Anyone else paranoid about pet safety?
 

So I am not sure if I am paranoid, over-protective - or just normal :)


But I am super paranoid about my Yorkie's safety and the safety of her Chi sisters. Every time they go out to use the potty I worry worry worry like a wart! When I have to leave them home for any reason I always worry about that too. I have to double check them all numerous times before I do leave the house just to make sure they're all safe and sound. These are just a few examples.


Do any of you worry excessively, or even a little? Just curious! :)

I am an excessive worrier and very protective. We have hawks and owls living in our backyard, so I am nervous just letting my boys out on the deck.

My boys are almost never home alone. If I am not home, my father watches them. I was very nervous when I had to leave them alone. Can't help it! :)

I'm a little like that too.

I worry when I have to run errands and can't take my two with me. I was so worried I got a sticker from the fire department to put on my front door that says I have two dogs and to call my vet's phone if they are rescued from our home. Then I thought about it and got 2 more stickers, one for the back door and one for the garage window in case the firemen didn't see the sticker on the front door.

I am most always home with mine too, otherwise I'd probably already be dead with worry LOL! We have coyotes, so I know how you feel - they scare me terribly and my husband is trying to get rid of them.


We take them with us when we vacate too, or else I would never be able to enjoy myself.


I am glad I'm not alone in my worry! Although, it is nerve-wracking! I guess it is better to be safe than sorry though. :)

I don't think I'm overprotective, lol, but I always get strange looks from people (friends and family) over some decisions I make in regards to my dogs. I really think I should step it up a notch or two!

I worry about jasmin a lot. She is never allow outside by herself. We have two ip cams around her crate so we can watch and listen to her when we are not home. Also purchase two led nightlight a to put by crate for those days when we leave the house during day and don't get back until late at night.

We have those stickers too! I worry so much about some type of accident like that while we are gone - which isn't often, but if we go out to eat or something like that - even if its just for a little while I still worry.


I actually purchased a drop-cam which runs off my Wi-Fi and I can watch it via my iphone. LOL! People laugh at me, but when I am gone from home it puts my mind at ease knowing I can see that they are ok.

Where did you get those fire stickers??

I am the same way you are. I always go outside with mine so I know they are safe. They are rarely left home alone and on the rare occasion they are, I worry and I don't like to be gone too long. I don't think they've ever been left alone for more than 4 hours and it's usually only an hour or so, if I do have to leave them. I bought a camera for the house but I don't have it running right now...but yes, that totally gives you peace of mind. I haven't took a vacation in over 2 years because I don't want to leave the boys. I have a free night at the casino that's only 20 minutes away and I can't even bring myself to use it. I could totally go home and check on the boys a few times, but then they'd have to sleep alone:( I might have a friend stay with them so I can call and check in on them a million times while I try to enjoy myself at the Casino.

My mom and step-dad go to Florida every spring and they usually leave the dogs with my moms friend, who is the one that bred her and gave her the dogs. Her friend ended up moving to Florida last year to retire so last year she wasn't here to watch the dogs. My sister was supposed to watch them but my step dad backed out of the trip last minute because he was worried about leaving the dogs. This year, they are going to Florida and my mom has decided she's going to take the dogs with her!! LOL!!


So....I don't know if we are too paranoid, obsessive, or crazy about our dogs. I am sure to some people, we definitely are over the top but I don't care. I know how much I care about my dogs and I also know devastated I would be if anything bad happened to my dogs so I want to everything I possibly can to prevent any bad things from happening to them.

Most people don't understand that, in many ways, yorkies are not like other dogs. They are more sensitive to their environment. They are more fragile and they are also more needy. You can't just throw them in a kennel in your back yard with a bowl of cheap dog food and expect them to thrive. If you open your door and let them run around your back yard by themselves, unattended, you are just asking for problems. You have to dress them in the winter because they do get cold otherwise..They can jump up and down on things and get hurt...they can get stepped on....etc etc etc. Having a yorkie can be very similar to having a human baby. Maybe this is why we get so attached and protective over our little ones.

I am sure there are some members on here that fuss over their yorkies less than I do, but I am ok with being a crazy dog lady. I'd rather be the owner that cares too much than the owner that cares too little.

I am a strong believer of crisis avoidance rather than crisis management! I try to avoid a crisis, and every "over protective" behavior, is a direct result of having had dealt with the situation personally or with a close family member or friend. My dogs never go out alone, not even for one minute....Yorkies are appetizer size for hawks, owls, eagles, coyotes, etc. Yorkies are the #1 stolen dog in the USA....they are stolen from back yards on a regular basis, out of cars while they wait for momma to run inside "for just a second", by strangers that want to hold them for just a second, from hotels/motels, etc. I have resusitated dogs that have choked on different foods, toys, rawhide chew stuff, etc. I filled my small water feature pond with boulders and just enough water that the waterfall works and the water splashed down and around the rocks, but the dogs cant fall in and drown. I hate doggie doors and will not sell to people with doggie doors. I have had a buyer take her two babies with her everywhere in the car, sitting on her lap, looking around....she was involved in a minor car accident, the door popped open, both babies jumped into the intersection, where they were run over in front of the owner...she has never gotten over that....I always secure my dogs in a carrier or a carseat, with a leash and seatbelt restraint, and I preach that continously to everyone. Just a few of the things I worry about! Continously checking fence line around the yard for holes dug under the fence at night by some stray animaol or wild varmin.....checking the yard for things my thug neighbor kid could have thrown into my yard to hurt/kill my dogs, like tainted meat, fish hooks, etc.....The reality of the real world is it is a harsh place for a little, inquisitive terrier spirited pup.....they need to be protected because the dangers are real.

My local fire department was giving the stickers out but if your window or door faces the south like mine does they fade pretty quickly.

I have made some cute ones of my own, laminated them and taped to the inside of the back door using Clip Art on Word.

I am but I have anxiety so I figure that has to do with mine. I also live with my Grandparents and my grandpa drops things like pills all the time.

I wouldn't say I'm over-protective in some of the ways that a lot of people on YT are (lol), but I'm way more paranoid and overprotective than a 'normal' dog owner.

I'm sure some things I allow would make people cringe, whereas some of the things I'm protective over, normal people would scoff at or laugh at, but it is what it is. He's my best friend, my buddy, and he's a very happy well taken care of loved dog.

If there was a contest for overprotective Yorkie Mom, I would win everytime.......my oldest Rusty is 9 yrs and it started then......Iove them.

Yorkiemom1, tell me about doggie doors............thinking of getting one..

Unless you have a larger yorkie that is to big to be prey to a bird or have the doggy door going into a thing that has a top and sides you should not get one.

I think automatically poopooing doggy doors is wrong I have seen some really good set ups for small dogs where the doggy door leads to a thing that has a top and sides so nothing can get to the dog. There are also bigger yorkies who yes still need to be watched but can run out to pee on there own in a fenced in yard without worrying about a bird eating them in the states where there are no coyotes.

Hi Yorkiemom1, You said that you do not like doggie doors. Why? I have 2 of them, one going from my kitchen into the laundry room & then one from the laundry room to the outside. My hubby built a little "porch" so it's not a big step down from the doggie door to the deck. We have our yard fenced from the deck. There's a lock on the gate & my hubby & daughter are normally home all day. We take them for daily walks & I go outside with them after it gets dark. We also have 4 flood lights on the yard and a motion sensor. We go on poop patrol at least 3-4 times a day. I would welcome your opinion. Thanks.

Yes. I always have my eye on him and I hate leaving him alone for more than a couple hours. Luckily, I work from home so I don't leave him much. I would take him with me more often but my poor little guy starts getting car sick as soon as I put him in the car. I only put him in the car when we take him to the vet, groomers, or dog park.

Speaking of dog park, I get super paranoid there. The park is divided into 30 lbs and under and over 30 lbs. 30 lbs is still really big compared to him (5 lbs). Of course I freak out when I see a larger dog approach him. I also can't stand it when little kids try and pick him up. They are always trying to pick him up. Even some adults. He hates being picked up when he's at the park. He's in leave me alone I am in play mode.

It's better to be on top of them to prevent anything from happening. I'm super protective of my daughter same goes for my puppy. My daughter might say I'm too over protective lol.

I think worrying comes with the territory of owning a little dog. There are so many things that can hurt them.

I wish I had more time to worry about them! As it is, I do the best I can, hug them every day as if it's their last and try to give them the best, most interesting life I can.

I can't answer for Yorkiemom1, but I won't ever install a doggie door. The doggie door is there so the dogs can go in and out on their own free will...unattended. I don't want my boys going outside unattended, ever. Too many things can happen to them if they are outside by themselves. Just recently, someone had to rush their dog to the vet bc it got stuck in a snow bank and the dog wasn't there for very long....there are lots of other animals that are bigger than a yorkie and can hurt them....possums, coons, stray cats and dog, hawks...heck, even a bee sting can kill one of these little ones quick. Not to mention that people steal them. I would not want to give my dogs the freedom of going outside like that. Once in a while, I'd leave my sliding glass door open in the summer....but I'd always be right there to watch my pup if he went outside. I never let him out of my eyesight.

My younger dog was a rescue that was found wandering the streets. It took them a month to trap him. I am sure someone left him outside unattended and that's how he was able to run away like that. He's very lucky to be alive.

I have a friend who has a doggie door. It works great for him while he's gone long hours at work, but he has a bigger dog. I am sure there are lots of people who let their dogs out unattended, but I am just too paranoid to do it.

I agree with tpy on a doggie door. It may work for some people and I really wanted it to work for me, but there are more potential problems than it's worth to me.

Other than predators (which we have) and the possibility of other dogs jumping over the fence into the yard, I don't want them to have the freedom to go outside every time the neighbor dog barks. They would definitely do that.

If there standard size yorkie a bird can pick them up and eat them.

There are people who patrol there fences to check for problems regularly. Also mine is never left home alone so if she is heard going out the doggy door she is watched. There are dogs who have escaped from burning to death because there house caught on fire and they had the doggy door to escape out. No I would never think they are good for dogs small enough to be dinner for a bird to go out into an open back yard but there are cases that it's ok. Even with small dogs it should not be 100% marked as a bad idea because there are exceptions to the rule like a kennel attached to the doggy door that has a top and sides so nothing can get to them.

Another reason for not liking dog doors is undesirable things getting in, especially if the door is for a medium/big dog.

Agreed. If it works for you, I think they'd be great. You can also lock them so the dogs can't go out when you're not home.

I was going to get one just for the fire thing until I was told most dogs don't think to use them in a fire. They hide under a bed and suffer the consequences. But, hey, if they could be taught to use them in an emergency, it would be worth it.

I don't know if it is paranoia, probably it is to some people. But I do tend to worry a lot about Bull. My greatest fear is that he gets stolen. So I simply never leave him anywhere unattended, except of course when I go to work. But he is then inside the house. Even when I walk him in the street, although he is always on a leash, I am on the look out for a potential stranger just grabbing him out of my arms.
My husband and I are the only people allowed to hold him. Noy even the friends or family members who come home hold him, because I feel they underestimate the fragility of these babies.
Unknown big dogs are simply a no no near Bull. I don't care how sweet and mellow they are described to be by their owners. I simply do not trust them, mainly the owners' judgement.
To many people, sometimes even to my husband, I go too far. Maybe I do, but better safe than sorry.

Yes I worry about George, he stays home some mornings if it's busy at work and I worry about earthquakes or a fire and him not being able to get out, cant have a dog door as I don't want him out in the yard when we are not home, don't trust people to shut the gate or some one dog nabbing him. Don't need to worry about birds getting him as New Zealand doesn't have any predators like that. Worry about the dogs over the road as they can jump their fence and hope like hell they wont jump mine, have complained to the ranger many times about it but nothing is done.
I worry when my DH takes him for a walk as he doesn't use the commands like me, like STOP, SIT, DROP IT he goes "no George" in a nice voice. George isn't going to respond to that is he.
Sometimes I think I worry more about my little George than I ever did about my kids, That's bad isn't it.

I don't think that really happens that much but when it does people make a big deal about it so it's heard. My parents have had one for 15 years nothing like that has ever happen but it also leads to a fenced yard so maybe it happens more if left to an open yard.

Speaking of fencing
 

Is the issue at our house right now. Anybody have anything that pacifys DH who is yard obsessive and against fence. Zoeys 1st summer and she's not a baby anymore. Lot more energetic and brave. We live on a lake and have a large and irregular yard. Road nearby.....I say we have to keep her safe AND let her run. We were long leashing it last fall and kept her between us to run , but no more of that. He doesn't want to move it every time he mows.... Good grief. I need to think of something fast before the weather breaks! I have2 wire x pens right now that can be attached.....thinking of getting more and doing it that way.

I certainly worry. if I can take the with me I do when I go some place. We to have big birds of pray and trees whose branches fall all the time, just all sorts of dangers outside. even people who might want to steal them. I dont let my babies go outside without supervision. Right now with Athena being so young, I wont leave her home without human supervision Shes only 8 weeks old. Although we have as of yet ( knock on wood) not had any episodes of hypoglycemia, I worry wonder if she does when im gone. so I refuse to leave her home without her human babysitters. If I have to leave and there is no one to watch her, I take her with me, even into places that dont usually allow dogs. I found when its a little cute puppy like her, most of those places dont care. I dont put her on the floor or even in a cart, but keep her wrapped in a blanket, usually in my coat. I keep Nutri-cal in my purse. "just in case". Yes, im very paranoid.

Absolutely! We watch him every second that he is outside. Also, he's SOOOooo small, we've gotta be pretty gentle/careful around him.