The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[RosieCotton]

Thanks for the tips...sounds like there are LOTS of options out there. I like the idea of building something myself, but I think my best bet (since I have no carpentry skills and neither do my brothers!) may be to save up for a kennel of some sort. I DO have a side door (the one in my picture), and that spot is probably the most logical for putting a kennel if I end up getting one. There's a big bush there that would need to be cut back / eliminated, but I should probably do that anyway...so not a big deal.

Regardless of whether or not I take on Fritz, I think I should plan on doing this at some point, anyway. Fiona makes it through the day and Fritz would too, but I'm sure they'd rather be able to go out when they need to - and it would make my life easier, too! I could just let them out when they had to go instead of digging out the leash and standing over them...

[HairOfTheDog]

I have seen some of those.... those are good ones!

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, there are lighter weight mesh fences that are out there too, that you could figure out how to put up... keeping doxies in does not take bull-strength mesh... Something between chicken wire and hog panels ought to do the job, and could be set with ordinary posts. The cover issue is mostly for the cats. The cats are the escape pickle.

[RosieCotton]

I wonder if it would be worth it to look into one of those pet doors that only works if a dog has a key thing on its collar? That would mean if I didn't put on on the cats, they couldn't get out, right?

They're expensive, though.

[HairOfTheDog]

They might be a little more expensive, but less expensive than the covered run! If you had the triggered door (and they work perfectly!) you could put in a much cheaper fence.

[RosieCotton]

Hm...I'll keep that in mind. After the snow melts and I've cleaned up that spot, I'm gonna do a site survey. ;-) I'll let you guys know how it turns out. The breeder we got the dogs from just had a small area fenced in with chicken wire...framed it with wood so it looked nice. That would probably be the cheapest way to go. I suppose I should bury the lower part, too, if I want to do a good job. Dachsies love to dig!

Sorry to go on so long with this! You guys have been a big help!

[Corin Stormhands]

It also keeps other dogs *out*, which invisible fencing wouldn't do.

We don't have too much problem with that since we're in a subdivison and you're required to keep your animals contained. Still there's a shepherd a couple of houses over and the owners walk him to the bus stop. Sam goes crazy when he's out. Watching him the other day run and literally choke himself on his collar (from the dog run) I realized he'd probably ignore the shock and keep going.

I've got some time. We've spent all our home improvement money this year. :-(

[HairOfTheDog]

For little dogs, Home Depot sells ready-made picket fence sections, for example... less then $20 per 8 foot section. A friend with a little dog did that... and it looks really nice. Would keep a doxie in. (I have seen a type of picket/mesh combo that you buy on a roll too)

[Dawntreader]

UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS ALERT

I'll post a complete list once everyone who wants to sends me theirs. This is what I have for April:

11 HairOfTheDog
25 ecurbh

[Overtaxed]

I'm hoping my m-i-l will get the idea on her own that the cat shouldn't come with her.

cat hater!

[Corin Stormhands]

cat hater!

Not at all. I'm quite fond of our cat and our previous cat.

My m-i-l's cat is a terrorist.

Gotta run folks. See you later.

[HairOfTheDog]

Still there's a shepherd a couple of houses over and the owners walk him to the bus stop. Sam goes crazy when he's out. Watching him the other day run and literally choke himself on his collar (from the dog run) I realized he'd probably ignore the shock and keep going.

Some of that *kind* of behavior is exaggerated by having them on a leash. Dogs are more aggressive on a leash than off... some kind of trigger in their head, maybe because it is an arbitrary barrier, but I think because it makes them feel constrained while threatened. A dog on a tight lead meeting another dog is far more likely to fight because the line is tight and he feels constrained, than if he had slack. The tight lead makes him think he can't escape either, and is much more defensive. If you let the two dogs meet on loose lines, both their hackles go down. I have seen that a lot of times.

So the punchline of my theory is that he would not be lunging as much if he were loose on a fenceline, invisible or not. You might be right, and he would blow it, but he might surprise you. Electric shock is powerful deterrent, and if he has a fenceline to run, he may run the line rather than bust through.

[HairOfTheDog]

if he has a fenceline to run, he may run up and down the line rather than bust through.

Make more sense?

[RosieCotton]

LOL...I just got home, and Fiona got a hold of a (mostly empty) sleeve of Saltine crackers today. It's partly my fault as I had put them somewhere where she COULD conceivably get to them (though it wasn't all THAT easy). Of course she couldn't POSSIBLY eat them nicely from one end like a human. I have crumbs allll over my sofa and floor. And I want another of these monsters?? ;-)

The picket fence idea sounds nice. Would look nice with the house, too! I think I've seen those locally, though most of the hardware stores still have snow shovels out rather than fencing! But that's my favorite idea so far...

[RMDupree]

*sigh*

Well, I WAS hoping to grab the double Precious but I guess no one is going to help me.

I've got to get home and take care of my little ones. See you all later!

[HairOfTheDog]

Monster! My dogs have been throwing up all day. Chunks of horse-toenail clippings (they do love them so!) left over from the farrier being here the other day. Sometimes they stay down, and sometimes they don't!

[rightwingreligiousfanatic]

I've never been to Mt. Rushmore either (I will someday) but it is about 630 miles from the Twin Cities so probably 10 hours-plus for drive time. A LOOONNNNGGG day's drive.... Wall Drug and the Corn Palace in Mitchell would be on the way for good photo ops.

I don't remember what city that World's biggest Walleye or Northern is in, but that would be a good photo op, too. And don't forget the beautiful North Shore region; from the Duluth area on up...waterfalls, rivers, lighthouses, etc... I think Frodo deserves a Northwoods experience by the shores of Githchee Gumee ;^)

[ksen]

...I guess no one is going to help me.

Why do you need help?

[ksen]

Carpe Diem!

[ksen]

Carpe Diem!