Going to the Dogs~

Nika in "Attack" mode!

Those of you who've been readers of this blog for any length of time now, might remember when our little Beagle Mischief got out of our fenced acreage along with Rascal - right under my nose...  When I went to get them, Mischief was attacked (see post)  by the Pit you can see in the photo above.  Rascal was chased by the other one.

I think some of Kitt is in that little golden body!

 Ours is the only property on our road that's fenced - the fence is to keep our dogs in!  We have the good quality grizzly wire, then - invisible fencing that we put in after the escape in 2011.   (The problem with that - is when they get Out - they can't get back IN!)  That requires the dogs to wear collars with electrodes.   We put one on Nika when she came home & she wore it every day - until the day that I found wounds in her fur where the electrodes came in contact with her skin.  She is allergic to them.  Butch worked on the fence yet again & we were sure it was escape proof.  We'd been lucky for months & months now - no escapes.

Until two-weeks ago, when Butch & I were driving up the hill to our gate, here was Nika - running down the road to meet us!  Oh NO!  After walking the entire perimeter - we finally decided that she'd squeezed out the gate as it was closing when we left.  The day I went riding on the SVT, the one family of friends who are also neighbors, called let me know that both dogs had been loose!  Donnie saw them coming down her driveway, caught them & shut them in a stall!  Thank Heaven!  The ONE place they could have gone where they'd be safe!

To say that they were happy to see us when we went down to pick them up - would have been an understatement!  Again - Butch walked the fence & found where rocks had been knocked away from under the fence - where the creek exits our SE corner.  That gave Nika enough room to squeeze out - Rascal followed.  Neither of them have worn the electrodes for several months now.  THAT'S why I finally realized, when I was scanning the photos that Animal Control included with the Notice of Violation - that Nika has hers ON in the photos!  That tells me that these photos were NOT taken last week!  Supposedly, the photos must have a date stamp for Animal Control to issue a Violation notice!  These could NOT have Been!  At least not with the date that would correspond with the notice!

But - in the mail on Fri. was the document below~!

We've been told that we have not one, not two, but THREE dogs - all unlicensed & running at large!  We have another form like the one above with Rascal's name on it - so it's all a little confusing :-)  No!  The dog they describe as a Golden Ret - Kitt - passed away going on two-years now!  So we know that she wasn't out!

We did NOT renew our pet licenses -  in this neighborhood - if a dog is licensed - it's the exception - NOT the rule!  Having a dog licensed - does not mean that they have to be vaccinated!  All it means - is that you're giving more money to the County.   After my experience dealing with the County Animal Control Officers - the last thing I wanted to do was add money to their coffers...  Our dogs are fully vaccinated!

The "Adjoining Landowner" who was so quick to call Animal Control - is the owner of the Pit that tried to kill our nieces dog, then tried to kill Mischief & lacerated my hands.  The same dog that attacked me while I was riding Khari too!   (see post)  There are others on our road, who've had older dogs "disappear".

All totaled, Butch wrote a check for $140.  $100. for the "First time Violation" fines for both dogs, then the cost of the licensing fee for both.  I decided to check out Rascal's Avid microchip.

I logged into the Avid web site - to find that his chip - that I'd paid for in 2009 - was "unactivated" & that they now want a yearly fee to keep the chip active!  I know that when we purchased it, it was a one-time charge.   What's irritating - is that they never sent us a bill!

I'd been remiss in updating the information on Nika's chip - it was still in her breeders name.   I logged on to  Petkey & with a few clicks - had all her information updated.  They offered a "Lifetime" fee of $40.  Much easier than trying to remember to pay yearly.  While I was at it, I went ahead & moved Rascal's chip info. over to Petkey & paid for him too.  Avid will get no further money from us!

It's the first of a new year - if you have pets with microchips - be sure to check out the company where that information is stored - to confirm that it's still active!   If you're dogs aren't licensed - check with your city or county to see what the requirements are.

As for me - you can bet that I'll be back out there with my camera & sidearm - to get time stamped photos of the loose dogs on our road!