# AACK! My wild child SCARED me!



## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

Ella gave me a HUGE scare this morning. :OMG!:It took a long time for my heart to go back to beating normally. After I dropped Cisco off at the groomer at 7:00 am, I took the girls to the park where I always walk. It has a nice paved path that meanders around. In one area is a large field that I let the girls run and chase each other. I leave their leashes on so I can grab them if necessary. Both girls have good recalls (or so I thought) :brownbag:and stay fairly close. Today I let go of the leashes at a different spot. I rarely walk up around this loop, but decided to go that way today. Ella and Gracie were playing and chasing each other and in an INSTANT Ella slipped through a hole under a privacy fence and was in the back yard of a house!!!!!!! :new_shocked:I was terrified. I had no way of knowing if there was a big dog in the yard, or if she could get out onto the street, or slip though another hole into a different yard. I was down on my hands and knees peering thorough the hole she crawled through, calling and calling her. I had treats in my hand and she was just ignoring me. I got up and found another hole to peer through and saw her zooming around the yard. She was having a great adventure, and I was dying!:smpullhair: I'm lying in the dirt on my stomach trying to entice her to come and trying to figure out how to scale a six foot privacy fence. I'm terrified that at any moment a huge dog will come running to defend its territory and Ella will be killed! Another walker saw me and pointed out a yard several houses down with a chain link fence and said, "Go through this way." When I left the fence to head over to the other yard, Ella magically appeared in the heel position right by my side staring up at me. I swear she was smiling! :smtease: I'm still replaying the tape in my head of seeing Ella's little butt disappearing through that little hole and feel so blessed that nothing happened to her and that now it will just be one of those "wild child" Ella stories.


----------



## MoonDog (Jun 6, 2011)

:faint: Oh Deb. Are you still shaking? I would have had a heart attack right then and there! Thank GOD there wasn't a dog in that backyard. I'm so glad this Ella adventure ended well! Hugs to you!


----------



## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

Oh mjy... I would have had a heart attack!! Sooo glad nothing bad happened and your little girl is safe and sound...but you are right... had a dog been in that yard it would have been disasterous!

If you want to let them have a 'run' and a bit of 'freedom'.. you could bring two real long lengths of rope, tie to their leash handles and 'let them run'.... they'll have lots of room to romp but you'd still have complete control! :thumbsup:


----------



## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

:w00t::w00t: Why or why do these fluffs do these things to us Moms??? I swear that they take 10 years off my life on a regular basis.

Glad all was well and nothing happened to little Ella.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

:smpullhair::smpullhair: and they come back looking all innocent :innocent:


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I figured it out. They love us so much that they don't want us to endure the heartbreak of loosing them, so they try to give us a fatal heart attack. Either that, or they are in their own world and don't really care about us at all.

Thank goodness she came back without event. I think you should punish her...by kissing her and kissing her and kissing her. That'll teach her.


----------



## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

MoonDog said:


> :faint: Oh Deb. Are you still shaking? I would have had a heart attack right then and there! Thank GOD there wasn't a dog in that backyard. I'm so glad this Ella adventure ended well! Hugs to you!


Robin, I finally stopped shaking and resorted to my medication of choice--chocolate! This time it was in the form of chocolate chip cookies AND chocolate chip cookie dough. :thumbsup:



Maidto2Maltese said:


> Oh mjy... I would have had a heart attack!! Sooo glad nothing bad happened and your little girl is safe and sound...but you are right... had a dog been in that yard it would have been disasterous!
> 
> Thank you! Sadly I think of Brenda and her sweet Shayna. In one instant her little girl ran out of the garage and up to a big dog walking by and she was gone. My heart and prayers go out to those who didn't have a happy ending in that one "instant" when a fluff ran.
> 
> If you want to let them have a 'run' and a bit of 'freedom'.. you could bring two real long lengths of rope, tie to their leash handles and 'let them run'.... they'll have lots of room to romp but you'd still have complete control! :thumbsup:


I've actually contemplated attaching the long line. Normally where they run is not by any fences or houses. Ella _usually _runs in a few circles and then runs to her "reinforcement zone" which is the heel position. She will usually come when called even when playing with another dog, or running to greet another person. I thought I had "proofed" her recall. Didn't think about holes in fences. Lesson learned. :brownbag: 




Lacie's Mom said:


> :w00t::w00t: Why or why do these fluffs do these things to us Moms??? I swear that they take 10 years off my life on a regular basis.
> 
> Glad all was well and nothing happened to little Ella.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


Thanks, Lynn. Not only is Ella taking years off my life, she's adding pounds to my waist. Food is comfort!



MalteseJane said:


> :smpullhair::smpullhair: and they come back looking all innocent :innocent:


Oh yes!!!!!! I swear she looked up at me like she was saying, "Here I am, Mom. Did you see how clever I was?"


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Deleting double post. oops.


----------



## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

Sylie said:


> I figured it out. They love us so much that they don't want us to endure the heartbreak of loosing them, so they try to give us a fatal heart attack. Either that, or they are in their own world and don't really care about us at all.
> 
> Thank goodness she came back without event. I think you should punish her...by kissing her and kissing her and kissing her. That'll teach her.


:HistericalSmiley:Well, if that's their plan, it almost worked this time. I don't think my heart could take another scare like that. I can't even remember any event with my skin child that scared me this much. 

I like your idea of punishment!!!! I have been smothering her with kisses all day. :wub:


----------



## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Oh, Deb!!:new_shocked: That little monkey! You tell Miss Ella that Auntie April said she better never do that again!:no2::no2: Then, give her lots of kisses.:heart::heart: I'm glad there was no big dog..what we moms have to put up with..:wub:


----------



## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

aprilb said:


> Oh, Deb!!:new_shocked: That little monkey! You tell Miss Ella that Auntie April said she better never do that again!:no2::no2: Then, give her lots of kisses.:heart::heart: I'm glad there was no big dog..what we moms have to put up with..:wub:


April, oh yes, Ella IS a little monkey. In fact, that's her nickname. I gave her lots of kisses and told her they were from Auntie April but couldn't get any promises out of her!


----------



## TLR (Nov 13, 2011)

Oh I know I would have had a heart attack.. Thank goodness little Ella was ok and I am glad you have recovered!


----------



## maltese#1fan (Feb 20, 2012)

Oh that is so scary. They are such little houdinis. When we were living in NY, my husband opened the door "just an inch" to get the mail out of the mailbox (it was the type that is attached to the side of the house) and Heidi snuck out through the opening and started running down the street to the main avenue. My husband (who was in his underwear) started running after her. She, of course, thought it was a game. If it wasn't for the construction workers using a jack hammer at the end of the street (which scared her enough to stop), she may have run right into a road and gotten hit by a car. I was at work at the time and didn't hear about it until I got home, but that didn't stop me from playing the "what if" scenarios in my head. I can only imagine what the construction workers thought when they saw this huge man (my husband is 6' 4") in his underwear chasing a little white dog.


----------



## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

Oh stars that must have been terrifying!!!! It's a good thing these fluffs are cute or we might just lose our minds for real lol .


----------



## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Oh goodness!! That's two(April') that tried to escape!!!!that is so scary! I'm glad that she's ok!!


----------



## Kaiser (May 10, 2012)

I'm so glad nothing bad happened to Ella. That is definitely one terrifying experience. I'd be panicking if one of my fluffs did that. 

I think these little ones don't know how much they mean to us, otherwise they won't be trying to give us a heart attack at every chance they see. :mellow:


----------



## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

OMG, i know how scared you must have been Deb, i'm so happy to hear that she's ok. These little ones sure know how to give us a heart attack at time don't they. What is up with these little ones this weekend with April's Lily getting out the front door and Ella going under a fence? :smpullhair:


----------



## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Sylie said:


> I figured it out. *They love us so much that they don't want us to endure the heartbreak of loosing them, so they try to give us a fatal heart attack*. *Either that, or they are in their own world and don't really care about us at all.*
> 
> Thank goodness she came back without event. I think you should punish her...by kissing her and kissing her and kissing her. That'll teach her.


:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley: Ain't that the truth?
Deb - I definitely would have dropped dead at some point during the adventure. So scary!! And just what was Gracie doing during all this? At least she didn't crawl her way in too to see what all the hubbub was all about. I never let Tyler off his leash. He' be in another county before I knew it.:w00t:


----------



## Katkoota (Feb 18, 2006)

Phew!!! I am really happy that she is ok


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Is there a full moon out there or ?????:w00t::w00t::w00t::smpullhair::smpullhair::smscare2::smscare2::smscare2:
Oh, talk about panting. . . dogs have nothing on us. . . I hope your breath caught up w/you finally.:smheat::smheat:
I will say one thing positive--we have exactly the same method of dealing w/stress---a la' chocalata! :yes: Call me if your supply runs low before your baby grows out of all this. I think she & Lisi were both educated at the same school.:goof:
So, so happy she had an angel watching over her :innocent:---the little stinkin' cute monkey.:wub:


----------



## lmillette (Apr 23, 2012)

My word!! I would have been in full panic mode and may even have had a heart attack on the spot!! We seem to have a few escape artists here (Ella & Lily!!).


----------



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:

Sorry... I know you were scared. Guess I'm seeing it through Ella's eyes.... 

Your story made me laugh.... maybe because I've been there with a previous dog LOL

I remember being told to always run away from them if you need them to come and they aren't listening. And they always magically appear 


Glad Ella is okay


----------



## Rocks (Jul 9, 2012)

Being a new malty owner I am curious, does this wanderlust go away after they are older? Or are they always one blink away from taking off? For the most part Louie stays right by me and I've been able to walk him back to the door and he followed willingly. All but one day when he spotted a deer I didn't see and he chased a full grown deer through 4 yards before I finally managed to get him to listen and come back. I was shaken and upset but when he got back I just picked him up and he put his head right on my shoulder. Now I have a rule that he has the leash on before we are even close to going out. Once we get out the back yard tie out is attached before I remove the leash from his collar. This way he is always attached to at least one thing that will keep him in the yard.


----------



## socalyte (Nov 15, 2010)

Oh my goodness, I would've had a heart attack too! So glad nothing bad happened. I like your idea of therapy! Chocolate to the rescue, LOL.


----------



## allheart (Oct 3, 2008)

Sylie said:


> I figured it out. They love us so much that they don't want us to endure the heartbreak of loosing them, so they try to give us a fatal heart attack. Either that, or they are in their own world and don't really care about us at all.
> 
> Thank goodness she came back without event. I think you should punish her...by kissing her and kissing her and kissing her. That'll teach her.


Oh my gosh Sylvia :HistericalSmiley:, what would we do without you?

Deb, oh what a scare that had to be. Oh my, my heart is racing just thinking about it. Whew, so glad your baby is okay....and you.:wub:


----------



## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

TLR said:


> Oh I know I would have had a heart attack.. Thank goodness little Ella was ok and I am glad you have recovered!


Tracey, thank you!



maltese#1fan said:


> Oh that is so scary. They are such little houdinis. When we were living in NY, my husband opened the door "just an inch" to get the mail out of the mailbox (it was the type that is attached to the side of the house) and Heidi snuck out through the opening and started running down the street to the main avenue. My husband (who was in his underwear) started running after her. She, of course, thought it was a game. If it wasn't for the construction workers using a jack hammer at the end of the street (which scared her enough to stop), she may have run right into a road and gotten hit by a car. I was at work at the time and didn't hear about it until I got home, but that didn't stop me from playing the "what if" scenarios in my head. I can only imagine what the construction workers thought when they saw this huge man (my husband is 6' 4") in his underwear chasing a little white dog.


:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:Oh my goodness! I was laughing out loud as I read your post. I know it wasn't funny at the time, but since Heidi was okay, it is now hilarious to picture your 6' 4" husband running down the street in his _underwear. _I bet the construction workers are still telling stories about that! :w00t:


Summergirl73 said:


> Oh stars that must have been terrifying!!!! It's a good thing these fluffs are cute or we might just lose our minds for real lol


Bridget, yes, their cuteness makes up for a lot. :wub: It's impossible to get mad at them when you peer into their sweet faces. :innocent:



Furbabies mom said:


> Oh goodness!! That's two(April') that tried to escape!!!!that is so scary! I'm glad that she's ok!!


I know! It's weird that both Lily and Ella tried to go on their own "adventure" just a day or so apart. We're lucky they both stayed safe.



Kaiser said:


> I'm so glad nothing bad happened to Ella. That is definitely one terrifying experience. I'd be panicking if one of my fluffs did that.
> 
> I think these little ones don't know how much they mean to us, otherwise they won't be trying to give us a heart attack at every chance they see.


Thank you! I hope your fluffs are not as naughty as Ella!



mysugarbears said:


> OMG, i know how scared you must have been Deb, i'm so happy to hear that she's ok. These little ones sure know how to give us a heart attack at time don't they. What is up with these little ones this weekend with April's Lily getting out the front door and Ella going under a fence? :smpullhair:


Debbie, oh my yes. I can't ever remember feeling that scared about *any *fluff. Ella is going to keep me on my toes that's for sure. It *is *odd that _two _SM fluffs escaped over the weekend. We're blessed they are both safe. There has been way too much sadness on SM lately.



Snowbody said:


> Ain't that the truth?
> Deb - I definitely would have dropped dead at some point during the adventure. So scary!! And just what was Gracie doing during all this? At least she didn't crawl her way in too to see what all the hubbub was all about. I never let Tyler off his leash. He' be in another county before I knew it.


Sue, little Miss Gracie was being her obedient self.:innocent: I had hold of her leash and she just sat patiently by my side as I freaked out, pounded on the groun,d and called for Ella. When I ran to look in another hole, Gracie trotted right beside me just as calm as could be. Their personalities couldn't be more different, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I can't believe sweet Tyler would run away from his mommy!!!!!



Katkoota said:


> Phew!!! I am really happy that she is ok


Thanks Kat!



edelweiss said:


> Is there a full moon out there or ????:w00t::smpullhair:
> Oh, talk about panting. . . dogs have nothing on us. . . I hope your breath caught up w/you finally.:smheat::smheat:
> I will say one thing positive--we have exactly the same method of dealing w/stress---a la' chocalata! :yes: Call me if your supply runs low before your baby grows out of all this. I think she & Lisi were both educated at the same school.:goof:
> So, so happy she had an angel watching over her :innocent:---the little stinkin' cute monkey.:wub:


Ah, Sandi, chocolate lovers unite!! I really think it causes a chemical change in my brain. I also agree with you that Ella and Lisi must have been educated at the same school. Everytime I read one of your Lisi stories, I could swear I'm reading about my Ella. 



lmillette said:


> My word!! I would have been in full panic mode and may even have had a heart attack on the spot!! We seem to have a few escape artists here (Ella & Lily!!).


Yes, they are little escape artists! From the time I brought her home, Ella has gotten through baby gates and out of any soft sided playpen or carrier. :smilie_tischkante:



Grace'sMom said:


> :HistericalSmiley:
> 
> Sorry... I know you were scared. Guess I'm seeing it through Ella's eyes....
> 
> ...


Thank you. I think everyone should have a little mischievous fluff at least once in their life!



Rocks said:


> Being a new malty owner I am curious, does this wanderlust go away after they are older? Or are they always one blink away from taking off? For the most part Louie stays right by me and I've been able to walk him back to the door and he followed willingly. All but one day when he spotted a deer I didn't see and he chased a full grown deer through 4 yards before I finally managed to get him to listen and come back. I was shaken and upset but when he got back I just picked him up and he put his head right on my shoulder. Now I have a rule that he has the leash on before we are even close to going out. Once we get out the back yard tie out is attached before I remove the leash from his collar. This way he is always attached to at least one thing that will keep him in the yard.


Oh my! That would be scary to see your fluff chasing a deer through four yards! I don't know if these little ones mature out of this. Neither of mine is even two years old yet. I think some of it is disposition (my Gracie would never run through a hole in a fence), but it is also is a training issue. I've trained my two that they are not allowed out of their crate or playpen just because I open the door. They must wait for their release word. I have not been as diligent about training them to wait for the release word at the door :brownbag:. I do think most dogs can be *trained *to have a brilliant recall. That takes a lot of time and practice with higher and higher distractions being introduced. I overestimated Ella's recall. My fault, not hers. Back to the drawing board. Now my 15 year old, Cisco, wouldn't have the energy or desire to chase anything, so old age DOES slow them down.




socalyte said:


> Oh my goodness, I would've had a heart attack too! So glad nothing bad happened. I like your idea of therapy! Chocolate to the rescue, LOL.


I think chocolate is a universal "go to" comfort of choice for most women!:HistericalSmiley:



allheart said:


> Oh my gosh Sylvia , what would we do without you?
> 
> Deb, oh what a scare that had to be. Oh my, my heart is racing just thinking about it. Whew, so glad your baby is okay....and you.:wub:


Thank you Christine!


----------

