Why I like fences – real, fences, a real story

We live on several, private, wooded acres in the county – with a couple hundred foot setback from the road via curving gravel driveway, 11 wooded acres behind us, a deep ravine creek along one long boundary line, with our house set in a relatively small clearing….the perfect place for some privacy, and what for several years had been a safe place for our BTs to run/play without fearing traffic and other threats.  

Although we never let our BTs outside unsupervised – and rarely off leash, one afternoon after arriving home from a weekend trip to the mountains (our BTs have all loved mountain trails), the unthinkable happened.  As we were unloading the car and our BT was taking care of post-travel “duties” in the front wooded area, two large-breed dogs from up the road entered our property (had either “escaped” – or were let out of their pen) while running wild/unsupervised and attacked/mauled/killed our little BT.   

It was terrible timing that resulted in terrible results.  What had been a great weekend getaway had a somber ending with a burial in our back woods.  The two dogs, ended up being re-homed, separately way out in the country.  

Yes, it was tragic for our BT, but since we have two grandkids under 2 years of age, our realization was they – and any future BT – would need a secure fenced in area, to keep “small ones” in – and “big ones” out.   

Epilogue:  We installed nearly 400 feet of 48” high, 2X4 mesh wire fence from the deck/garage out into/through the woods – with another 50 foot decorative, picket section connected to it through the yard to the corner of the house.  In short, we now have a large, pretty-secure (nothing’s perfect) area for our grandkids and our newest, adopted BT to play – with supervision – without the overarching fear of another attack situation.   Yes, it cost about $400 and a bit of hard work, but we look at it as a one-time, “insurance premium” – money well spent.  

The reason I said I like “real” fences, became painfully evident when a friend of ours, upon hearing of our tragedy last summer, shared how she was walking – on leash – a neighbor’s small dog in their medium-density, residential neighborhood.  Suddenly, and without warning, a large-breed dog ran directly at the small pooch – right through the “invisible fence” – and attacked it.  In this case, the small dog lived – but needed extensive surgery and lost an eye.  It was a harrowing experience for the dog, the dog-sitter, and the owners (probably of both animals).