Escape Artist

[Teri9672]

yesterday morning started as a normal day. I left for work around 7:15 and put the girls each in their own crates. I left the puppy gate open because the girls were put up. (The puppy gate seperates the girls from both formals, study and extra bedrooms) Anyways.....I get home at 5:00 to be greeted at the door by Teona.

I immediately thought the absolute worst.............my home would be destroyed.

Well, it wasn't too bad. She did get into my potted plants in the study and made sure a little bit of moss made it into each room. She chewed up a few leaves.

2 of my favorite stuufed animals from the guest bedroom were laying INTACT in the living room. This I cannot believe. Usually both girls with destuff anything with stuffing. The poor stuffed dog was missing an eye, but I found it in the bedroom and it can easily be sewn back on.

I made double sure the latch was secured today, and I closed th puppy gate just in case.

[tlwtheq]

Hmmm, reminds me of my Shadow when he was a pup, Summer 1987. At that point what I could afford was a baby gate to sequester him in the kitchen while I was at work.

It took several adjustments before I could come home and not be greeted at the

front door in the evening. I had to know how he got out, so I put him in the kitchen with the gate and watched. That little imp pulled himself up and over using his front legs. Only putting a slippery throw over the gate finally kept him in.

Where there's a Cairn Terrier there's a way! I'll love, adore, and spoil them forever!

Tara, Olie and Teddy's Mom

[wags]

When Wes was a dozen weeks old, I must not have latched the pen too well. My dh came home and Wes ran to the open front door to meet him. Those days we didn't surround the house with fences. Today we have a fortress.

[bradl]

Oh yeah! I now check the gates to the other parts of the house are closed even if the dogs are crated when we leave. Somebody once managed to open their crate door and just guess where they went to have diarrhea? What could possibly be the worst place? Yep, there.

[sanford]

I think I read on this site that the best baby gates for cairns are the more expensive ones, with vertical slats. They can't climb out of these. Cairns are known to scale the other gates that have webbing or mesh. Then again, some cairns can jump pretty high....(mutter, mutter, mutter...!).

[Lisad]

Hey Teri,

By your post I see that you are able to crate your girls for about ten hours at one time. I have two questions: 1) Do you crate them ten hours each weekday? If so, 2) How in the heck do you get them to sleep at night?? (My pup woke me up at 3:00 this morning because he was apparently "no longer tired".)

Thanks.

Lisa

Sorry if

[PK*]

Wow, I know all about this!!!!

Vinny, who's roughly 6 months old, spent the first month or so in a playpen in our bedroom as we were just getting settled in our condo. One day we came home to an empty playpen and after doing the quick glance around the room, there he was in my giant box of clothing (recently moved in waiting for furniture) just chilling out.

So we moved him down to the kitchen area and gated off the living room, it's a perfect fit for him. The opening is rather wide so there was only one gate that fit it nice and snug.

This worked out well for about a month, only to come home one day, opening the door and seeing Vinny sitting right there waiting for us. We were shocked, Vinny was probably 6 pounds at the time, no signs of climbing but we weren't too sure, I to this day feel he jumped the gate.

So we returned the gate linked above to the store to get the extra tall one:

The VERY NEXT DAY we come home and there's Vinny, running around the living room.... keep in mind both of these times he caused no damage and didn't appear to do anything but relax on the couch.... good Vinny!

I was stumped. After further investigation, turns out he climbed the high gate, there was evidence of friction from his claws right up the side of the wire mesh. We tried to get him to do it again for us but he looked at us like we were crazy.

My solution, I went to Lowes and purchased a flat lightweight but very strong panel sized out to the front of the gate, drilled holes in the corners and attached via plastic zips. Doesn't look that bad but we don't care, it's safe for him and we only use the gate when we're not home.

:-)

* We're gone for 12 hours a day and refuse to leave Vinny in a small crate. He has the kitchen area with his crate and comfy bed available and an area to go to the bathroom if he can't hold it in. He's doing really well with this too, better than I ever imagined. We give him all his attention when we get home and when it's time for bed he sleeps with us and sleeps right through the night, that is after he's done humping his stuffed wolf for an hour.

p.s. I want another Cairn, we're completely in love with our dog.

[Anna_525]

Hey, Teri, I thought you were going to say that beneath those stuffed toys that looked untouched was one that got destroyed! Now THAT'S sneaky!

This reminded me of a description of a cairn that was up for adoption - he can jump high, in fact, can jump over pet gates! He did get adopted but, heh, I thought they better have taller gates!

[abe's dad]

bradl-

I feel your pain, we had to restrict access to our bedroom due to the fact that Abe lets me know his displeasure at mom leaving by TINKLING ON MY PILLOW!!!! yup, my pillow!! Egads!!

Val

[Teri9672]

Hey Teri,

By your post I see that you are able to crate your girls for about ten hours at one time.