There are schools on the Moshav where I live. Not just for our children but for those in other Moshavim and Kibbutzim in the regional area. And they are bused in - and then bused out when school has finished. But the schools here are from grade 1 to I do not know what, so older Moshav children - teenagers by then, are bused out to middle schools off the Moshav. And then are bused back, and the pick-up/drop off for them is outside my door. And one lovely girl always looks in and waves when she comes back - I do not know her but she makes me feel so happy when she waves and Tikki rushes out to greet her. Only just now Tikki rushed out and her leash broke. Fair enough she rushed back inside when she was only half way up the ramp and realised she was loose, without either me calling her or the lovely girl catching her. Tikva has a leash which is attached to her rope tether, and because she is much smaller than Pereg was she cannot have a large hook on the end of the rope. So she has a normal leash attached to the rope, which is looped through the hand hold thingy, and well taped up with insulating tape. I use a lot of that stuff for all sorts of reasons, especially to wind round the tether rope where it rubs on the corners of the bungalow. It was not the trigger clip that broke. It was the actual end of the hand wotsit on the leash that just broke. Panic over - new leash fitted and well secured [I buy leashes by threes!] and Tikki Tikva safe again. But she is such a good little girl - she did not even go up to the lovely girl that she knows because she realised her tether had broken. She was so close to the road and there were other coaches bringing back off-Moshav older school children... and do you know what she did once she had rushed in? Shot through the bungalow and into her crate in the bedroom.
I am rather weepy. I know Tikki would have come straight back had I called her as she has a 100% recall - and I also know that she would have gone to the girl to be held if necessary - but she just knew she was loose and wanted to come straight back inside. It is just the "what if" thing that I cannot lose now.
She just stopped when her leash broke, and could not get back in quick enough. Her leashes do not break often, I think this was maybe only the second that needed replacing, and I always have some in stock plus insulating tape for fixing it - and I know my girl and know she would have run off, but what if? And that "what if" is still worrying me. I know I call her a little booga but she really is a very special girl, and for that split second I was terrified that I might lose her.
No, I meant she would not have run off - she could have done but she seems to have an in-built sense of where she feels safe in the yard. I always said she was a strange little girl.
Bless her, she gave herself a little shock. You knew the dangers more than her , so, a shock fo you too
There are too many people who let their dogs wander loose, and too many stray dumped dogs here, and there are a lot of very large tractors that go along the very narrow roads. And those school buses which are like tour coaches, start dropping off or picking up children from around 7.30am. And the same dropping off or picking up at any time between 1 - 4pm depending on what time the schools finish and from where they come and where they have to go. Tikva is used to them but as there is no way I can fence my yards, she is on a 12 metre tether, which means she has more then enough exercise area but cannot get onto the pavement let alone the road. She just seemed to instinctively know that she was not secure, so rushed in. And zoomed straight through the place into her crate!
I don't understand why you have leashes which are failing, unless they are made of plastic. Tweed could be heavy on her tack, but the Beagles are using a lot of stuff that I used on the Toydogs, and some of it is 40 years old. Leather does need to be regularly treated to stay supple, but nylon rope or tape leads should last a doggy lifetime.
I get lightweight but not too narrow nylon tape leashes and I can only think that this one had snagged under the door or against the wall, as the hand grip just seemed to have split. But of course as Tikva is always on her tether except from at night, they do get a fair bit of wear and tear and are usually changed when wear appears. Rubbing against the wall is not the best thing for nylon leashes which is why I check them frequently and change them as necessary. Tikki also has a habit of peeing [or pooing] on them so I do not expect them to last for yonks, which is why I buy cheapies, but this was the first time that one actually broke at the hand end with no previous sign of wear. The rope goes through the hand loop and it is all then well wrapped with electrical insulating tape to keep it secure, and there had been no sign of wear - but maybe it was a bit weak and although Tikva is a small girl she is 6 kilos of solid bone and muscle and boy can she move when she rushes out! She needs something lightweight and comfortable for her, and I need a leash which is easy to clip onto her harness in the morning and then unclip at night. It is not a matter of cost, it is for her comfort and for my ease. After all I still have all of Lexi's collars/harnesses/leashes, and those that were Pereg's - I cannot bear to part with them. Tikva, being so short-coated needs harnesses and leashes that can in no way rub on her, and having found both harnesses and leashes which suit her I am happy. And so is she. And I do love her so. Nothing but nothing is too good for her.
It is definitely not the fault of the leash or the trigger clip but because I know there is friction on both leash and tether rope - which is why I tape the sections where there is friction, and why I buy leashes in threes [real cheapos but are actually strong, this one having been the one which broke, the others being replaced when they look a wee bit not so good]. The rope, which I used for Pereg, who was anywhere up to 22kg as her weight fluctuated due to her medication and condition, is strong. Really strong. And I used a very strong trigger clip - Avner, who used to run the macolet, used to get the rope for me, maybe 50m a time? Tikva being a tiddler has a lightweight leash at the end of the same strong rope. For security. I just have to check both the leash and the rope to either wrap more tape where it appears to need a bit more strength, or to replace either one which needs replacing. I just had not noticed that there was a bit of wear where the leash was on the rope. But she shot straight back in when she realised she was loose - and shot through the bungalow to her crate because she was frightened, although she only normally goes in her crate at night. Bless the little booga!
