What to do with my dog?

[regal1975]

I knew I would have this issue when I got on as a paid FF working 24hrs... I got an invisible fence and it worked for a while, but now my dog runs through it and no amount of training will get him to stay in it. I am not getting rid of my dog, but have noone to reliably watch him for me. I have great neighbors who will watch him, but I don't want to burden them or expect them to watch him. I dont want to take advantage of their kindness.. What can I do with him? Leave him in his cage for 24+hrs?????

Thanks for any advice.

[Rescue601]

How about you fence in your yard and have a neighbor check on him.

[regal1975]

I cant easily fence in my yard the way it is.. and couldnt afford to if I could...

Thanks!

[nmfire]

Well you've pretty much optioned yourself out here. Unless the dog can use a litter box like a cat, you have a problem.

Have you thought about making a small outdoor pen for him? Rather than fencing in the whole yard, just fence in an area next to the house in the back the size of a small bedroom. You could even put a doggy door to the house so he can come and go.

[ftfdverbenec770]

set up some sort of zip line. Attach one end of the line to the house, and the other end to some point out in the yard, such as a tree, post, etc. That way the dog can run up and down the zip line on a leash, but still some contained to your property.

Also, we have one guy that does the doggy daycare route. Kinda expensive, but it works.

[RspctFrmCalgary]

Have you done a search yet? If not, I recommend you do, as there have been a number of possible solutions tried by various members and the pros and cons discussed. Some of those suggestions are mentioned here, but not all.

Good luck!

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

You have to find a solution that is both fair to you and the dog.

There are many pet sitting services that will come by a couple of times a day to let out and feed the dog.

If you live in your response district, you can ask your company officer to let you swing by the house to check on the pooch on the way back from a call. If nobody in the station objects, have you inquired about bringing the dog with you to work once in a while?

[CGITCH]

I like that idea I know if I was working I wouldnt mind someone having there dog there. Would give some more entertainment during the long, boring, call-less stretches.

[FWDbuff]

I have to disagree about bringing the dog to work. It's not fair to everyone else. How do you deal with matters such as:

- Dog barking at all kind of unusual noises
-Dog hair all over the place, and on everyone's uniforms
-The guy on the other shift that is allergic to dogs and now has to deal with dog hair and dander
-How will the dog be fed/walked during a long-term incident?

Too many other variables.

I love dogs. I faced the same situation as you over 10 years ago when my first wife and I split up. I stayed in the house, and kept the 2 dalmatians. I faced the same dilemma of 24 hour shifts (which in reality turned into 28 hour shifts due to the 2-hour drive one-way....) I wanted the ex to take the dogs but she could not. I wound up having to do the right thing, which was giving them to my parents. Not the same as having to give them to a complete stranger, I still got to see them, but at the same time, they were still "not mine." Stating it flat out with no sugar: You need to pick between your job and your dog. Remember it's not fair to treat him like an object. He has feelings and needs just like you do. Why not give him to a family friend or someone you trust that you know will love him and give him the attention and love that he deserves???

And I was never a cat person. But I started taking care of an injured neighborhood cat, that eventually adopted me. The inevitible finally happenend on a very cold night, and he was allowed inside....And never left since that night. I think between my being alone due to the divorce and my devotion to animals made me bring him in, and came to the realization that cats are MUCH better suited for single FF's working 24's. I am still a dog person first though. (as my kid's cat is meowing at me as I type this for his food.....)

(and yes, we also have 2 dogs, I guarantee the lazy bastards are laying in the bed upstairs.....)

[FFighterRob]

I have to agree with the above post. Please don’t count on being able to bring your dog to the station, ever. If you work somewhere that may allow it now and again think of it as a bonus, but don’t plan on it. You also don’t want to be planning on going by your house every shift. Remember for at least the first year you are the new guy, the snot nose rookie, you don’t want to be the guy that has “Special needs”, it could get you attention you don’t want early in your career.

My department is tolerant and there have been people who have had their dogs at the station, most leave them crated most of the day. One guy got a dog, for hunting, and his wife didn’t like it. He would bring it to work and let it out from time to time and train it. One day his captain was sick and an overtime captain came in. The first thing he did was to tell this guy to get the dog out of there he didn’t like dogs, nor the impression the public would get.

A few weeks later the wife had a very aggressive salesman come to the door that wouldn’t leave. The dog chased him out of the yard and now gets to stay at home.

Good Luck, Capt Rob

[2008TNFHS]

seeing as you have a fence that could be a problem, but I know of a paramedic that has an automatic dog door that the dogs can activate to go in and out while she is at work for her 24 hour shift. I don't know exactly how it works or who it is made by thats an option too.

[trevolp]

i just got my fiance a new boxer puppy. it kept crawling under my wrought iron fence. my lab is a good dog and a little older so he never left.

anyways, i don't know how country you are, but i ran a hotwire around my fence low to the ground so that when she try crawling under she got zapped, i don't even have to turn it on now, just seeing that wire there is enough for her to stay in the yard.

all you need is a cattle electric fence charger, the wire and the insulators. if you don't have a fence already, which it sounds like you don't, you can buy these fiberglass stakes that already have the clips on them for the wires.

they are pretty cheap and easy to set up.


i paid 20 bucks for the charger and 10 for the wire at tractor supply and then the insulators for my fence were about 6 bucks for a bag of 10 for the iron fence and about 4 for 25 for the insulators on the wood fence.

you'll need a good ground so you may have to buy a ground rod but those aren't terribly expensive.

once i got it set up i took her over and stuck her paw on the hotwire and let it zap her, well she hasn't gotten out since then.

[The 52nd]

What ever you do, don't go getting married just so you have a wife to take care of your dog while you're at work.

Now why couldn't some one have given me the same advice?

[johnnyholmes]

Qoute of the year, I'm in the same situation!!!