[Nancy1999]

I'm glad you are both safe, but I'm one of the people who don't agree with spanking or swatting. I know you were angry and scared, but unfortunately, it's likely that she'll be even harder to catch next time. I think she needs more training to come to you when called. Training isn't a one-time thing, but an ongoing process. Practice coming to you with a treat, and if necessary use a leash and pull her to you until she gets the hang of it. Do this daily and never punish your dog when it comes to you no matter what it's done. The command "sit" is also important; if your dog knows no other command than this she'll be much safer.

In the past, when a dog has gotten out, I've always taken a treat to retrieve them. It sounds as if I'm rewarding them for bad behavior, but I'm rewarding them for coming to me. Since you live on such a busy street and have children, you might want to limit the access to the door in question. Also, is she in heat? This might make tempt her to run away. Remember, rewarding good behavior works so much better than punishing bad behavior.

Please take this post in the spirit it was written, I don't mean to criticize you, but just offer my thoughts.

Nancy