We have a run with a lead that goes from house to my woodshed. Normally no drama, had a run for dogs for the past almost 40 years here.
This idiot HATES groundhogs. Probably because they taunt him and sit just out of range of him on the lead. But when one slips up, this dog is across the yard in 3 bounds (He’s gotten 3 groundhogs so far, and we’ve relocated 4). Well, if the groundhog is fast enough, numbnuts has slack in the lead (and it gets under him) then he hits the end of the run at full force (which whips his body around 180 degrees, anchored on his collar). Well, when the lead is under his leg and that happens, it whips out, pulling his leg to the side. Two vet visits last year, but no damage. $400 each time, and numbnuts felt better in a day or two. This time we figure same thing, and a week later we take him to the vet since he’s not showing improvement.
We werent in the vets office 5 minutes, in the waiting room in fact, when he says “What did he do? Looks like a ruptured ACL how he’s holding it”.
yeah, x-rays and an exam confirm it. Then he needs an echocardiogram and an EKG (since hes a boxer mix, and anesthesia can be a problem). I think his vet bill has wiped out the next two vacations for us…
Small animals, that’s a vets bread and butter right there.
Hope everything heals well.
My dog hates them too, gophers though, not quite the same but close. On a typical day she gets two or three, it helps that there are literally thousands
yeah, the groundhogs get a bit larger than gophers. One time he was so bloody I didn’t know if it was his, or the groundhogs, and I do worry about them getting a good bite or two in. He did get nicked close to his eye one time, he got lucky!
But, while they are bigger, at least there’s less of them. In my case, we relocated all of them last year. We were good until July when a mom and several little ones showed up. They re-use dens, and we’ve plugged up 4 entrances, but one of them is deep in a bramble patch that we aren’t reaching easily. Of course, they find that one…
At the moment, by last count, theres 1 more little one to relocate. Loki won’t be catching em in his current shape, and I don’t need them antagonizing him. Last thing I need is him damaging his Other ACL, or worse, damaging the healing one…
and… fwiw… I do not advocate him killing them. Sure, they get in my garden, and do a number on my flower beds, but I prefer to relocate to a state park (so they dont bother someone elses gardens). Not a fan of killing them needlessly, cant toss the hav-a-hart in a lake and drown them, just not the kind of person I am.
The one time I witnessed him bound across the yard and kill a young one I was mortified! I couldn’t get there fast enough, and by the time I did Loki had shaken it so violently it died within a minute or two. I kinda got the feeling there won’t be a puppy in this house after seeing that. The rub? He’s an absolute DOLL, and a total pushover, even with small children. He’s just a big spoiled baby… Till he sees that groundhog, and some switch flips…
try rigging a 2 or 4 foot bungie cord somewhere along the leash might give just enough give to save him from that sudden stop and force…? not sure if it will work just dont know if hes a chewer
Actually that is the plan but the bungee cord will be hooked to the top of the lead and somewhere about 2/3 the way down it. Basically it will pull the lead tighter when hes underneath it taking up the slack but it will allow him to go the full 10’ or 15’ of the lead and stretched the bungee out . That will also put it out of his chewing range even though hes not really a chewer.
If he decides to run that’s happening no matter what. I just want to get the lead out from underneath him. His only other way around that is a fence we don’t want and can’t afford or walking him every single time hes out. And obviously we do our best to keep relocating the damn groundhogs as they move in
Of course bud, by all means. Just getting through the work day here, it’s 12:50pm. That and waiting for a response from Mars Hydro, lol. Their response this morning of “let us start with FC 6500 with grow tent 150x150x200cm for the grow journal” looked promising
I can’t wait to give’em a go!
