judy
Well-known member
Something just happened, i don't know what happened, i lost Zack, and i really didn't think i'd ever see him again, it was horrible.
i was sitting here in my living room relaxing, i was brushing him, everything was normal, he'd get down and play with stuff, he's wander outside into the backyard, I keep the patio sliding door open, it's a small backyard, maybe 20 by 35 feet, one wall is as high as the building, it's a three story building, on the other side is a fence that's 5 1/2 feet tall, almost as tall as me, zack tries to leap up to the top of it when he thinks there's an animal out there, and he impresses me by going up within a foot and a half or so of the top on his best leaps. On the other side is a fence that is taller than i am. As far as I knew, there was just one place where he could've dug/crawled out, and that was blocked firmly. i felt certain the backyard was secure.
As i was sitting here, i heard him bark, just one bark, not the usual two or three or more, and a bit fainter, but i assumed he was in the backyard, barking at an animal because he never barks in the house, unless someone knocks on the door, which didn't happen, and besides, i would hear it really loud if it was in the house, i thought it was outside. I did what i always do, i called him in an enthusiastic friendly voice, so that he would come inside, i'd give him a treat and he would not disturb the neighbors. He didn't come in even though i called him a couple of times. but i was in the middle of doing something at the moment and since the barking stopped, i didn't bother getting up and getting him to come back in. I just bring him in and close the door if he keeps barking. i went back to what i was doing.
It was a normal peaceful night. A few minutes later, i heard the same bark again, not as loud as his usual bark, and only one bark, so it wasn't like he was barking at something. So i was perplexed and i got up to see where he was, when he didn't come running to my call which he almost always does. I was not prepared to go out in the backyard and not find him but he wasn't there.
There aren't many places where he could be out there, it's small. I looked everywhere, i checked the blocked space under the gate, it wasn't disturbed. i thought he must be in the apartment, but where? it was bizarre because normally, he would be out and about. He's never missing in the apartment, if i get up to do anythinng, he comes running, and it just didn't make sense. But i looked around the living room and he was nowhere.
The apartment has an upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs is the living room, kitchen, a bathroom and a hall, there are no nooks and crannies, and the place is pretty crammed with stuff, so the cabinets don't have room for anything more than what's in them. Still I looked in all the cabinets but of course he wasn't there. i looked under the desk, under the loveseat, behind the rocking chair, there's nowhere else that he could go. I looked in the bathroom, the shower, the closet, i imagined he was stuck some place, that's why he made those two barks, he was stuck and was calling me, that was my guess, he was in trouble. but he wouldn't bark again, i was worried he was hurt, suffocating, bleeding to death, dead
:yikes
Upstairs has two bedrooms, a bathroom and the hall, and a litter maid cat box with a hood over it. I looked in there. Both bedroom doors stay closed. But i looked in the bedrooms anyway, what else could i do? I looked in the closets and under the beds. I went back outside and looked. Inside and out, i searched everywhere twice, getting more and more scared.
Then i went outside in the front, toward the street, calling him and looking around. It made no sense at all that he could be out there. There was no way out of the apartment or the backyard. Yet i looked everywhere as far as i know. On the chance that he somehow leaped over the 5 1/2 foot fence into my neighbor's backyard, i looked over the fence and i called him. No sign of him. It was maddening. It made no sense. Then i checked around the base of the fence on the other side and i found one hole that i didint' know was there.
:yikes
Still, it did not seem big enough for Zack to get through. It would be a squeeze just for his head to get through. And if he did get through, it led to nowhere. It went under the deck of the neighbor's apartment. It was blocked off, at least it appeared to be, like there would be no way out. I coudln't see, it was just a tiny space, dark and dirty, i stuck my arm through with gloves on and tried to feel around, calling him, listening but there was no sound. It was the kind of space that your mom always told you to stay away from because of black widow spiders.
I went out front again, and on the street, calling him, and up the side of my apartment building, there was no way to where that crawl space was. I went into the neighbors' apartment property, the apartments were all dark, it looked like no one was home back there. The area where the neighbor's deck was, was fenced off behind a locked gate. But i could see that there was no way out to the front from where the crawl space was.
i went home again and searched everything again. I was frantic. I was fantasizing making Lost Dog posters. He wasn't wearing his ID tag. At home, i don't keep his harness on him. He doesn't have a collar. He's not microchipped, but he will be by tomorrow. :shock:
I examined that crawl space again and again. Maybe he could squeeze through. It sure does look too small though. And there was no way out. Still, it bothered me that it was there and i had never seen it before. I thought i had checked the fence for any openings. How did it get there?
I went back out front again, i climbed over the peoples' gate and looked through the openings under their house with a flash light. I opened a screen gate to under the house and could see everywhere under there, all the plumbing and TV cables and stuff. And it wasn't connected to the place under the deck. No sound, no Zack. i called and called.
I was so frantic. The next thing i was going to do was to go out in my car and look for him. First, i knocked on the door of my nextdoor neighbor and asked him to come look at the little hole under the fence and give me his opinion of whether Zack could fit through there. I opened the door to let us in and THERE WAS ZACK in the living room, all jumping up and happy and excited and wanting to be held.
i was so glad to see him. I was in an altered state of consciousness. I was so glad to have him back, i really feared i was never going to see him again, just like that, that he vanished without a trace, that somebod had him, or he was killed by a car, or, eventually i'd smell his body rotting under the deck next door. I was going to ask my neighbor if he would help me break a bigger hole in the fence so i could see under the deck. but zack came back so that didn't happen.
but i really don't know where he was. He wasn't dirty at all, not a stick or leaf or spider web or piece of dirt on him.
Tomorrow in the daylight, i'm going to examine the backyard as thoroughly as possible, and i won't let Zack out there without me watching him. I hope he'll show me where he went. I'll plug up that hole.
But right now, i don't really know where he was. He just couldn't have been in the house or the yard, i looked everywhere four times. He had to have been outside some place. Yet unless he can get out through that little hole, i don't think there's any way out. But there has to be. Even though the hole looks way too small, it's the only theory i have. If i were to rule that one out by trying to put him through and find it impossible, then i have no theory at all.
Just thank God he's OK and he's back. i never want to go through anything like that again.
i was sitting here in my living room relaxing, i was brushing him, everything was normal, he'd get down and play with stuff, he's wander outside into the backyard, I keep the patio sliding door open, it's a small backyard, maybe 20 by 35 feet, one wall is as high as the building, it's a three story building, on the other side is a fence that's 5 1/2 feet tall, almost as tall as me, zack tries to leap up to the top of it when he thinks there's an animal out there, and he impresses me by going up within a foot and a half or so of the top on his best leaps. On the other side is a fence that is taller than i am. As far as I knew, there was just one place where he could've dug/crawled out, and that was blocked firmly. i felt certain the backyard was secure.
As i was sitting here, i heard him bark, just one bark, not the usual two or three or more, and a bit fainter, but i assumed he was in the backyard, barking at an animal because he never barks in the house, unless someone knocks on the door, which didn't happen, and besides, i would hear it really loud if it was in the house, i thought it was outside. I did what i always do, i called him in an enthusiastic friendly voice, so that he would come inside, i'd give him a treat and he would not disturb the neighbors. He didn't come in even though i called him a couple of times. but i was in the middle of doing something at the moment and since the barking stopped, i didn't bother getting up and getting him to come back in. I just bring him in and close the door if he keeps barking. i went back to what i was doing.
It was a normal peaceful night. A few minutes later, i heard the same bark again, not as loud as his usual bark, and only one bark, so it wasn't like he was barking at something. So i was perplexed and i got up to see where he was, when he didn't come running to my call which he almost always does. I was not prepared to go out in the backyard and not find him but he wasn't there.
There aren't many places where he could be out there, it's small. I looked everywhere, i checked the blocked space under the gate, it wasn't disturbed. i thought he must be in the apartment, but where? it was bizarre because normally, he would be out and about. He's never missing in the apartment, if i get up to do anythinng, he comes running, and it just didn't make sense. But i looked around the living room and he was nowhere.
The apartment has an upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs is the living room, kitchen, a bathroom and a hall, there are no nooks and crannies, and the place is pretty crammed with stuff, so the cabinets don't have room for anything more than what's in them. Still I looked in all the cabinets but of course he wasn't there. i looked under the desk, under the loveseat, behind the rocking chair, there's nowhere else that he could go. I looked in the bathroom, the shower, the closet, i imagined he was stuck some place, that's why he made those two barks, he was stuck and was calling me, that was my guess, he was in trouble. but he wouldn't bark again, i was worried he was hurt, suffocating, bleeding to death, dead
:yikes
Upstairs has two bedrooms, a bathroom and the hall, and a litter maid cat box with a hood over it. I looked in there. Both bedroom doors stay closed. But i looked in the bedrooms anyway, what else could i do? I looked in the closets and under the beds. I went back outside and looked. Inside and out, i searched everywhere twice, getting more and more scared.
Then i went outside in the front, toward the street, calling him and looking around. It made no sense at all that he could be out there. There was no way out of the apartment or the backyard. Yet i looked everywhere as far as i know. On the chance that he somehow leaped over the 5 1/2 foot fence into my neighbor's backyard, i looked over the fence and i called him. No sign of him. It was maddening. It made no sense. Then i checked around the base of the fence on the other side and i found one hole that i didint' know was there.
:yikes
Still, it did not seem big enough for Zack to get through. It would be a squeeze just for his head to get through. And if he did get through, it led to nowhere. It went under the deck of the neighbor's apartment. It was blocked off, at least it appeared to be, like there would be no way out. I coudln't see, it was just a tiny space, dark and dirty, i stuck my arm through with gloves on and tried to feel around, calling him, listening but there was no sound. It was the kind of space that your mom always told you to stay away from because of black widow spiders.
I went out front again, and on the street, calling him, and up the side of my apartment building, there was no way to where that crawl space was. I went into the neighbors' apartment property, the apartments were all dark, it looked like no one was home back there. The area where the neighbor's deck was, was fenced off behind a locked gate. But i could see that there was no way out to the front from where the crawl space was.
i went home again and searched everything again. I was frantic. I was fantasizing making Lost Dog posters. He wasn't wearing his ID tag. At home, i don't keep his harness on him. He doesn't have a collar. He's not microchipped, but he will be by tomorrow. :shock:
I examined that crawl space again and again. Maybe he could squeeze through. It sure does look too small though. And there was no way out. Still, it bothered me that it was there and i had never seen it before. I thought i had checked the fence for any openings. How did it get there?
I went back out front again, i climbed over the peoples' gate and looked through the openings under their house with a flash light. I opened a screen gate to under the house and could see everywhere under there, all the plumbing and TV cables and stuff. And it wasn't connected to the place under the deck. No sound, no Zack. i called and called.
I was so frantic. The next thing i was going to do was to go out in my car and look for him. First, i knocked on the door of my nextdoor neighbor and asked him to come look at the little hole under the fence and give me his opinion of whether Zack could fit through there. I opened the door to let us in and THERE WAS ZACK in the living room, all jumping up and happy and excited and wanting to be held.
i was so glad to see him. I was in an altered state of consciousness. I was so glad to have him back, i really feared i was never going to see him again, just like that, that he vanished without a trace, that somebod had him, or he was killed by a car, or, eventually i'd smell his body rotting under the deck next door. I was going to ask my neighbor if he would help me break a bigger hole in the fence so i could see under the deck. but zack came back so that didn't happen.
but i really don't know where he was. He wasn't dirty at all, not a stick or leaf or spider web or piece of dirt on him.
Tomorrow in the daylight, i'm going to examine the backyard as thoroughly as possible, and i won't let Zack out there without me watching him. I hope he'll show me where he went. I'll plug up that hole.
But right now, i don't really know where he was. He just couldn't have been in the house or the yard, i looked everywhere four times. He had to have been outside some place. Yet unless he can get out through that little hole, i don't think there's any way out. But there has to be. Even though the hole looks way too small, it's the only theory i have. If i were to rule that one out by trying to put him through and find it impossible, then i have no theory at all.
Just thank God he's OK and he's back. i never want to go through anything like that again.
