Ying and Yang - Pros and Cons - To Fence or Not To Fence

As I was outside one morning; scooping poop; listening to four terriers barking non-stop; I yelled up to the house, "You are the joy of my life and the bane of my existence". Then my mind started to wander, as my mind often does, and I started thinking about fences and dog doors. Being a Libra, my mind often slides back and forth over the proverbial fence. I also often sit atop that fence wobbling over decisions. But this is not about me, it's about the pros and cons of fences and pet doors. (in my opinion)

Fenced In Yards (conventional fences):

Pros; Your pets can't run out in the street and get killed or lost. Fences prevent fights with stray animals. They protect wild life from being hurt by or hurting your cherished fur-babies. You always know where those babies are (if the fence is in good condition). You don't have to take the time to walk your dog, (especially useful when you are running late to work). Fences keep the neighbor hood clean and the neighbors from stepping in poop. Fences provide privacy.

Cons; You have to scoop to avoid stepping in unpleasant things, (that never quite works for me, for every two I scoop I step in at least one). There is a tendency by some to just put the animal out by him/herself, thereby denying him/her quality, one on one time. Fences can cause issues with neighbors when animals make a lot of noise, especially at 2 AM. Fences can block the view.

Electric Fences:

Pros; Underground electric fences do not interrupt your view with unsightly fence lines. They can be used in neighborhoods that prohibit fences. If self installed, they are cheaper than standard fencing. They are easier to maintain than standard fences, (as long as nobody digs).

Cons; Electric fences do not always work. (Ditto for electric collars) Given the right incentive (i.e. other animals, children, food, thunder phobia, etc.) your pet will cross the fence line, usually at top speed. He/She crosses the line so quickly that he/she doesn't even notice the jolt. However, when returning he/she is not moving as fast and not as highly motivated, and he/she does feel the shock. Now he/she can't get back in. Electric fencing may keep your animal in, but will not keep other animals or people out. This can put your baby and/or the other animal or person at risk. It is possible to break an animal's spirit with electric fences and collars. He/She receives punishment (the shock) but has no idea what he/she did wrong. The jolt just comes out of nowhere.

Dog/Cat Doors:

Pros; Your pet can go in and out whenever he/she needs or wants to. Dog/Cat doors can lessen your stress of not being home in time to let your little guys out. If there is a home emergency (i. e. fire, flood etc), your baby can get out of the house.

Cons; Your pet can go in and out whenever he/she wants to, (this can allow that 2AM barking.) Puppies, kittens and small animals can be in danger if left out alone. Animal theft is real, as is intentional injury to pets that can get out when you are not there to protect them. Dogs can be injured if they slam into a closed door at full speed, (that goes for sliding glass doors too). Other creatures can access your house, not all of them being cats and dogs. Burglars can easily enter through large pet doors.

Side Notes: Walking forms bonds and provides companionship between people and pets. It is good exercise for all and forms relationships between neighbors; nothing starts a conversation like animals and babies. So even if your yard is fenced, you and your fur-baby should walk long and often.
As long as I have had pets of my own, I have had a fenced in yard and a dog door. Yes, it was my boy Toppie (dog in socialization article) who slammed into a closed dog door at full speed. Now in my defense, I did not let him out when the door was closed. One of his favorite things was a good game of chase with my Doberman. Toppie would slam full force into the back door, popping it open, circle around and come in through the dog door. One day it was closed.
As to strays coming in the door; my sister has found more than one opossum on her screened in porch eating cat food. And burglars? Well that depends on the size of the door. My brother-in-law had to climb through mine once. His only comment--"any burglar who squeezes through that door deserves anything he gets."
Personally, I love my dog door. In my first job, (all 35 years of it) I was required to work a lot of overtime. Without the dog door I would have come home to some awful messes.
I am not in favor of electric fences or collars of any kind. In my opinion the cons far outweigh the pros. My neighbors had a dog that constantly scaled the fence and wandered about the neighborhood. In desperation they used an electric fence and collar. He went from being a happy go lucky guy to a little old man overnight.

Ode To Beast Cat

Ode To Beast Cat

She came out of the West
With dirt on her Chest
She was scrawny and thin
With more dirt on her chin
She looked like a Beast; Beast Cat

She asked for some food
But it wasn't my mood
Till I looked in her eye
And I knew she was my
Beast; Beast Cat

So I gave her my lunch
And she started to munch
We bonded that day
And forever she'll stay
My Beast; Beast Cat

Beast Cat was a stray in Nafplio, Greece. She deigned to adopt a graduate student who was studying archaeology in Greece at the time. The student brought Beast Cat to live in the United States. Beast Cat has lived in Atlanta, Ga, Tallahassee, Fl and Columbus, Ohio. She is currently back in residence in Atlanta, staying with her graduate student's Grandmother and Aunt. Beast Cat enjoys living in the United States where there is always plenty of food to eat and people to fulfill her every desire.

Importance Of Early Socialization (Dogs)

Let’s take a moment to talk about the importance of puppy socialization and also to plug ‘Dog Star Daily’. Dog Star Daily (see Resources & Links) is an E-zine for dog lovers. It contains hordes of information on dog issues. On the ‘Dog Star Daily’ site, you will find downloads and blogs by some of the most reputable people in dogdom, including several veterinarians. One of the primary contributors is my all time favorite trainer/behaviorist, Dr Ian Dunbar. Dr Dunbar is one of the pioneers in the field of non-aversive dog training and puppy education. According to Dr Dunbar, by the time a puppy is 8 to 12 weeks old, he needs to meet and party with at least 100 people. In our modern world, this is an extremely difficult task to accomplish. However, I cannot stress enough the importance of positive socialization, not just with people but with different breeds and sized dogs as well. Below is the story of one of my own dogs that was not properly socialized. It’s one of those “if I knew now … ” stories.

About 20 years ago, I was living with my 12 year old retriever mix and a very large 2 year old Doberman. (I adopted the Doberman as an adult) Both of these dogs were wonderful and well balanced. But this is not their story; it is Toppie’s story. I decided that my Doberman needed a younger playmate and so I got him a puppy. In my limited experience up to that time, I felt that a mutt would be the best choice. And so, off I went to the country in central Florida to get a puppy. Since he was born on the banks of Lake Tohopakaliga, I named him Tohopakaliga, Toppie for short. Tohopakaliga is Seminole for ‘sleeping tiger’. The legend is that normally the tiger (lake) sleeps, but when it awakens it ROARS. The name turned out to be quite prophetic.

In raising Toppie, I followed all the conventional methods including crate training. He slept and stayed in the crate whenever I was not at home with him. I would rush home at lunch everyday to take him outside for a few minutes. Toppie was one of the best house trained dogs I have ever owned. However, he was NOT socialized. The only dog outside the household he was exposed to was his littermate who lived with my sister. About the time he was 4 or 5 months old, I discovered that he hated Rottweilers and was afraid of babies. He broke through my screen door and sent an adult rottweiler packing (the dog was not on our property). When my brother came over with his three month old grandson, Toppie ran terrified into his crate. By the time Toppie was 6 months old we had a serious fear problem. When I enrolled him in a basic obedience class, I discovered that we had serious fear aggression. The standard method of fixing the problem at the time was with a choke collar and a lot of ‘pops’. This only exacerbated the problem, resulting in Toppie’s never going anywhere except for late evening walks on deserted streets. When we moved to Georgia I met a wonderful dog trainer/behaviorist. She worked with Toppie and me for several years, but alas it was too late for poor Toppie. In my defense I will say there was a genetic predisposition for problems with his whole litter. His littermate Jennie also had severe fear issues. However, since my sister had children at the time, Jennie was socialized to a multitude of different people and animals. Consequently, Jennie’s fears, while still there, never turned into aggression. Had Toppie been properly socialized and not isolated as a pup I am confident he would not have been fear aggressive as an adult. This is not to say that fearful, aggressive, nervous adult dogs can’t be helped, they can. But it is far more difficult to help an adult with these issues that to fix a puppy. So the moral of this story is socialize, Socialize, SOCIALIZE!