home bodies and fence jumpers, part 4 in a series

Our Poodles are home bodies for the most part. They love hanging out with their people. If they are outside without a person, they really do not tend to wander off. (But we have fenced the acreage regardless.) So, the Poodles cannot meander into unsafe places or get near the road because of the fences. Still, bigger dogs, like Labs and big Doodles, do like to wander, and they have superior jumping powers. While a four-foot fence can stop a 20-pound Poodle (even Leo and little Bandito, who can jump over the puppy play area fence), it will not stop Sara or Sparky from getting down into our parking area. This can be a good thing because it prevents people we do not know from visiting unannounced. (It even stops some invited visitors!) But how do we keep Sparky and Sara from being hit by a car in the street? 

We want the least restrictive environment for all our dogs: the bigger the dog, the larger the area needs to be. It would not be fair to force Sparky and Sara to stay in the puppy play yard all day. They need a much larger area to run and explore, to keep them intellectually-stimulated and healthy. Putting an eight-foot deer fence around the entire property would be a great idea–- but it was very expensive (and we still weren't sure it would keep them out of the road). Some kind of perimeter boundary was essential. Enter, or re-enter, as it were, the underground fence--with a twist. The twelve year old had since gone off to college (and no, playing FIFA was no longer the vocation of the eighteen year old... he has since denied saying that it was, ever. But he did, really. Honestly.) Let’s move on. Please. I needed professional help.