Who are all these people who keep losing their dogs?

[BananaCaramel]

Seems like every other day there is a post on my local town Facebook group about someone spotting a dog on the loose (“sorry I had my buggy so I couldn’t stop”), collecting a roaming dog and bringing it back to their house (“they’re safe at mine and I’ve set up the paddling pool, PM me”), or people who have lost their dog asking if anyone has seen it?

Surely it can’t be this common for people to be losing their dogs out on walks all the time?

And who are all these people picking up random dogs and bringing them into their house?

I see Facebook posts claiming a dog scaled a backyard wall to get out when in reality someone left the gate open.

Irresponsible owners sometimes. If it's the same dog repeatedly they are not taking sensible steps to stop it. Fence your back garden. Put a stair gate or shut door to stop dog reaching the front door. Train (gasp ...yes that) your dog.

despite all these you will have stray dogs BUT it shouldn't be as common as it is. Nor should it be these same dog repeatedly and without a collar or microchip up to date with contact details

Urrrgh my rescue got out in the first could of weeks that we had him because the canny fucker worked out how to open the gate latch with his nose. He only got over the road before someone caught him and rang me but I was distraught. Makes your blood run cold.

If you’re in the UK the law is for the ID tag, not a collar. My dog has never worn a collar, only a harness (with an ID tag) when out for a walk. I heard a few stories of dogs being hung by their collar shortly before we got her and it scared me. It does mean if she escapes from the house she has no tag on.

Our old dog used to sneak out all the time. She would wait until someone had the front door open and was unpacking the shopping or taking the kids into the car and someone would go back to get a book or have a wee and she, like a ninja would quietly slip out.
It's our fault because we are a hectic house, but she was a master at it.
None of our other dogs have ever done it.
She loved it and would wander around the streets eating out of bins.

Several times I've seen dogs wandering around on the main road by the nearby woods. The owners are probably still in the woods (likely concentrating on phones or chatting) assuming that Fido is close by and "under control"

The irony is that it's a nature reserve and all dogs should be on leads in there to protect ground nesting birds.

That said, it's not a new thing; there were always posters of missing dogs at the entrance to the big park pre-social media.

I agree and blame a lot of it on extendable leads. Teaching a dog to sit and walk to heel on a short lead is too much bother for 'new' dog owners round us.

The same people who let their dogs jump up at people and have zero control over them. Because they are lazy and entitled owners who can’t be arsed to train their animals.

I think that’s true. People used to let their dogs just roam around when I was a kid and no one thought they were ‘lost’. Until a few years ago there was still a collie from the local farm who we knew as ‘the village dog’ which would often accompany us on walks and bike rides (doubtless in it for the picnic action) and take himself home when he’d had enough.

Our Facebook has a lot more ‘found’ dogs than lost ones and most of the lost ones are found again within a few minutes. It’s just that we know about it on social media when we never would have done before. There’s a collie (unneutered), a Doberman (muzzled a bit scary, runs away from his owner) and 2 Frenchies (owner seems forgetful) who are the repeat offenders around here although I think the lady has rehomed the Doberman now thank goodness.

" I've set up the paddling poo"l made me laugh. someone on our page had a spare cooling mat that the lost dog was looking suspicious about 😀

Ive no idea why so many go missing im assuming they are just let off a lead with no recall people seem obsessed with letting dogs of leads at any cost.

It's dogs owned by people who are too stupid to have a pet.

When you choose to get a pet, you take on the basic responsibility of keeping it safe at all times. Idiots act like this is impossible.

Finders of the dogs should deposit the dog at the council pound, it might sharpen the owners minds if they have to pay a release fee due to their own ineptitude.

Our last dog was exactly like that, the first time we let him off lead as a puppy he only walked a few feet ahead of us and kept looking around to check on us.

They probably would eventually, well the ones that escaped from home anyway, but people love to involve themselves in any sort of Facebook drama now. You can tell by the countless "found a cat" posts. You haven't found a lost cat you have kidnapped a cat out for it's morning walk, put it back and leave it alone! I once had to tell someone on Facebook that the sheep he had found while out on his walk had not infact escaped from a field but was allowed to roam free just like the several hundred other sheep he would find when he had spent a little longer in the countryside.

Yes my latest dog couldn't pass his training class because he wouldn't go away from me far enough for me to be able to recall him!