So My Dog Ran Away....................................?

Question

My dog ran away from me at 6:30 pm. I looked for him until 11:00 pm. I ran/walked through woods, onto the beach and over fields. I finally found him at 10:30 but he ran from me into the woods. The woods were dark but I checked them out until they became too dark. A thunder and lightening storm then came and it rained like crazy. I decided to go home. I then waited up until 2:30 am. He did not come home. I then went looking for him the next day. Started at 7:30 am and got a phone call at 1:30 in the afternoon. Again I looked into the woods, beach and fields. at 1:00 the police phoned and told me he was in a persons garden. I went and picked him up. He has been acting strange since - for the last two days. And for the first time I am wary of him. (He is an Akita)
Okay, so the question: Dog owners sacrifice a lot, there time, love and money etc. Do you have a story where you have had to sacrifice for your dog:

Answer 1

My dog ran out of the house and right in to the road once and was hit by a car. That same year my mom had a car accident and she had to get a new car that same month. Oh, not to mention the day my dog was hit by a car it was the morning of Valentine's Day. Also my mom's a single parent with not much extra income at all.

Anyway, we rushed my dog over to the emergency pet clinic. He's a small dog, toy poodle, so there was a lot of damage done. He had to get some organs repaired and metal plates put in his legs so he could walk. Total bill was about five grand and we're still paying it off.

So that day, I had to miss school and some guy waited for me for a long time at my locker to give me something apparently and he thought I stood him up. So I had to deal with that problem. Oh, not to mention after my dog did get back home he had bladder problems for two weeks so their was constant leakage and pee everywhere. Someone always had to be there with him for the first three weeks because we had to make sure he was able to pee and that he didn't move around too much. It was very stressful and I couldn't go out with friends ever.

Anyways, now it's a couple months later and he's fine, but because of that bill which we put all our extra income in to paying off every month, money has become very very tight. I couldn't even take the summer college class I wanted and have to worry about getting a decent job in order to pay for my school supplies and such.

All in all though, I don't mind it because I'm just so glad I have him and he's safe. As crazy as this makes me sound, when the vet told me the chances of my dog surviving it all were close to nothing, I became suicidal. I was with my dog the day he was born and helped in the delivery and I don't know how I'd be without him. Now he's a million dollar doggy and I'd pay for and do whatever possible again if he were in the same situation.

Oh..and I guess I didn't mention. We got a second glass door so that now when we open it, we have the glass to protect him from running out but it'll still let us talk to who's ever at the door if they don't plan on coming in.

Answer 2

I have four dogs, and the two things that will never be a sacrifice are good fencing and string carrying/travel crates.
My husband and I are looking at buying five acres, and the first big expense will be good fencing surrounding the perimeter of the property so my dogs can run. If they get out, it's not because we didn't try to secure their safety. Travel crates mean we can keep them in the garage at night on the Fourth of July. We helped catch one dog on the Fourth of July that had gotten out and was running around in a total panic. Mine would have been too, but they were stuck in their crates in the garage while the fireworks were going off. We let them out the next morning and all was well. Our other neighbor was not so lucky, she still hasn't found her own dog that ran away that night.
I love my dogs, and we have been living here in a crappy neighborhood just because the building we rent has allowed pets, but I am not the person who gives my dogs carte blanche inside my house. My dogs are outside in the fenced yard when I am not home, they are allowed inside the house only when I or my husband are home, and only allowed inside two rooms - the kitchen and the living room. It sounds a bit cold-hearted , but I am one of the few people who walks her dogs every night and lets all the children pet and play with them. As a result, my dogs are friendly and non-aggressive, rarely run away and come when they are called because they have a good balance of consistent rules, love and attention.
I'm guessing your dog is not fixed. Male dogs will run away whenever there is a female dog in heat within a ten mile radius! If your dog is puebred and you are trying to collect stud fees, great, but you need to keep your dog in a kennel to prevent him from doing every unspayed female dog in town and prevent unwanted litters that end up in the shelter more often than not. If you are not into breeding your Akita, you need to get him fixed, or he will run away every time there is any female in heat in the area.
The other thing you need to do is take your dog to training classes and learn how to deal with an Akita. Akitas can be particularly picky about their owners besides being a rather dominant breed with strong personalities. Even basic puppy training classes will do you both a world of good.
Good luck.

Answer 3

When our dog ran away we contacted the local animal control to see if they had picked her up and sure enough they had. We were able to get her back right away. At least it's a place to start, and they will also keep an eye out for the dog most times.

Answer 4

You need to non-aggressively re-assert that you are the head of the household, or the Akita will become the head of the household. Just hold him on his back with one hand while looking right into his eyes. Do NOT let go until he stops squirming and turns his head to look completely away from you. Then he will accept you as the dominant one.

Also, you need to put in at least a 6ft or higher fence to keep your dog in the yard. And never open a door without having him on a leash. Akitas are wild hunting dogs, so they will dart outside to explore.

Finally, take him to a vet to have him checked out just in case in general.

As for my dog, its more about the cost of his food more than anything else - he is costing me a fortune and wont eat anything but the most expensive dog foods. Any other things you do for your dog, if you love your dog, you do those things anyway without thinking about it. As far as I am concerned my dog is part of my family.

Answer 5

I have a bloodhound a VERY nosy dog ha.. Well we got him when he was 4 months old at a discounted price because of his age and all. We REALLY wanted a bloodhound also.

When we first got him he peed in the house.. Me thinking and being around dogs and puppies my whole life thought wow at 4 months old and Still pees in the house i had to train him to go outside. So multiple stains and accidents later he learned.
After that all puppies have a tendency to chew and he went threw probably 15 pairs of shoes and i DON'T know how he got to them all because they are in a closet. Now from lack of chewing he got to clothes and underwear he was famous for..

That has all subsided now that we got into a routine of making sure his "room" the laundry room was free of clothing and anything he can really chew besides raw hides and whatnot he started chewing on his couch that was his "BED" yeah lucky dog so he went threw his couch and now that has gone and he is currently on the floor..
He had gotten loose one night about 6pm or so and was GONE GONE... it is a pretty small neighborhood and with woods close i though he was gone for sure.. well i looked and put up fliers and knocked on every ones door and handed them one as well. and nothing. and him being such a beautiful dog i though maybe someone had to of took him.. but i ended up calling all shelters and even lowered his outcome and called the highway people that pick up the dead animals and still no luck...
well there is a church right by the woods and the pastor saw him and called.. i went looking for him and he was all huddled up in tall grass and i saw is head pop up when i called his name.. turns out he had a severely broken leg and couldn't have gone far. He was a big dog maybe 50 lbs at the time and it was HARD to carry him threw the woods up a hill and put him in the car.
I brought him to the local pet hospital and they said that he would need a x-ray which i couldn't pay for and a older couple hearing our situation said they would pay for it.. what a caring generous couple.. i am forever thankful of that.. so they gave him a X-Ray and said he would need corrective surgery. another thing we couldn't afford we left with pain killers and a anti inflammatory and showed up at is vet the next day the vet said well.. if anything it might heal on its own so we said alright and bandaged it up and whatever happens happens..
So yeah good news he healed normal and everything was fine
well Now he has this Territorial aggression
Now he has bit a couple of people including my boss where i had to go to court and yeah pay out the ***...
Ohh i also lost my job because i of it..
but i still love my dog..

Answer 6

I think roaming is natural for dogs my runs all the time chasing her does no good if he is chained it could just be pent up energy and frustration if he is not fixed and sometimes even if they are it could be the call of nature.what ever you do do not show your dog you are feeeling fearful that will make him think he can become head of the household (dogs think in terms of packs .just like in the wild.)

Answer 7

mabey cause your dog ran away because he needed freedom away from you and no i dont have a story but i am buying a golden retriever puppy in octber

Answer 8

no cause my dog we have to put him down today