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Okay, here’s the secret.  It’s not the height of the fence that matters with a digger — it’s the depth!  So, depending on how big an area your fence covers, go get yourself a roll (at least) of heavy-duty, two-by-four-inch field fencing, four to six feet wide.  Then dig a trench along your entire fence line that is twelve inches deep and two feet wide into your yard.  Firmly attach the field fencing to your existing fence and bend it at a ninety degree angle.  Cover the trench with dirt, sod, gravel, whatever you have in your yard, and if your dog can dig out through that — we’ll pay for it!

If you have a jumper, we also have a great solution for that, as well.

This is a story that should have had a happy ending.  A four-month-old puppy named Kramer, given a home by a Washington State ferryboat captain and his wife, earning more than enough to ensure that he had a good life and everything he needed.

Only it didn’t have a happy ending.  Because Jerry L ewis –  no comedian here — and his wife weren’t smart enough to do any research before they picked a puppy.  They just assumed the cute little Shar Pei mix would be a lapdog, which was what the wife wanted.  Then they assumed it was perfectly all right to leave a four-month-old puppy alone for ten hours a day.  When the puppy started chewing his way through the house, they locked him in a kennel.  Then he started chewing his way through the kennel.

After a month, the novelty wore off and they decided they didn’t want the puppy anymore.  So the ferryboat captain took him to The Furrytale Farm.  When we asked for a surrender donation to help cover the cost of a routine vet visit, Jerry Lewis said he’d discuss it with his wife and get back to us.  We’re still waiting.

A vet appointment was scheduled anyway, where it was discovered that Kramer had four broken teeth, one of which was impacted, another abscessed, and a raging ear infection.  He was immediately put on an antibiotic and pain medication.  The estimate for fixing the teeth was around a thousand dollars.  We didn’t have the money, so the ferryboat captain was called, told about Kramer’s issues, and asked to help pay for his treatment.  Jerry Lewis said he’d discuss it with his wife and get back to us.  We’re still waiting.

After two weeks, we told the ferryboat captain that it wasn’t fair for the puppy to be in the kind of pain he was in.  If he and his wife, who unfortunately also works for the Washington State ferry system, wouldn’t help pay for Kramer’s necessary care, he could come take him back.

Jerry Lewis was too much of a coward to come himself.  He sent a surrogate – someone else who worked for the Washington State ferry system — to pick him up.  Immediately thereafter, Kramer was dumped at the Kitsap  humane society.

We figured that was okay – the humane society had better resources than we did, they would take proper care of the puppy, right?  Unfortunately, wrong.

Kramer was left at the Kitsap humane society around noon on a Friday, given a “medical” examination – where it was determined he needed a bath, his teeth were crowded, and there was no evidence of mange – and put in a kennel with an available for adoption sign posted on the door by 1:00PM that same day.  This, despite the fact that the humane society was given a full rundown of Kramer’s condition prior to his being admitted, including information regarding both the antibiotic and the pain medication that had been prescribed for him. However, nothing appeared on his adoption card that reflected any of his issues.  And he was given no antibiotic, no pain medication.

Without communicating anything about his condition to prospective adopters, the Kitsap humane society adopted him out within 24 hours.  It’s bad enough that, other than castration, he received no medical treatment.  What’s worse is that he went to his new home with people left deliberately in the dark about his condition.

We tried to find out who the adopters were, so they could be told about Kramer’s issues.  No one would help – not even a volunteer who was too afraid of jeopardizing her position at the humane society to save a life.

Four weeks later, the adoptive family returned Kramer to the humane society, claiming the puppy was aggressive and had bitten his owner, breaking skin.  The employees at the humane society concluded he was not adoptable and proceeded to kill him.

Kramer could have had a good life.  We can confirm the puppy didn’t have an ounce of aggression in him.  If those at the Kitsap humane society deemed him aggressive, perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was in severe pain and needed care, not killing.

And Jerry Lewis and his wife?  They went to Mexico on vacation.  Which raises an interesting question – would you trust a person who didn’t give a damn about a helpless puppy to give a damn about a ferryboat full of helpless people?

As for the Kitsap humane society – would you trust such a place to take care of your animal if you had to give it up, or worse, would you want to adopt an animal from there, knowing you might not be told the truth?

This is a story that should have had a happy ending.  Because of a ferryboat captain and a humane society that didn’t give a damn, it didn’t have a happy ending.  We’re sorry, Kramer.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, I believe it was, the more I learn about people, the more I want to protect animals. While I’ve met up with many truly good people in my thirty years of rescue work, I’ve also come across the worst of the worst – the ones who choose to profit off the misery of animals. Who comes to mind? Those who run puppy mills, of course, and those who enrich themselves through dog-fighting and dog racing and cockfighting and horse racing and rodeos and circuses. . .and right up there on the list – the manufacturers and promoters of invisible fencing!

Never mind that, if you train an animal with pain, you’re teaching him to fear you, not trust you, the horrors of invisible fencing are becoming legion. From animals who take the shock to leave the yard, but won’t come back, to animals with probe burns right through the neck, to animals who are dinner for coyotes who don’t happen to wear the torture collars. And the list goes on.

A woman once inquired about adopting a dog from us, and questioned our policy of not adopting to anyone with invisible fencing. She said she had chosen the product because she didn’t want to block her wonderful view, and claimed it had been a godsend for her dog and her eight-year-old son. But when I asked how the boy had adjusted to wearing the collar, she was actually offended that I would think she would abuse her child. Need I say more?

I find it hard to believe any veterinarian would recommend the product, but sadly, some still do. And the people who buy it are those who are too lazy to do the research, those who are too cheap to put in proper fencing, or those who don’t really give a damn about their animals.

But here’s a nasty little twist on the issue.  A while back, we adopted two puppies to a couple with a good fenced yard. After preliminary check-ups on the pups, we lost contact with the couple. Until recently, when I got a call from their daughter, asking if one of the dogs had possibly been picked up and turned in to us. And then the story came out. It seems the puppies had discovered how to dig out under the fence and escape the yard, ending up in the street, chasing after bikers and joggers. Naturally, the bikers and joggers complained to the local humane society. Now, if the couple had contacted us, we would have given them a simple and inexpensive way to make their fence dig-proof. Unfortunately, they didn’t, and the puppies kept digging out.

And here’s the kicker. After several such complaints, an animal control employee at the local humane society, instead of suggesting how the couple could fix their fence (it’s no secret to anyone with any real animal knowledge), actually told them that, if they did not install an invisible fence, the dogs would be confiscated. The couple didn’t know any better. They didn’t want to lose their dogs. They purchased the invisible fence. And sure enough, when a loud commotion nearby scared one of the dogs, she went right through the so-called keep your dog safe at home fence, and hasn’t been seen since.

Now, here’s the question. Do you think maybe it was just a coincidence that the owner of an invisible fencing company sits on the Board of Directors of the local humane society?

Happy Update!

The dog has been found and returned to her owners!  Needless to say, the invisible fence has been turned off, and the torture collars have been discarded.  A happy ending to a sad story that should never have begun.

If anyone from animal control or the humane society ever tells you that your dog will be confiscated if you don’t install an invisible fence, please notify us.  At the very least, you’ll have an excellent lawsuit to file.