Since I'm still tired and still behind in all that needs to be done around here, I'm taking a second Sunday away from church and choir duty. I may go to Amerigo's and eat lunch with Pam and Jean, but I may not, depending on what I get done between now and noon.
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I really hate to go off and leave Gus for any length of time, he's still quite puny, and I've already got enough guilt about his illness. Whether he ingested styrofoam outdoors while running loose, or here in the house, which I've still found no sign of, I should have been more careful. My dogs' days of carefree running off-leash are over.
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I'm thinking of constructing out of clothesline a dog run the length of the fence that borders our yard, so they will be able to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air without getting out of the yard. The fence does not enclose our yard, so it's the only thing I could come up with (short of a chain-link fenced-in dog run that would probably meet with the homeowner association board's disapproval) that will give them some freedom with safety.
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Leashes will be looped over the line and hooked to their collars. I'll get longer leashes for this than I use for walking them, and I'll leave these longer leashes attached to the line. Maybe I should invite the other dog owners to use it, too, but we would need to have time limits, a half hour or so per session? But what if the neighbors on the other side of the fence object? It is, after all, their fence.
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Maybe I should go back to the tree tether I've used in the past, or a stake and tie-out. I really hate to deprive them of the pleasure they get from racing one another. They love to run and I love to watch them. If I could just get them to stay in the yard or come back when I call them. Well-trained dogs they are not.
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Northshore Park, which is close-by, has a fenced in ball field where I've taken them before and they really enjoyed it. A quick online tour of pet supplies revealed several other options to explore. This pen is not terribly expensive, compared to the vet bill we just paid.
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If anybody has a better idea, I wish you would send it to me.