A Deadly Disease!

[Leaddog]

Hey guys just popping in to see how everybody is doing and wanted to post something that hopefully isn't a repeat of a post before, but I have noticed alot of threads about letting huskies off lead and I thought I would share this poem...

There is a deadly disease stalking your dog, a hideous, stealthy thing just waiting its chance to steal your beloved friend. It is not a new disease, or one for which there are inoculations. The disease is called "Trust."

You knew before you ever took your puppy home that it could not be trusted. The breeder who provided you with this precious animal warned you, drummed it into your head. Puppies steal off counters, destroy anything expensive, chase cats, take forever to house train, and must never be allowed off lead!!

When the big day finally arrived, heeding the sage advice of the breeder, you escorted your puppy to his new home, properly collared and tagged, the lead held tightly in your hand.

At home the house was "puppy-proofed." Everything of value was stored in the spare bedroom, garbage stowed on top of the refrigerator, cats separated, and a gate placed across the living room to keep at least one part of the house puddle free. All windows and doors had been properly secured, and signs placed in all strategic points reminding all to "Close the door!"

Soon it becomes second nature to make sure the door closes nine-tenths of a second after it was opened and that it is really latched. "Don't let the dog out" is your second most verbalized expression. (The first is "No!")

You worry and fuss constantly, terrified that your darling will get out and disaster will surely follow. Your friends comment about who you love most, your family or the dog. You know that to relax your vigil for a moment might lose him to you forever.

And so the weeks and months pass, with your puppy becoming more civilized every day, and the seeds of trust are planted. It seems that each new day brings less destruction, less breakage. Almost before you know it, your gangly, slurpy puppy has turned into an elegant, dignified friend.

Now that he is a more reliable, sedate companion, you take him more places. No longer does he chew the steering wheel when left in the car. And darned if that cake wasn't still on the counter this morning. And, oh yes, wasn't that the cat he was sleeping with so cozily on your pillow last night?

At this point you are beginning to become infected, the disease is spreading its roots deep into your mind.

And then one of your friends suggest obedience classes, and, after a time you even let him run loose from the car into the house when you get home. Why not, he always runs straight to the door, dancing a frenzy of joy and waits to be let in. And, remember he comes every time he is called. You know he is the exception that disproves the rule. (And sometimes late at night, you even let him slip out the front door to go potty and then right back in.)

Years pass - it is hard to remember why you ever worried so much when he was a puppy. He would never think of running out the door left open while you bring in the packages from the car. It would be beneath his dignity to jump out the window of the car while you run into the convenience store. And when you take him for those wonderful long walks at dawn, it only takes one whistle to send him racing back to you in a burst of speed when the walk comes too close to the highway. (He still gets in the garbage, but nobody is perfect!)

This is the time the disease has waited for so patiently. Sometimes it only has to wait a year or two, but often it takes much longer. He spies the neighbor dog across the street, and suddenly forgets everything he ever knew about not slipping out doors, jumping out windows or coming when called due to traffic. Perhaps it was only a paper fluttering in the breeze, or even just the sheer joy of running.....

Stopped in an instant. Stilled forever- Your heart is broken at the sight of his still beautiful body.

The disease is trust. The final outcome, hit by a car.

Every morning my dog bounced around off lead exploring. Every morning for seven years he came back when he was called. He was perfectly obedient, perfectly trustworthy. He died fourteen hours after being hit by a car.

Please do not risk your friend and your heart. Save the trust for things that do not matter.

Please read this every year on your puppy's birthday, lest we forget.

by Sharon Mathers

[princessmom]

Thank you. We still have a gangly, slurpy puppy (awww!) but it is well worth repeating. At least half the dogs at the dog park are allowed to run unleashed from the parking lot to the gate, outside the fence. I've been guilty of letting Milla do that once or twice before I realized how foolish I was being.

[snssewell]

Awwww so sad, but so true. It only takes one second.

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

Sad but so true. storm will never be off lead. too risky.

[Bec]

This has been posted before, I must admit I absolutely detest it (no offense intended).

Trust is not a deadly disease. I work my youngest dog off leash all the time, because I know I can trust in the training I've done with her.

Complacency, however, is dangerous. A lack of knowledge and lack of training is dangerous. Letting your dog off leash next to a road is dangerous. But - scaring people into never letting their dog off leash and therefore not even bothering to train a recall or train their dog to be able to work off leash is also dangerous.

[davidjk]

This has been posted before, I must admit I absolutely detest it (no offense intended).

Trust is not a deadly disease. I work my youngest dog off leash all the time, because I know I can trust in the training I've done with her.

Complacency, however, is dangerous. A lack of knowledge and lack of training is dangerous. Letting your dog off leash next to a road is dangerous. But - scaring people into never letting their dog off leash and therefore not even bothering to train a recall or train their dog to be able to work off leash is also dangerous.

+1

a lot of work went into micha being off lead, and still does. she isnt allowed of everywhere we dog, she is only allowed of places i know. any new are is walked round several times paying notice to areas that my 2 pay interest in, if i deem an area to unsuitable they dont get let off.

we are very lucky in that we have huge areas of undeveloped land for her and suki to roam.

a lot of training goes into micha being allowed off lead, suki follows micha, and they both come back for the whistle.

better for people to train and train and train some more get knowledge and have a good relationship with their dog.

i honestly believe my to are so well behaved on lead and at home because they get to go off lead when out.

they do of course stay on lead near roads.

[HuskyCouture]

sad.

i have let embry off lead when he was real young to run to the gate of the dog park, obviously not a good choice hence why he isn't allowed to do it anymore since I don't trust him to stay.

[Kells xx]

i dont allow the huskies off lead (except in the house) for any amount of time, for any reason...

the windows are secured to a stupid extent and we dont ever take them for granted.....darwin is an evil genius in a furry body and daughtry is waaaaaay too prey driven to be given lee- way...

if my dogs are ever hit by a car then i will be dying in the road beside them

[mrs_aggie]

Nice but a sad poem, I never let NIkita off lead, unless in the souse of a VERY secure garden, she's a proper little escape artist and off lead I dont trust her, no matter the amount of training and never will. I know my dogs personality too well

[Staceybob]

Recall is an important lesson for us to teach our dogs for safety. The truth of the matter is you can reinforce your recall as much as you like, but one day your dog may behave differently and might not come back, when I worked at the vets, I knew tons of reliable dogs, and whilst I was there, three of them got killed from being hit by a car.

They were all lovely dogs that always came back when they were called, and the owners were mortified when they lost their dogs (they were all over the age of 5 years and had been coming back for ages!).

This isnt to say, don't let your dog off, but I think this is more of a warning to remind you that our animals do have instincts that will kick in at random times.

I can only ask that you consider whether where you let off your dog, really is a secure place. I watched a reliable dog die on the A38. One day, after over 8 years of coming back, he spotted a rabbit, decided to play with it, broke through the bushes, and through the fence and ran on to the A38 where he last breathed. Sometimes what you think is secure, isn't as secure as it looks.

Be safe for yours and your dogs sake.

Aleu responds to the command "come" but I do not allow her off lead, just because I know how high her prey drive is.

Stacey xxx

[Removed #2]

Don't trust mine off lead except in our yard, and even then sometimes I worry, so always keep an eye on them. My last Husky could get out of yard, under the fence in under a minute and would be gone for hours with us driving around chasing her. We were fortunate. After the rash of escapes on here lately, I am not sure anyone would trust their Husky..outside of a secure area!

[Bec]

i have let embry off lead when he was real young to run to the gate of the dog park, obviously not a good choice hence why he isn't allowed to do it anymore since I don't trust him to stay.

IMO that's not about trust, that's about lack of training.

I can only ask that you consider whether where you let off your dog, really is a secure place. I watched a reliable dog die on the A38. One day, after over 8 years of coming back, he spotted a rabbit, decided to play with it, broke through the bushes, and through the fence and ran on to the A38 where he last breathed. Sometimes what you think is secure, isn't as secure as it looks.

That's really sad, but probably wouldn't have been a problem if the dog had been trained in prey drive...

If I took this article to heart, I'd never be able to do things like agility or obedience with my dog which involves the dog working off leash.

I think people get too complacent and don't really understand how to train a reliable recall. Just tonight at agility, I watched a handler struggling with her dog when he'd run off towards the jumps before she sent him. She'd call him back, but when he came to her, she'd give him another command i.e. sit.... the dog was never rewarded for coming back to her so why would it? This is basic stuff a lot of people miss.

The dangers of articles like the ones in the OP are that people never want to let their dog off leash but also never attempt to train a reliable recall or train off leash work. IMO, every dog should be taught a reliable recall. You never know when it may save your dog's life.

[lebe03]

It's somehting to bare in mind when deciding to let your dog of leash but I don't think it should be used as a reason not to train your dog recall. As we all know there is always the possibility that your dog will get loose at some point and the recall training will be invaluable in this situation.

Polee is let of leash in places that we are familiar with but even then she wears a spray collar to enable at least some control of her prey drive. She's not allowed of leash near a road or if there are any other animals around that she's not used to.

[art1972@sky.com]

+1

a lot of work went into micha being off lead, and still does. she isnt allowed of everywhere we dog, she is only allowed of places i know. any new are is walked round several times paying notice to areas that my 2 pay interest in, if i deem an area to unsuitable they dont get let off.

we are very lucky in that we have huge areas of undeveloped land for her and suki to roam.

a lot of training goes into micha being allowed off lead, suki follows micha, and they both come back for the whistle.

better for people to train and train and train some more get knowledge and have a good relationship with their dog.

i honestly believe my to are so well behaved on lead and at home because they get to go off lead when out.

they do of course stay on lead near roads.

I totally agree with this, Kodah is still young but is allowed off lead in country parks etc. NEVER near a road.

He knows that if the door is open he must sit and wait, even when my neighbours dog is out and in full view.

I always know where he is off lead and never let him get too far away - chicken always gets him back!

There is nothing more beautiful than watching him run free around the fields!

[Arooroomom]

I know there are a handful of people here who do trust their dogs off lead. But IMHO that's a terrible decision. We KNOW this breed. We KNOW them. It's built into their brains to be stubborn sometimes and to run. No matter how much training is given, I would never ever ever willingly take them off lead someplace that isn't fenced. Mickey and I work in off-leash heeling but there is a hand waiting above him at all times just in case. It's built into the breed to not be good off-leash and I truly think it's detrimental for people to be boasting about how their dog is off-lead or how it's just a training issue.

Not meaning to ruffle any feathers, but that's my 2 cents.

[davidjk]

I know there are a handful of people here who do trust their dogs off lead. But IMHO that's a terrible decision.

i didnt suddenly think i know lets just let her go off lead, i spoke to several people who i know have them off lead and i spent months playing hide and seek and rewarding micha before i let her off the lead.

No matter how much training is given, I would never ever ever willingly take them off lead someplace that isn't fenced.

I am lucky where i live, as it is loads of undeveloped land. if i lived in london or a big city centre i would not let my 2 off. i take mine to places they can go off lead

I truly think it's detrimental for people to be boasting about how their dog is off-lead or how it's just a training issue.

Not as detrimental as not excercising them enough. i have spoken to neumerous people who all gave up their huskies because they where destructive and mental, turns out in most cases they got little or no excercise, and absolutley no training. all dogs need training why would huskies be any different

i dont boast about my 2 off lead, if someone comments on it i let them know the score.

mine only go off lead in areas i know well

never near roads

and they are constantly being trained recall

plus they get a minimum of 4 hours exercise a day

if anyone talks to me about huskies i try to put them off.

Not meaning to ruffle any feathers, but that's my 2 cents.

thats fair enough. having my 2 off lead is an awful lot of work, but i and they appreciate it.

[kellystewart]

I gotta agree I think off leash is a bad choice and an accident waiting to happen and I hope for all the dog's sakes nothing ever actually happens.

Personally, I think people's ego's get in the way when it comes to off leash training as if there is some sort of kudos with having a "reliable" husky with "perfect" recall. No offence intended of course but that is the way I see it. When my pup's go to their new homes it is in the contract that they will NEVER be walked off leash....even then obviously I can't control the new owners BUT if it even makes them question it for a second then my job is done.

We all know the purpose that Huskies were bred for and we all know that their instincts are hard-wired...they wouldn't be huskies otherwise.

I would love to have all my dog's off lead running around a forest, a park, a riverside, a beach....or anywhere like that but I love my dog's too much, and I would never forgive myself if any of them were hurt by either my carelessness, their instincts or something else that I could not predict i.e another dog, a squirrel, a rabbit, a dear or even a farmer.

[Arooroomom]

I truly think it's detrimental for people to be boasting about how their dog is off-lead or how it's just a training issue.

Not as detrimental as not excercising them enough. i have spoken to neumerous people who all gave up their huskies because they where destructive and mental, turns out in most cases they got little or no excercise, and absolutley no training. all dogs need training why would huskies be any different

I think there are many other safer ways to exercise a Husky rather than taking them off lead. If I (a nursing full time college student, with 5 dogs, 30 hour a week job, living in the city) can exercise my dogs enough without taking them off lead... anyone can. The people who give up their dogs because they get little to no exercise... the fault falls on the owner. They are either lazy or haven't got the time or can't make the time for them. These dogs don't require experienced owners, they require involved owners. And i'm not saying you shouldn't train the dogs to have a good recall, not at all. All of my dogs have very good recalls and we practice all the time at the park (with lots of distractions, off-lead) and I take them all out individually on the long line and practice recall in various places. I just think taking a Siberian Husky, taking off it's lead, and allowing it to run free is an accident waiting to happen... regardless of it's training. Regardless of the environment. Again, this is not to start a war but I think it's appropriate to say this because there are many people reading this board. And if just one of them feels as though there may be hope for an off-lead Husky... and then either loses them or they get killed/injured... that's one too many for me.

[davidjk]

I think there are many other safer ways to exercise a Husky rather than taking them off lead. If I (a nursing full time college student, with 5 dogs, 30 hour a week job, living in the city) can exercise my dogs enough without taking them off lead... anyone can. The people who give up their dogs because they get little to no exercise... the fault falls on the owner. They are either lazy or haven't got the time or can't make the time for them. These dogs don't require experienced owners, they require involved owners. And i'm not saying you shouldn't train the dogs to have a good recall, not at all. All of my dogs have very good recalls and we practice all the time at the park (with lots of distractions, off-lead) and I take them all out individually on the long line and practice recall in various places. I just think taking a Siberian Husky, taking off it's lead, and allowing it to run free is an accident waiting to happen... regardless of it's training. Regardless of the environment. Again, this is not to start a war but I think it's appropriate to say this because there are many people reading this board. And if just one of them feels as though there may be hope for an off-lead Husky... and then either loses them or they get killed/injured... that's one too many for me.

lol all this for just agreeing with bec about the post

once again i open mouth to change feet

i am not suggesting that people let their huskies off lead to get excercise. what i was trying to say is that lack of a decent amount of excercise and training is what causes trouble.

i am very lucky to live in an area with seriously huge areas of open land.

i know someone with a couple of huskies. they get 30 mins at lunch time if they are lucky then a stroll round the park at night, and they wonder why their huskies pull them everywhere.

i just think its wrong to scare people into making choices.

[husky princess]

Great poem to remind us!!

Ours remain on lead & will always do so except for secure areas! We do recall training but only for the emergency situation!

[Arooroomom]

lol all this for just agreeing with bec about the post

once again i open mouth to change feet

The post wasn't meant to attack you davidjk, it wasn't even geared to anyone specifically.

I don't believe we should scare people into anything either. America needs to wake up and realize this tactic doesn't work. But there's a difference between stating the truth (Huskies are not good off-lead) and "scaring" people into making the decision to not let their Husky off-lead. I do think the poem is a little much, definitely. As I truly believe there's nothing wrong with trusting your dog and being confident in his abilities. But I think it becomes a problem with people being complacent and getting so used to things going one way and not being prepared for the unexpected bush rustling across the street, random daring squirrel in the sidewalk, or a strange dog approaching out of no where. As a general rule, people shouldn't be letting their Huskies off lead stating that and trying to get people to understand that is necessary for the safety of the breed we love so much.

Please note. I'm not saying for you to stop taking your dogs off-lead as they're your dogs and you can do what you like with them. But when people say (NOT pointing fingers or gearing this to anyone specifically) that it's a training issue, or a this and that issue, or they don't respect you... I feel that's wrong.

[SarahNukka&Shadow]

oooh I am both for and against this particular poem.... I am against it because I trust my dogs implicitly and I do not think that is a disease... HOWEVER I also know my dogs and I know what their drives are like!

Just because I think it needs to be said... Bec has other breeds other than a husky so when she says she lets her dogs off lead, please be awear that she is not nessasily taking about a husky.

I do agree that ALL breeds of dog should be trained and trained thoroughly in all aspects including recall!

I surpose in the end its all about calculated risk... I personally have started to use a park which is enclosed for off lead play, however there is still a risk involved becuase people are AWFUL at shutting the gate behind them, although the place is small enough that I can see and correct this most of the time that is a calculated risk I run everytime I use that park.

Its all about waying up the risk and thinking to yourself.... Is it worth it?

[davidjk]

The post wasn't meant to attack you davidjk, it wasn't even geared to anyone specifically.

I don't believe we should scare people into anything either. America needs to wake up and realize this tactic doesn't work. But there's a difference between stating the truth (Huskies are not good off-lead) and "scaring" people into making the decision to not let their Husky off-lead. I do think the poem is a little much, definitely. As I truly believe there's nothing wrong with trusting your dog and being confident in his abilities. But I think it becomes a problem with people being complacent and getting so used to things going one way and not being prepared for the unexpected bush rustling across the street, random daring squirrel in the sidewalk, or a strange dog approaching out of no where. As a general rule, people shouldn't be letting their Huskies off lead stating that and trying to get people to understand that is necessary for the safety of the breed we love so much.

Please note. I'm not saying for you to stop taking your dogs off-lead as they're your dogs and you can do what you like with them. But when people say (NOT pointing fingers or gearing this to anyone specifically) that it's a training issue, or a this and that issue, or they don't respect you... I feel that's wrong.

Dont worry

as with most internet posts, it fails to convey intent.

i am famous for putting my foot in it.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

i like that - trusting them without putting the training in IS deadly

ive let skyla off once - there were no other dogs about apart from my friends dog - and i kept an eye on what what going on around us at ALL times, she didnt stray far n when i said BYE SKYLA she would come running back over - im not going to make a habit of it just cuz no matter how much training she has - shes to precious to me to risk

[Wayne]

I let Suka off the lead everytime, I trust her not to run away.

If I keep her on lead then I can't see the point of even taking her out the house as she could just get the same walking pace execise around the house.

Off the lead she can run as fast as she can without me holding her back.