Houdini Hounds
We stupidly did not fence in your backyard in our Virginia house for years. I don’t know why. We walked our dogs, and that was fine, but it would have been nice to let the dogs out to run and play. Finally, out of frustration for not having an outlet for our dogs, we built a nice fence and two gates for access.
Our property is situated on a steep hill. Luckily, the backyard, which is very nice in size, is more or less flat. On one side, our neighbors are about 25 feet away; on the other, it feels like no one abuts us. That’s because our driveway separates the steep incline from their property. At the rear of the property, it is all woods. Another house is visible in the extreme right corner of the rear, but I think I only saw people there twice. That rear area is no man’s land; no one can build on it. I love that area; it’s like having a wild oasis in a suburban neighborhood. I have seen everything there, from a bear cub, deer, fox, beaver, raccoons, and giant turtles. The variety of birds amazes me, from the usual wrens to eagles and hawks. There are many more things in there. I hear the sounds but can’t see or identify the animal or bird creating it. Not all the creatures are pleasant or beautiful. We have a variety of snakes, including poisonous ones. Most of the time, it’s just a garden snake.
When we put the fence in, it solved some problems but created others. Yes, the dogs could go out, but other things could also happen. I have had curious squirrels sit right at the entrance to the doggie door.
We also put a camera at the front of the house. We have had minor vandalism, especially during Halloween and yearly elections. Somebody doesn’t like my political choices.
Nothing prepared us for what happened with our dog Evie.
One early summer evening, my husband and I sat on our front porch looking out over the lake in front of our house. Our dog, as far as we knew, was in the backyard. Suddenly, the dog came walking down the side of our home and started wagging her tail. She looked very proud of herself as if to say, “Hey, look what I did!” We couldn’t believe it. She approached us and walked into the house when I opened the door. We checked in the back to see how she managed to get out.
Both gates were latched and solid. We looked to see if she had dug out somewhere. Nope, there were no apparent exits. We couldn’t even imagine someone opening the gate for her. It’s possible but doubtful. OK, we reasoned, it was a fluke! Stuff happens.
About a month later, our daughter’s dog, Katie, was visiting. Katie and Evie go in and out constantly. They chase each other, sit in the sun together, and seem to have a good time. On one visit, as I glanced out the kitchen window, I saw the two dogs in the front yard headed toward the street. It took a minute to register that it was Katie and Evie. Instead of leaving the property and entering the street, Evie turned to the driveway, and Katie followed. They go to the back closed gate. We run out to the back, and the two dogs just stand there waiting for us to open the gates.
We checked the gates. They are closed and latched, and there is no tunnel, and now we are going nuts trying to figure it out. Our solution was to buy combination locks and wrap a Bungie cord around the exits on both gates. I wanted to put cameras in the rear of the house, but I was outvoted. Well, it’s been a while, and neither dog has ever escaped again, but it remains a mystery.
The fence is too high for them to jump over! They are medium to large dogs.
