THE FENCE SAGA - How my dogs outsmarted me and helped me build a better fence
For those who live in the country and believe their dogs need a safe place to play outside, I am sharing the trials and errors of building a fence for a couple of escape artists who have put me to the challenge many times.
Why a fence you would say? Security is the #1 reason.
Your dog will not get in trouble for roaming around digging in garbage, trying to mate with the next female in heat and getting hurt by bad humans.
Your dog will be safe from mean stray dogs or wild life if you live near the forest,
and safe from catching diseases from strays. (I had to deworm my puppy THREE TIMES IN A ROW when I did not have a fence put up and I tied her out for a few hours.)
Your fence will deter dog thieves if your dog is friendly. Personally I doubt my dogs will ever disappear because I know the thief would end up missing a body part lol.
Your fence will prevent accidents by stopping kids from wandering in your yard.
Your female dog is not fixed? Make that appointment soon, because it has been proven that a fence will NOT prevent a pregnancy (spay/neuter!!!).
PART 1
Photo 1 - Our first fence... we attached wire fence on metal posts with tie rods. The hay keeps the ground nice and dry but when Fall came I took the hay out and realized it was all wet underneath but dry on top. Gross...
Photo 2 - We put tarp on the outside fence so the neighbor`s dog will not bark continuously when she sees our dogs. Not pretty but practical.
Photo 3 - Baby Max enjoying the shade. (2008) I had no idea what I signed up for!
Photo 4 - Baby Max soon learned how to lean on the wire fence and bend the top with his weigh and then hop on the other side...
Photo 5 - My husband Andy gave up and did not want to put any more time into the fencing so I took charge. I replaced the tarp with palettes. I got them for free at the Casino warehouse. I took that picture from the roof. (I love being on the roof!!!)
Photo 6 - It did not take long for Max to learn how to climb it like a ladder and jump out.
Click on the photos for a better view.
PART 2
Photo 1 - Max found a way to go over the fence so I doubled the fence by adding another wire fence on top and attaching lumber to the metallic posts... with tie rods (again). I knitted them together with more tie rods.
Photo 2 - This side of the yard was too appealing to Max; he was climbing the palettes and then applying his fence-bending technique to the second layer so I screwed plywood on top of the whole thing. Ugly but efficient.(2009)
Photo 3 - ...after two years it turned into a colorless evil-looking thing and the wind knocked it down.
Photo 4 and 5 - Andy got involved again and built a gate. Max continued to challenge us by making a hole at the bottom of the wire fence, or sliding himself under it or sliding under the shed. One time he was stuck under there and missing a few hours until he wiggled his way back into the yard. Andy got cedar poles from the Amish for only $2.50 a post!!! He rented a machine to dig holes (auger) from Home Depot. Because the ground is very rocky the cedar posts only went two feet deep so he added cement. We got a stronger wire from Tractor Supply and stapled it to the posts. We will screw lumber at the bottom.
Photo 6 - We added another height of wire fence bent inwards. IT'S A SUCCESS!!!!
PART 3
..the fence saga continued... the inevitable happened: they dug under !
We poured cement on that big hole. You should see their faces when they try to dig now... haha
After a successful escape digging under the gate, those garden cement tiles did the job.
Snowball learned how to lift the "lock" up and escape, so Andy added the lower one.
Andy built the dogs a 10 X 24 pen with a roof, walls on three sides and a door.. The floor is covered with cedar chips that I replace regularly. The dogs smell real good when they come back in the house, and it keeps bugs away as a bonus.
I am happy to report that there were NO ESCAPES since. At last.
