipmunk she is off and won't come back. Now she has a 20 feet nylon rope that she is hooked to. That way we don't have to worry and she has plenty of room to walk around.
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