Why a Fence?
by Kathy Chittenden, NEBCR Volunteer
 MY
STORY: I adopted Rusty from my local humane society.
He was the most handsome, unusually brindle-colored Border
Collie or mix that I'd ever seen. He had striking blue
eyes that were actually more white in color than blue.
We immediately enrolled in obedience class. It was tough
at first; we had to work through some problems towards
other dogs and my first few classes left my hands stinging
with rope burns from the lead as he tested his power.
By the end of five weeks he was doing exceedingly well,
and I was such a wonderful "dog-mommy" to him: I worked
him for 5-10 minutes every morning and every evening.
We played all sorts of tug games and chase games and ball
games. He'd sit in my lap every evening and just eat up
all the attention he was receiving. We were so happy together,
so closely bonded; I can't describe in mere words the
incredible attachment, and love and pride, I felt toward
this little guy.
We began agility classes and Rusty really
blossomed. His attention tripled as we learned more and
more. I began having daydreams of my beautiful dog winning
agility ribbons everywhere we went.
The Sunday morning of my 6-week anniversary
of adopting Rusty began as any other day. At 6:30 a.m.
it was time for our hike around the big field in back
of our house. The dogs were getting itchy so I let them
out while I finished putting on my boots. I stepped out
the front door, waved to my neighbor on her way to work,
and then heard the sickening sound of a thud coupled with
squealing brakes. I ran to the road, and there was my
little Rusty. He was still breathing but his eyes were
dilated and he wasn't moving. I ran to the house for a
quilt, asked the neighbor to drive to the barn for my
husband, while I carried Rusty carefully into the house.
I phoned the vet, and prayed like I'd never prayed before.
We were instructed to drive over to the vet hospital.
As my husband placed him on the back seat, Rusty stopped
breathing; my beautiful, smart, one-of-a-kind, dog that
I had poured my heart and soul into was gone.
To this day I ask myself "why?"; but I know
the answer: We didn't have a
fence.
I know that many people out there considering adopting
a dog have no fence. You may think:
- I can train my dog to stay in the
yard.
- My dog will never be out unless
I'm with him.
- My road isn't very busy.
- Or any number of other reasons.
Please consider the following:
- Vet bills, which can become astronomical
if your dog gets hit by a car (assuming that he lives).
- The gut-wrenching feeling of seeing
your dog get hit by a car.
- The devastating loss of your dog.
- Having to bury your best friend.
Furthermore, there are other possible ramifications of
not having a fence:
- Lawsuits, which could amount to
many thousands of dollars and the loss of your dog, if
your dog chases and bites joggers/cyclists/the UPS delivery
person/neighborhood children.
- Fines and possible loss of your
dog if he is a wanderer and is picked up by animal control
too many times.
- Extreme anxiety if your dog leaves
your property and disappears, possibly forever.
- Poor relationships with the neighbors,
possible fines, and the specter of loosing your dog if
he becomes a nuisance because of wandering.
Doesn't a fence seem a lot easier to deal
with?
FENCING OPTIONS
There are many options for fencing:
- Radio
or invisible fences are
the least expensive option, but for a Border Collie, the
least effective as well. Border Collies sometimes would
rather take the shock and leave if there are more exciting
things happening on the other side of the fence - for
example, children playing, livestock across the street,
or cars to chase. If you decide to put in this type of
fence, you should only adopt a dog that you know will
be contained by it. It's a good choice for diggers, because
they can't dig under it.
- Chain-link
fencing is strong, but unsightly, and a determined
dog can easily climb a chain-link fence because it is
rigid, is heavy gauge so that it doesn't cut into tender
foot-pads, and has "foot holds" spaced just right for
canine feet. Still, it would contain all but the most
determined dog, and cannot be destroyed by chewing or
clawing.
- Woven wire
is a good choice because it has smaller-gauge wire that
can hurt when climbed and it flexes so that a dog does
not get a confident footing. But it must be at least 4'
high to be effective, and it doesn't provide a sight barrier.
So, the dog might not get out, but might still bark at
distractions.
- Stockade
fence is also a good choice because, besides being
impossible to climb, it has the added advantage of preventing
the dog from seeing everything that's going on outside
the fence, and so minimizing temptation. It also keeps
people away from your dog.
If your dog is a digger, any hard fence
would have to be buried a foot into the ground. If you
feel you can't afford to have a fence installed, you can
install one yourself for much less and easily. You might
not like what driven steel posts look like, but you can
think of it as a temporary solution until you can afford
a nicer, professionally installed fence.
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