Can you leave your Sheltie unattended outside?

Individuality!!

I agree with Chris we all have our own ways, we know our dogs I don't believe anyone on this forum would intentionally harm any animal never mind Our furkids.:no: We all have the same outcome in mind just different ways of achieving it. Thank God for Differences. How boring life would be if we all did everything the same way. Then we wouldn't need this forum, and we wouldn't have the pleasure of discussions and enjoying our sharing of Photos ideas etc.:biggrin2: There I'm off my soap box now.:lol:
 
It happens...

I don't mean to be an alarmist but we live in a rural Connecticut town. We are not even near an inner city. In the past month, one woman I know had her Maltese snatched right under her nose from her front yard while she had her back turned talking to someone. A tiny puppy who had just had surgery was stolen from a shelter three days ago and found yesterday by chance, in a dumpster--alive, thankfully but still. Last winter, a woman in my town opened her door to take a package and her Sheltie ran outside. Because they are aloof and shy with strangers, no one could catch her. She was spotted for two weeks across two towns but would not come near anyone. She has never been found.

Since my dogs are microchipped I get "lost pet" emails from the monitoring company. In the past week I've had 8 notices, dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds. Dog napping is at an all time high for some reason. These stories break my heart and I would hate to see it happen to anyone. So please, everyone, no matter where you live, just be careful.:uhoh:
 
Always be aware.

You are right Ann , things do happen everywhere these days. You can never let your guard down or think it will never happen here. There are a lot of really mean people out in this world whose intent is to do no good.:eek2: Why is beyond my comprehention. I live in a very quiet part of the state but you still have to be on guard. It's quiet, people know each other, you know when someone is not from around here. Tasha my older dog and Jewel, When she was with us, They were allowed out in the back yard only, they were supervised ,never left unattended. If they ever went towards the front they were immediately called back and leashed. Jewel never left my side no matter what the reason. Jewel was not a chaser of anything but a frizbee.:lol: She was an ideal dog. But all dogs are different and that takes the owner to get to know his or her dog and know if their dog is reliable enough to be trusted to return on call. If not than a leash is a must. When I answer my door I have an inside door that close off the animals from access to the door when being answered. All these are things every responsible owner must have in mind. All comes down to knowing your dog.
Off my soap box again. Boy am I getting carried away or what.:lol:
Always be aware and yes These things do Happen so be responsible and alert always.
 
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Dog off leash

This topic makes me nuts.

This is common sense people. NEVER NEVER ALLOW YOUR DOG TO BE OFF LEASH. WHY? once your dog is off leash in a public area YOU ARE NOT IN CONTROL of your dog. I don't care how friendly your dog is. It's not about your dog being friendly at that point. It's about the loss of control. Period and its not fair to people walking their dog on leash if your dog comes up to them.. because your off leash dog has more power and they know it. This makes me crazy
 
mydogs7 said:
Please, all of you that think putting your sheltie outside, even for a minute, by themselves unattached or unfenced, remember there are dog thieves just looking for dogs that are by themselves. With all the dog fighting rings all over the country, these dog fighting owners are looking for "bait", and lets hope your dog(s) don't become this. Please be very wary as shelties normally love strangers and are very easy to pick up.
Marian
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Shelties are normally stand-offish with strangers. Not overly shy, but wary.
 
I live on a private dirt road and know everyone on it. A car seldom goes by. However, I never leave Sandstorm out without me with him. Too many things can happen, and why take a chance. I think it is irresposible to leave a dog unattended without the protection of a fenced in area or an owner with the dog. An opinion on this topic was asked, so I am offering mine. I also don't believe that dogs who feel loved and get everything they want and need from their owners will not wander off to explore something- they are still dogs. If they see something interesting, maybe they will explore it. If a car goes by, they may get hit by it. Sandstorm has excellent recall- it is very convenient and I am quite pleased about it. When I want to go in the house for something, I call him and he comes with me. If he hesitates, I yell "cookies"- but then that means I have to give him a cookie.
 
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We are in a typical suburban neighbourhood with the classic 6 foot cedar fence. I keep locks on my gates to insure that they are never left open, and we are usually outside with our dogs. We like to go out when they do their business because it gives us some fun or relax time with them which is why we have dogs.
Mikos breeder told me a story that reinforced my personal choice to keep my dogs contained or leashed. She told me of a friend who had a high level competitive obedience sheltie. They were out one day and the friend unclipped the leash so the dog could jump in the car, and at that moment something startled the dog and it took off. It took over 2 hours to find and catch the dog, but luckily they did. She looked at me and said, "No matter how well trained your dog is, it can not account for the unexpected so you need to make sure you have control at all times." My own opinion is that she is right, and that it could happen in a strange place or our own backyard so I have a fence, use a leash and like to be out with my dogs.
 
Hugo said:
I respect your opinion.

I do think, though, that if a dog lives in a fenced area, he might wanna see what's on the other side. If he sees everything, but is told not to go, he doesn't feel «imprisoned», and therefore, doesn't feel the need to go there.

I might be wrong tho.

Also keep in mind that we never leave the house with the dog outside, and we always look out the window every few minutes to make sure he's within eyesight.

It's just reassuring to know that I can go outside to answer the phone or do something and not have to worry about the dog running away.

We also live in a very peaceful city, in a very peaceful suburban neighbourhood, so having the dog stolen is not a concern. There just is no crime here.

Needless to say, I don't leave him untied at someone else's place.
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Forgive me for this,but I think you could be very passive on the point being,that people do take dogs,and dogs do for some reason or another get spooked even when they are used to surroundings.

That being said,I would never ever even knowing all 3 of our dogs have great recall,would I ever think its ok to leave one unattended with out a restriction of a fence. I do have fencing here,but if I were to be without one,I would not ever leave mine unattended for any period.If one has a dog,it is up to the owner to have the dog safe at all times,so that means a leash.

It only takes split seconds for someone to scoop up a dog. And honestly to me,it does not mean a hill of beans knowing that I personally know all my neighbors.People that don't live in neighborhoods so travel thru. I live in a very quiet residencial rural neighborhood,but I don't trust anyone.

I know for a fact,we are one of 3 families that own shelties in this town,they are valuable pets,and there is to much for puppy mills,people that sell dogs at flea markets.
We are approached more times than I care to,with people at flea markets when the boys are with us...with comments on "wow those are EXPENSIVE" dogs. I see the dollar signs in thier eyes.And these mostly are shady looking folks.
But that is only one aspect.Dogs are dogs,they chase,they get startled,and they run. I have read more than one plea from families looking for thier sheltie,and still some to this day are still not home.

Now on the flip side...my son has 2 tea cup chihuahua's. One never ever leaves Eric or Lynn's side.The other...is gone if she is allowed outside without a leash.It makes no differance if the pup has been with you from day one,no two dogs are alike. Lexie will leterally watch her sister Lucy run like a maniac up the road.So I do not feel it is safe.
 
Only at the cottage and only for short periods of time (10 minutes max and then I'm calling them home) - we're on an large island and our property is 3.5 acres of bush. Bacca wandered away once for hours. We hunted up and down for ages until he finally wandered home on his own.

In the city, no way! A single squirrel can get the dogs running if I'm not there to rein them in.

That being said, my forever pup Timber....we had a 1 acre property in a small town - not fenced. He never strayed off it. But that was his temperment. I think he was unique that way.
 
FYI folks, this thread goes back to 2008 & OP hasn't logged on in over a year, so you are unlikely to get any response.
 
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