El Jefe and I have been spending the last couple of weeks trying to secure the back fence so Beatrice ( a/k/a "Houdini Puppy") couldn't get out. Our previous dog, the sainted Gretel, loved being in the back yard and we thought Beatrice would be better off there than being left in a locked crate or in the small utility room when we leave the house.
We finally quit trying to repair the fence ourselves and sprang for an all-new back fence with puppy gates all around the back yard enclosure.
When the workmen left, I put Beatrice in the yard and went inside. Not five minutes later she was scratching at the front door. "Lookee Mom! I got out! I'm so smart!"
Back to the drawing board. The fence guy came back and he and El Jefe looked for places she could have escaped. Sure enough, they found a little hole she dug under the back gate in the loose dirt there. We put some sod down so she couldn't dig.
The next evening we were going to meet St. Betty and the Old Marine for dinner nearby, so we decided to test the fence again by leaving Beatrice in the back yard. When we returned, she was nowhere to be found! After much calling and clapping, she finally ran up the driveway.
Beatrice 2, QG O !
Ahem. Surely we can outsmart the little dog, we thought. So we went to Home Depot and bought some additional little fences that we put wherever we thought she could squeeze through around the gate. Then just to be really secure, I added some bricks to block up the area between the gate and the hinges.
Today I tested the fence again and left her in the yard while running some errands. I was holding my breath when I returned and went to open the back door...and there she was!
Ha-Hah! Beatrice 2, QG 1.
We finally quit trying to repair the fence ourselves and sprang for an all-new back fence with puppy gates all around the back yard enclosure.
When the workmen left, I put Beatrice in the yard and went inside. Not five minutes later she was scratching at the front door. "Lookee Mom! I got out! I'm so smart!"
Back to the drawing board. The fence guy came back and he and El Jefe looked for places she could have escaped. Sure enough, they found a little hole she dug under the back gate in the loose dirt there. We put some sod down so she couldn't dig.
The next evening we were going to meet St. Betty and the Old Marine for dinner nearby, so we decided to test the fence again by leaving Beatrice in the back yard. When we returned, she was nowhere to be found! After much calling and clapping, she finally ran up the driveway.
Beatrice 2, QG O !
Ahem. Surely we can outsmart the little dog, we thought. So we went to Home Depot and bought some additional little fences that we put wherever we thought she could squeeze through around the gate. Then just to be really secure, I added some bricks to block up the area between the gate and the hinges.
Today I tested the fence again and left her in the yard while running some errands. I was holding my breath when I returned and went to open the back door...and there she was!
Ha-Hah! Beatrice 2, QG 1.
7 comments:
But! My money's on Beatrice finding a new place to escape.
She's a crafty one, that Sweet Bea.
I'm thinkng this is one contest the dog will win, paws down.
And she just looks so innocent, too.
So cute--hope Beatrice stayed. This is what happened to my son and grandpuppy Troy, so BJ had to chain Troy up. Now Troy has the run of our yard, but hasn't figured out how to escape. Good luck! They're so cute, but so very smart.
When we got our new beagle puppy we knew we'd have to really secure the redwood fence in the backyard. Our previous dog was about 80 lbs. so didn't have a chance of squeezing under any gaps, plus she was very content to stay in the yard anyway. However, a little beagle is a different story. We found that the best thing to use was brick. We pushed bricks into all the gaps, then placed more bricks in front of that. In some places where there was a particularly large gap between the ground and the fence we placed a landscape timber under the fence, then put brick in front of that. So far, so good. She hasn't escaped once.
The front door is another story though. If the door is left open for even a few seconds she is out like a shot!
Our late hound speckles (17 when she passed away last month) was a terror as a pup/young dog. She got out under the $2000 worth of fencing we installed in the back yard daily. Finally, a friend of ours who runs a small farm suggested that we run some hot-wire. We got a low power controller and ran a line about 3" off the ground all the way around. After she hit it a couple of times she never tried to dig/crawl under again.
I second the hot-wire. It's not attractive, but it works. You can get the kit at Tractor Supply.
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