This morning my worst nightmare came true.
Togo has never been outside our compound unleashed, and we have always dreaded to think what might happen if he did manage to run out when the gate is opened.
This morning, as our nephews let themselves out, Togo squeezed past their legs and ran out.
My heart stopped, but my brain kicked in hard. Think! Togo will not come in when called, especially not when he's outside with the thousand and one smells to explore. Togo can outrun all of us, and it's no use trying to chase him - Togo will panic and if he runs down to the nearby main road he's as good as gone with all that morning traffic.
I rushed to grab a bag of treats, but when I went out I couldn't see him. Then a car drove slowly by and there he is... running along the front wheel... and there he is.. not there anymore... then the car braked suddenly... and Togo shot out at the other side. THANK GOD that car stopped. God bless you, driver.
Togo went sniffing round and round the neighbors cars, while I tried to lure him to within a catching distance. I almost succeeded once, but a hasty grab resulted in him bolting out of my grasp and sending me sprawling, scraping my knee. Togo is so much stronger than me, I really got to win this with brains.
He sniffed his way into an angle, and we trapped him by slowly advancing on him from both sides. With nowhere to go and a bag of treats in his face, Togo calmed down enough to 'Sit' for his treat. Which gave me the enough time to catch him in a proper hold, and carry the wriggling furball home.
As with all defining moments, you don't really feel emotions until after the fact. Once safely inside our compound, clutching our beloved tyrant, the horror came in waves. That image of Togo running at the car's wheel is stuck on replay. The what-ifs spawned horrifically - what if Togo was run over, what if Togo broke a leg, what if Togo ran up far and fast, what if Togo ran down into heavy traffic, what if Togo is badly hurt, what if Togo is no more..
I hugged Togo so so hard he squeaked. Thank god he's all right.
Ladies and gentlemen, of the "your-dog-deserves-a-better-home" kind, THIS is exactly WHY Togo needs a chain.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, the hurt that the chain could possibly cause even after 20 years of temporary use cannot compare to the hurt that would have befallen Togo in that split moment he dashed towards the wheels of that car.
Togo, don't scare your mommy like that!! Now go take care of her knee. No more treats for you today.. :p
One word: Training.
ReplyDeleteyup, he's trained enough to sit and what not. now after this seriously thinking to send for a full training course
ReplyDeleteOh THANK GOD your doggy is safe!!!! God i read that post with bated breath!
ReplyDeleteI used to have a dog just like this...he would run as far and fast as he could and kill any cat in sight!
normal lah~
ReplyDeletei bet my top dollar that togo can even jump over your wall, he certainly has the credentials
anyway dogs running out is normal
happen lots of times for me
hehe
Oh my!!! I'm glad Togo is safely back home. Something terrible could have happened to him & he seems to now know the dangers of cars passing by. I think he needs to be brought out for walks very often sp that he does not have the urge to escape all the time. He just wants to explore & discover the outside world. OB training is important & also, make sure he's caged or leashed up before opening the main gate.
ReplyDeleteSimilar thing happened to my sista Faith but she jumped out of the car window & almost ran towards the highway! You should have seen my hoomans, they froze & their hearts were beating very fast but after two or three big rounds of running, she was satisfied & came back to my hoomans. She listens but sometimes she losses her mind & forgets everything around her & even the danger of cars! dalmatians are like that...
Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer
togo, bad togo! togo, do you know how hard the outside world is for us doggies? we'll be tortured and beaten to death... ok, i'm a bit exaggerating but seriously, togo, don't sneak out anymore!
ReplyDeletewet wet licks
Boo
WHEW! We didn't like reading that, but we were holding out for a happy ending. Why do we do things like that?? ::sigh:: We are SO glad Togo is home again. Mom lives in fear we're going to do that to her someday. She even has nightmares about it.
ReplyDeleteECHO
Woos, we're glad to hear Togo wasn't harmed. We lost our Rosie when she ran right out in front of a truck, and it's a horrible thing to go through.
ReplyDeleteEveryone who owns a sibe goes thru at least one escape. Some sibes get very good at it - We dig under, climb over, unwind chain-link, shimmy up trees near fences, unlock latches, chew through chains... you get the picture! Once we're free, it's all a fun game of keep away! That's why you can NEVER trust a sibe off a leash. We NEVER get tired of running!
Our humans put up 6' tall kennel fencing, and keep a close eye on our digging at the base. We're pretty well trained, but sibes will be sibes.
Wooos and a-rooos,
Star & Jack
Oh my! Soooo glad you're OK Togo! J x
ReplyDeleteWaahh!!
ReplyDeleteDon't scare your hoomans like that!
I did that once and my hoomans gave me a whack. But after that, they hugged me very tightly.
Anyway, glad to hear that you are now inside safe with your hoomans.
Be a good boy, Togo. This from your "older" 姐姐 friend - Snoopy...
Licks,
Snoopy
Woooo, Togo! You can't be doing that, it scares our humans half to death. But we have to echo the Cyber-sibes, every husky owner goes through it at least once, and some of us are such escape artists it happens more than once. Cracker can jump our 6 ft privacy fence, so he's never allowed outside without supervision.
ReplyDeleteDo you like to ride in the car? That's how our mama always gets us to come back. If somehusky gets out she jumps in the car quick & follows, calling "lets go for a ride". And we always fall for it, we LOVE riding in the car even more than running loose! One time she was in the garden and Chili got out, as he ran past she fell on the ground sobbing & crying. He came back to check on her to see what was wrong. Your mama will learn lots of tricks to get you to come back, but better if you just don't go to begin with!
Kisses,
Bama & the RHP