I am a member of several lost/found pet Facebook pages. One post yesterday was from a family who adopted a dachshund from a rescue organization. As they were getting out of the car at their house, the doggie jumped out of the woman's arms. What's wrong with that picture? Do people not think the dog needs to be contained somehow? Leash? Carrier? The poor thing was probably terrified and ran scared! Thankfully, they had taken pictures of him on the ride home. While I feel for so many of the people posting about their lost pets, I can't help but think that many runaways or stolens could be avoided if you just kept an eye on your pet. Don't let your dog out in your yard to go to the bathroom and leave it. Stay outside and watch the dog -- better yet, have it on a leash, even in your own yard. Many dogs are stolen out of a fenced yard, and several pit bulls have been shot in their own fenced yards. I know this is a cat forum and we've discussed many times the pros and cons of allowing a cat outside, but I really think many of these dog owners are irresponsible. Yes, things happen and dogs dig and can escape -- and lawn people can accidentally leave the gate open! Many of these pets are never reunited with their owners and it's just plain sad!

I agree with this. Unfortunately many pet owners do not have common sense! In regards to the scenario above – I don’t know why they didn’t restrain the dog. I know many people who will have their small dogs happily sitting on their laps or in the seat while they drive. But, that is after years of having their dogs and knowing them, and still precautions should be taken as anything can happen.

If you have JUST adopted a dog, you don’t know what it can do, what can happen. Of course, the poor thing is scared, it doesn’t know where it is going. It should have been on a leash, at least.

I for one, know that it is the scariest thing having your dog run off on you. It can chase a cat, another dog, anything! They’re running down the main road and anything can happen, a car can come around the corner…

I think people can just be too trusting with their pets. “Ehh, it’s okay. He can roam.” “Nah, he won’t do that.” “She won’t go far.” “She’ll come back”.

It's pretty unrealistic to state that dog owners should not let their dogs out into their fenced yards unsupervised. It's a level of preciousness that reduces the quality of life for the dog to eliminate a very small risk.

My back door is always open unless the temp drops too much, and on nice days my dog spends a lot of time outside sniffing, playing, watching birds, etc. It would feel very mean indeed to keep her inside to stare at me while I'm on the computer.

Common sense would be checking on your dog regularly, especially if you have a digger or a jumper. And of course keeping a lead on a new dog who doesn't know you, or your home, or what is happening to him.

We've had some really chilly nights here. I hate to think of any animal out in the cold. As far as I know, they have not found this dog. It's crazy here in Nashville. One person saw her dog way down the street and was going after it when she saw a car pull up, open their car door, and the dog got into their car! Considering it's against the law to allow your dogs to roam free here, there are a LOT of dogs out there. Our HOA is adamant that your dog be contained at all times or they fine you, so I don't see dogs around here that are not leashed or in a fenced yard. There is always a risk -- life itself is a risk, but I try to make that risk as small as possible. I can't believe the rescue also didn't say, "don't you have some way to restrain this dog?" I believe they picked it up from the foster family. Everyone is devastated and nobody knows where the dog is.

Sadly, the doggie is still missing and two other newly adopted dogs got away as well. This morning I read about a dog being killed with a bow and arrow in broad daylight -- owner had taken her two dogs to an open field bordering some woods. The dogs went into the woods and she heard a horrible yelp! She ran to find one of her dogs with an arrow in its side. There are such sick people out there.

The doggie still has not been found! I'm sure someone has taken it in and given it a home. I hope these people have learned a lesson! Contain the pet. It reached 27 degrees (20 degree wind chill) overnight -- my heart goes out to all the missing doggies and kitties in my area! Even the b/w cat I'm feeding did not use the heated bed in the cat house at all last night, even though he took a nap in there yesterday afternoon. It's obviously not quite to his liking, so will spend today trying to figure something out.

It breaks my heart that there are so many bad owners out there. We had our first freeze over the weekend, it was a light freeze but there is a lot of frost on the ground this morning. I see dogs left out without shelter and it kills me.

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Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

We have a county ordinance that any dog left outside must have shelter, food and water! I'm pretty sure there are some irresponsible owners who are not complying. It was 24 degrees this morning and the b/w cat I'm feeding is not sleeping on the heated beds in the cat house, so now I'm going to look to install an actual heater in the wall. It's way too cold for him out there and I can't bring him inside the house as much as I want to. Lulu the doggie is still missing! I'm hoping someone found her and took her in. My Facebook feed is full of lost and found cats and dogs. It just amazes me how these animals escape like that. Only a handful are reunited with their families and many are turned in immediately to the kill shelters. Three days and that's it for them, including the day they were brought in. Frantic pleas go out to pull some of these dogs. One was 15 years old and scheduled for euthanasia that day. Some kind soul put a hold on the dog, picked her up and posted a video of them going through the drive thru getting coffee! What a sweet doggie and so thankful she has many days left ahead of her. If I didn't have a husband or a territorial bengal, I'm sure I would take in a houseful of cats. I almost feel guilty having only one (plus that b/w cat that I'm feeding for my neighbor. She came by yesterday to see him and he would not come near her. She approached him and he took off running. Her husband has come over to see him and the same thing happened). Anyway .... winter is just a horrible time for outdoor pets. We are having a few milder nights before the cold sets in again, but December, January and February are brutal months, esp. February, here in Nashville.

As a former EMT, I have tried over and over to explain to people how their beloved pet will become a projectile in the event of a car accident. We had an accident locally where a small dog was propelled across several lanes of highway and somehow survived it. But I've never changed a mind, not ever.

That is an issue here as well. Pets that run from vehicles after an accident! I think even dogs should be contained while in the car. Even if you have to slam on your brakes due to some idiot or person trying to cross against a light -- you just NEVER know! And cats in the open car and get under your feet and affect the brake and gas pedals. I prefer leaving my cat at home unless we are heading to the vet -- and that's just 2 miles down the street and he's in a carrier.

I've read instances of a pet getting out of a motel room as the people were moving across country or escape from an RV at the end of a vacation. These people can't stick around and look for their pets. They move on and hope that someone finds them and lets them know! So tragic!!! The majority of the rescues and no kill shelters are packed full right now and have no more room, so they are having to go to the high-kill shelters who are also at full capacity! One in the county south of me will put them to sleep within 24 hours, which doesn't even give the owners time to collect them. It makes me want to buy 1,000 acres with several barns and put a few hundred dogs and cats on the land.

Well, that's what this topic is for! Have at it Fenstar! This past week THREE different families lost pets due to getting into traffic accidents on the interstate and the dogs ran away. The interstates here are fenced so there isn't a whole lot of places to go except on the interstate! Deceased dogs have been sighted on the side of the interstate! It just aggravates me to see all these missing dogs. I'm sure many of them end up with new owners, but most of these dogs are purebreds and many are also teeny tiny little things. This morning, I read about a hawk that picked up a 7 pound dog from the backyard. Finally dropped it. The dog was seriously injured. Vet tried to put the doggie back together and the doggie still died! A crocodile ate a little dog in Florida. I would never have a dog outside without a leash! And I'd be on the other end of it. You just never know. One dog owner actually saw someone take their dog -- pleaded on the news channels for it to be returned -- and it was! When it comes to seeing a cat outside, unless it's injured or looks extremely thin, I tend to assume it's just a wandering cat and has a home. Sadly, Lulu has still not been found!

The doggie that was missing, LuLu, they claim to have found, however the dog has bitten everyone and is very aggressive! I wouldn't be too sure it's the same dog. How do you tell with a dachshund? Don't they all look alike? And they had the dog only an hour before it got away!