My husband went outside a little while ago to bring in our dog, and we can’t find the dog anywhere. The back gate was open and Murphy is gone. Right now we don’t know if my husband left the gate open or if someone took him, but our buddy is missing and we’re both heartbroken. Hubby is out looking for him now. We’re both trying not to panic, but we’ve heard rumors for a long time of a dog fighter in the neighborhood, and we’re both afraid that Murph has been taken. The other alternative is that he’s lost and wandering. Add to that a big helping of guilt because we haven’t had much time for the dog lately (we have a new baby) and we’re both just sick. Any doper wishes and prayers will be greatly appreciated.
{{{{Nightingale}}}}
Sending good thoughts and positive vibes your way.
Good luck! I was in your situation once, and got him back after 2 weeks. Not a fun time, between putting up flyers every night and visits to two pounds every couple days.
If you really suspect dog fighters, post a reward. As your dog isn&t worth much to them, the reward may lead to a return.
Whew! He’s back! Hubby spent about 20 minutes driving through the neighborhood looking for him and came up with nothing, so he came home. He’d taken a sleeping pill just before we discovered Murph was missing so he wasn’t able to continue driving. I was getting my keys and was about to go out myself when the dog came racing up to hubby in the front yard. Murph was glad to be home and we are certainly glad to have him back! So thanks for the well wishes, as they seem to have worked.
Behold the power of the dope!
Yeah!
Glad he came back. I’m glad you were only worried for a few minutes and all is well.
Get one of those microchips. Yeah not much use if the bad guys get him, but any pound nowadays will scan for the chip first thing.
And get a lock for that gate. Sometimes kids wander in and out of people’s yards and leave gates open too. If they can’t open it, they can’t leave it open.
We have that problem with our Crazy Ole Bob Ranger on a regular basis. He’s an escape artist and an opportunist and it’s so embarrassing because the whole neighborhood notices and often returns him, making me feel like a failure as a pet owner. It doesn’t help that we have an 8 year old human boy who has 8 year old human friends who don’t understand the concept of never use the gates when the dog is out. We don’t have locks for whatever reason, but we’ve recently added bungees to at least make these kids think first.
Beleive it or not, we have a lock for the gate, and Hubby took it off two days ago. Our new neighbors have a canine escape artist, and hubby was trying to coax him into our yard while the neighbors were at work. He left the lock off so he could clean and oil it, and we guess he forgot to latch the gate.
This is only the second time Murphy has gotten out – a contractor left the gate open and we didn’t know it – and that’s part of the reason we were so worried. He doesn’t know to be afraid of cars and things like that. Plus, he’s an American Bulldog, which looks enough like a pit bull that there’s always a chance that someone will either pick him up for fighting or shoot him out of ignorance.
Fortunately, he’s safe in his crate now. We’ll be putting the lock back ASAP and keeping a better check on him while he’s outside.