RUNNING WITH THE WRONG CROWD

~ tippysmom2

As with people, dogs can get into trouble when they run with the wrong crowd, or should I say, the wrong pack.  Tippy found this out a couple of weeks ago.  We had gone for our walk in the neighbor’s field and she disappeared before we got back.  She does this sometimes, but always comes back within 10 to 15 minutes.  I figure she can’t get into too much trouble in that short period of time.  However, on that day, the neighbor called to let me know that he had seen Tippy and the neighbor’s two Pit Bulls barking at his cows. Uh oh!

He was actually very nice about it and said he didn’t think they would do any harm, but he had three new calves and they were aggravating the mom’s to death.  He asked me to keep Tippy up for a couple of weeks, until the calves are better able to take care of themselves.  He also told me that he has had problems with those Pit Bulls for over two years.  I have since learned that they run the horses that belong to their owner.  That’s not good.

So, for over a week now, Tippy has either been inside, tied out, or on leash.  She’s not happy.  I feel bad for her and wish I could make her understand why she isn’t allowed to run free.  If I could, I’m sure she would chose freedom over hanging out with the other dogs.

Yesterday, I’m convinced the Pit Bulls came by for a visit and she really wanted to go out to play.  Here is what I saw and heard.

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I think I see my friends. Can I go out to play?
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Please, mom. I really want to go out.
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In case you didn’t hear me, I REALLY WANT TO GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!!!!
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Fine! I guess I’ll just have to take a nap!
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Naps over. Maybe the stare down will work.

When that didn’t work, so she made one last ditch effort.

I did eventually take her out for a nice walk, but only after I was sure that the Pit Bulls had moved on.  I have figured out a way to let her get some running in with little potential for “escape.”  I drop the leash, throw a treat, which she will run to retrieve and devour, then run back to me and sit down to wait on the next treat to be thrown.  This has the added bonus of working on her recall.  Sure wish I had made that a priority when she was a puppy.

Just a few more days and I will let her have more freedom.   Living on a farm, I hate to have to keep her restrained – especially since she’s used to being able to run free and she has so much energy.  But, having grown up on a farm, I also understand that she can’t be allowed to aggravate the cows.  For a long term solution, I am researching GPS dog collars that will allow me to keep track of her when she is out of my sight. Maybe that will keep us both from getting into trouble in the future.

Tippy and I wish you all a very happy and trouble free 2018!

 

39 thoughts on “RUNNING WITH THE WRONG CROWD”

  2. Awe, poor Tippy. She looks so sad in the pictures. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, I thought Tippy had issues with the Pit Bulls but I’m assuming they are buds now causing all kinds of chaos. Happy New Year!

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    1. I have problems with the Pit Bulls coming over, but they have never been anything but friendly. I’ve just been afraid that they may gang up on Tippy when she’s tied out and I’m not home. But now, if, when they get together, they are harassing the neighbor’s cows, I’m going to have to figure out a way to stop it. I was going to post about a walk we all took together, but never got around to it. They are friendly, just not well behaved, apparently.

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      2. I haven’t spoken with the owner, personally. I guess I should, but I don’t really know him and I’m pretty sure there could be drugs involved in that household, so I’m a little wary of getting involved in that. The neighbor with the cows has spoken with the pit bulls owner and it hasn’t helped anything.

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      3. Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that. Yeah, I’d stay away as well. Based on what you’re saying here if the neighbor with the cows didn’t have any luck it’s probably doubtful there’d be anything you could say or do to bring about a positive change. I’m glad to hear that Tippy has two buds she can pal around with as long as they don’t harrass the cows.

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      2. That you. I did feel bad for her, but at the same time I was laughing inside because she was so adorable. It’s really cold here today, so I did let her out by herself for about 30 minutes earlier. I was just about to go out to make sure she wasn’t bothering the cows when she came running up on the front porch. She was so happy. Has been contented to be inside ever since.

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      3. Hahaha awe. It’s so cold here and my dog likes to play around but I can tell when she gets cold because she will begin limping and lifting her paws like they hurt. Typically we are only out for maybe 5 minutes when it’s in the single digits or colder. I feel real bad for the feral cats in my condo plan. Even though they have little houses with carpet/blankets in them they will come out during the day and try to get some sun.

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      4. I’m sure you were colder than we were today. She was out after it warmed up to 23F. Started out at 0 this morning. She was ready to come back in after she did her business then. But, in general, she likes the colder weather. I’m glad that the cats have little houses to stay in. I’m sure they are fine and just love laying in the sun. Don’t we all. 😉

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      5. I’m sure they are as well, they are very hardy looking and have been here way before I moved in. There’s actually two separate colonies of cats and it’s funny how they don’t cross over into one another’s territory. We have people who come out to feed and care for them. They’ve all been fixed and are very well cared for. I just feel so awful when I go out there in the frozen tundra and see them out there, makes me feel even colder. I heard we have at least another week or so of this weather still to come. Ugh. I’m ready for spring.

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      6. It’s great that the feral cat colony is being taken care of and have all been fixed. Too many are truly abandoned. I wish everyone would have their pets fixed if they aren’t planning on breeding them. I know around here, people tend to get male animals and not have them spayed because, well, they won’t have babies. I just shake my head. I’m tired of this really cold weather too. We’re supposed to warm up into the 40’s on Sunday. That will feel so good! Stay warm my friend.

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      7. Yeah, it’s really sad how people won’t take care of their animals. Especially around the holidays they get the idea that a pet will be a great gift for the kids not thinking that it’s a long term commitment. Long after the kiddos go to college, God willing, the animal will still be around.

        Don’t even get me started on this cold weather. Today it was -2, phone said it felt like -10 and my dog was like “can we go outside? can we? can we?” Needless to say, little princess she is, she quickly did her business and I had to carry her back inside within 5 minutes if that.

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      8. I agree with you. People need to think long term when getting a pet. Many don’t. I see Facebook posts all the time about people needing to re-home a dog because it’s more than they can handle, it was their kids dog and she’s moved to California, etc. Very sad indeed.

        At least we haven’t had any actual temps below zero. I laughed at your description of your dogs antics. What is her name? What kind is she?

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      9. Her name is Mollie and she’s a terrier/chihauhua mix. Love her to death but she can be a maniac. She’s afraid of her own shadow yet she acts like she’ll tear off the legs of people she doesn’t like. It seems like an effective deterrent though.

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    1. Thank you. It’s been so cold here, and she really needed more running time, that I let her romp freely for about 30 minutes. I was just about to go look for her and make sure she wasn’t harassing the cows, when she came happily bounding up onto the front porch. She’s been content inside ever since. I think she really just needed a good run and a little feeling of freedom.

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  4. Poor Tippy – but better to be stuck inside for a bit than to cause the sort of trouble that can get a dog in serious trouble. It really would be nice if you could make them understand some of these things (for Choppy, I would particularly like her to know why she has to go to the vet and get poked on a regular basis, because it clearly terrifies her).

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    1. Yes. It is better to be inside than get into serious trouble. Besides, it’s pretty cold anyway. Poor Choppy! Tippy isn’t terrified, but she does get snippy with the vet. I think it’s because of the way the vet techs hold them down when they are bigger dogs.

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      2. Poor baby. Tippy did that the first couple of times I took her. Then she got more confident and did great until she had an ear infection and the exam hurt her. Now, she really is wary about them and what they are doing.

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    1. Thank you. I’ve been giving her a little freedom the last couple of days. However, today I saw her going toward the cows and had to go retrieve her – the pit bulls were down there and she really didn’t want to leave. So, I’m going to have to be more careful and watchful for a little while longer. Wish the Pit Bulls weren’t such a bad influence on her.

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  6. I’ve had people complain about a lot of things, but never how my dog behaved with their cows. I’m not sure he’s seen cows. I too am looking into the GPS collars – there’s many on the market – because that might be a solution when my dog takes off too. Although so far the collar with a phone # has worked.

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    1. If you decide on one, let me know which one you are getting. My favorite so far is one that has a speaker, so I can talk to her or hear what’s going on around her. Don’t recall the name of it right off of the top of my head. I think it works like a cell phone – sort of – and you have to get the carrier to do something to a sim card? I’m not very tech-y, so am going to ask them before I buy.

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  7. To me it seems that your neighbour has been very kind despite Tippy and the pit bulls worrying his cows. Over here farmers have the right to destroy any dog that worries sheep or cattle and the dog owner will also be prosecuted by the police. You need to teach Tippy to leave livestock alone as being harassed by dogs can cause them a lot of stress. Perhaps a dog trainer can help you with this 😉💖 xxx

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    1. I agree that the neighbor is being very kind. Of course, we’ve been friends for over 50 years, so there’s that. Still, I don’t want her harassing the cows. I am working on teaching her to leave them alone, but it is hard since I’m sure that she is part Australian Shepherd, a cattle herder. When I have seen her doing anything, she is usually trying to get the herd together, if they are scattered, if anything at all. Usually, she will just run toward them, they ignore her, and she leaves. But, when there are 3 dogs involved, and the pit bulls seem to be a little more aggressive, I worry. I have talked to my dog trainer about this issue. It’s a hard one. I am probably going to wind up building a fence to keep her confined when I’m not with her. That way, she can’t get into trouble. If it were just her, I really wouldn’t worry.

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  8. Yes, living in an open area with only limited fences can be a concern. My concern is that with the Kangaroos, if I had Benji off Leash and he went after one, I might never see him again,. He would get lost in the in the thousands of square miles of open bushland on the other side of the fence, or the Kangaroo would turn on him, or snakes, or a range of creatures that the open bushland harbours. The sheep stations that were around us are mostly gone now – compulsory purchased by the Government to give the Military a bigger playpen. I don’t know what the answer for Tippy would be, but I don’t think her “friends” are helping her much.

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    1. No. Her friends aren’t helping her much. That’s for sure. I just hate it, because, before they started wondering, I could let her outside by herself and not worry. She’d get her running in and business done, and come back onto the front porch, either to rest or to ask to come back inside. We’re just having to made adjustments so that everyone stays safe. I guess I’m just not good with change, especially when I perceive it as a negative one. I think Benji is better off being on leash. I’ve heard those kangaroos can be really dangerous, along with all of those venomous snakes. I didn’t really realize until recently how dangerous it can be in Australia – still one of the places I’d love to visit, though.

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  9. I grew up around farms and knew that a farmer could legally shoot a dog that was harassing livestock, so I’ve been terrified whenever any of my dogs ever gave chase (mostly to deer, which is also illegal). I know it would have to be extreme for a farmer to do so, but the idea is firmly planted in mind! I’m glad Tippy is safe!

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    1. I think most farmers understand and will at least make an attempt to contact the owner before they do anything drastic. I’m glad Tippy is safe too, but she isn’t real happy about having her freedom restricted. I’m not either, but at least I do understand why.

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