The fence that encloses my front yard is definitely the best investment I have made so far for my animals.
For sure, I have a very beautiful 16 acres, plenty of room for the dogs to run and play, but I have had to
learn the hard way that even in a rural area, it is not wise to let one’s dogs run loose. Accidents can and do
happen, and I as I have said before many times, I have had to learn this lesson the hard way. Now with the
fence I get to enjoy the pleasure of watching my dogs run and play and chase each other, without the worry
of their getting lost or being run over by a car in the road. I love to watch Oscar run and run, with his
tongue lolling about and that big grin on his face, and to watch Fred chasing Sam, then Sam chasing Fred
The smaller dogs run and play and chase each other. Cathy runs after the bigger dogs, and they tolerate
her. Taz barks at outsiders right along side the bigger dogs. Thumper is always out there with the dogs, as
is Tiger and Pete. There is no greater pleasure for me or thrill for them.
For an animal lover there is no greater agony than to look outside, expecting a beloved pet to be there,
only to discover it missing. The agony of not knowing, of worrying and aching over the loss of a beloved
pet – dare I try to empathize with a parent who has lost his child under nefarious circumstance? The agony
is not lessened when a pet is not necessarily missing – just not in the immediate line of site. This was my
daily experience with Sam and Oscar before I built the fence. I had already confined the dogs to the back
yard, which has been fenced in since I bought Willow Oak. The area immediately behind my house is fenced
in, but not nearly as spacious as the front yard, and after a while a dog simply must stretch his legs. The
other dogs were confined by the four-feet high chain link fence, but to Sam and Oscar it was just an
adventure in fun, because they soon discovered that four feet to them was like one-foot to you and me –
they simply jumped over!
No matter what adjustments I made to the fence, Sam and Oscar would simply find a weak spot and be gone
in a leap. So for all the time that Sam and Oscar (since he has grown up) have been with me, the fence in
the back yard has been no obstacle for them. And every time they traversed the fence I had that agonizing
wait until they returned to the gate to be let back in.
I made the decision to fence in the front yard, because I wanted the dogs to have more room to run and
play. And, the cats needed an area away from the dogs. In the back yard the dogs and cats would mingle,
and the dogs might not have had a problem with that arrangement, some of the cats prefer to not have the
dogs around. With the fence, the dogs would be in the front, and the cats that didn’t like the dogs would
have their own area to mingle among themselves in the back.
So I hired Larry and built the fence in the front yard. Building the fence would solve one problem – lack of
space – but I knew that I would in all likelihood still have to deal with the issue of Sam and Oscar jumping
the fence. The fence in the front yard was to be the same height as that in the back: four feet. So the fence
was built, and the first time the dogs were turned loose, only a few hours were required before Sam and
Oscar decided to give the fence a try, and sure enough – over they went. Gone! I knew it would happen,
and now after all that expense I once again had that agonizing wait until my dogs returned.
But, I had studied the matter and had anticipated the possibility of Sam and Oscar going over the top, so I
invested an additional sum of money and bought the materials needed to electrify the fence. I bought a
solar-powered unit, and strung a strand of 17-gauge wire about four inches above the top of the fence – all
the way around. A few days were required to complete the job, and only when it was finished would I be
able to test it on the dogs. To be sure I had already tested the thing on myself. Once or twice I had
accidently touched the wire while touching the fence, and trust me on this one – it isn’t pleasant.
So, I finished stringing the electric wire, and waited. I wouldn’t have to wait long. Shortly thereafter, I was
inside when I heard a very loud yelp followed closely by another very loud yelp. I went outside to see what
had happened. I looked all over the yard, and sure enough Sam and Oscar were gone! Now for the
agonizing wait, and if they returned safely this time, hopefully Sam and Oscar would have learned their
lesson, and that would be the last time they would jump the fence.
I wouldn’t have long to wait. Within moments after hearing the two yelps my other dogs were at the gate
where Sam and Oscar would have to reenter, and they were making a loud racket. I went over to where
they were, and could see that Sam and Oscar had already returned. They were there, but there was
something different about them. Each dog was hanging his head in the most abject manner, and when I
opened the gate each dog very slowly and carefully made his way into the yard, tail tucked between legs.
Each dog crept into the house to find a quiet place of solitude in which to hide and recuperate.
Believe me, it was a day or two before either dog would venture outside again. At first only Oscar would
look out, and at that all he could manage was to stare in the direction of the fence then quickly duck back in
and crawl back to his place of hiding. This went on for a few days, but eventually each dog would
circumspectly return to the yard, but only to sniff the grass and check out the scenery. Time would pass,
and both Sam and Oscar would return to their running and chasing and playing about. Everything for those
two would return to normal: chasing Fred and being chased by Fred. Every day I would let them out with
the others and Oscar would run about, tongue lolling – a big grin on his face. Everything would again be all
right with the world, and everything would return to normal for the dogs. Everything, that is, except that
since the day I heard the two yelps, neither Sam nor Oscar has gone near the fence.
| (l to r) Sam, Scamp, Oscar, and Fred -- rescues all: I live to see the smiles on those faces |
| Shock Value Daniel Taylor |