Thanks everyone for your well wishes. I am still so mad at the meter reader for leaving the gate open.
My husband was at work when all of this happened and he is not allowed to keep his phone with him while working. But when he went to his car after work and found the txt msg and VM from LuckyPet he called me immediately to make sure everything was alright with Bogey and that he was home safe. He was amazed at how the tags worked and also very happy that our three always have their tags.
I'd like to address a few points that KJC mentioned in her post. I too have trained all three of mine in basic manners. They are NEVER allowed out the front door of our home. It's a very simple rule that everyone is aware of regarding the use of the front door. We can open the door for deliveries or visitor and they do not bolt out the door. When I let them out the back door they are all made to "wait" until I tell them they can go. They are also not allowed out the door ahead of me either. I can open the back door and put Pebbles (Bogey and Doodlebug as not as good at this) into a sit stay, allow the other two out the door and she will sit until allowed to go. As for the gates, they do not bolt out those either. We can go in and out the the gate and they all know to stay back. It's not like they we are opening the doors or gates and they are darting out~EVER! Furthermore, they also have excellent car manners as well. They all know when it is time for a car ride they will go to the gate on the driveway side of the house and sit patiently until they are each walked on their leash to the car. They are only allowed in the back passenger side door of the car. I open the door and they will hop right inside. When it is time to take them out of the car they also know that they are only allowed to exit the car from the back driver side of the car. They each wait their turn to be picked up and placed onto the ground to walk. I think it's very important to have your pets trained in all of the above for their own safety. As KJC mentioned it was very simple to train.
I would also like to clarify that in addition to tags they are all microchipped. But I can guarantee that I would not have had multiple phone calls yesterday within minutes of Bogey wandering away. The gate that was left open is not easily seen from our back door and not had a LOCK AND KEY securely in place. We have a very large yard for suburban Chicago it's almost half an acre totally fenced in. In addition we have 4 gates. The gate at the back of the house has always had a nut and bolt keeping it securely closed but after yesterday all the other gate now have LOCK AND KEY except for the driveway gate which is used as out main gate. I was thinking yesterday about installing a spring lock as well.
I am expecting a call from ComEd today regarding what happened yesterday. The meter reading leaving our gate open is not only irresponsible and dangerous but just plain idiotic on his part. They will be told they are NEVER to enter out property again and will need to knock on the door. It will not matter since the gates will all have a padlock and PRIVATE PROPERTY signs posted.
If your dogs have a properly fitted collar there is no reason to believe they are going to choke to death. I've never understood this logic or rational. Just about every dog that has gone missing on YT was without a collar. As for chipping, recently I asked my mom if she knew what a microchip was and she looked at me like I was crazy. She had no idea! If you want your dog back and quickly a collar and tag is the quickest way. You cannot depend upon a microchip bringing your dog home. Of course, there is always the chance of your dog being stolen. There have been plenty of people on YT that have even encouraged other members to keep dogs that were deemed neglected. I find this outrageous.
Finally, with Peekaboos medical conditions if I were her owner I would make sure to have her tagged at all times. If she were ever to get out of the yard it would be very important to be able to have her home and under your medical management.