This post shows how a dog that has only been staying at a house, that they aren’t familiar with, for a few hours, will come back if they escape and they will try to go back inside.
We were contacted to help on the 21st September 2024, when Poppy, a Romanian rescue dog, who only arrived at their adopters a few hours beforehand, near Preston, found the smallest hole in the fencing of the garden and ran.
There were a few sightings of her over a mile away. We advised that adopter should leave her house door open as she would likely try to come back. Even though she had only been there a few hours, lost dogs use what they know. Poppy only knew her adopter’s house. They retrace their footsteps and make their way back. We also advised that she shouldn’t be searched for or approached as this would stop her going back and quite possibly push her further away. It would certainly scare her and add to her fear. As long as she was left alone completely, she would stay calm, stay safe and make her way back.
Late that night she was spotted a quarter of a mile away from the house. We advised adopter to stay away from the door and allow Poppy to enter.
The following morning, after Poppy hadn’t been seen all night, she came through the door and into the house. However, she saw her adopter, turned around and went back out. Adopter lay a trail of sausage pieces from the door further into the house but Poppy, even though she came inside several times, didn’t move far from the door so the adopter couldn’t get to the door to shut (this was the only door of the house which led outside).
We went through ideas and asked adopter if she could tie string (or a rope etc) to the outside handle of the door and get someone to hide outside (away from the door) and when Poppy went inside to pull the string and then the door would shut. The layout outside though didn’t allow for this. We asked adopter to take a video recording of inside the house so we could have a better idea of the layout and what the adopter was up against. There was a bathroom to the side of the back door around a corner. We asked if she could hide in the bathroom and look out of the window. Then when Poppy came inside she could allow her to go further into the house (Poppy wouldn’t come inside because she could see the adopter) and then quickly get to the door and shut it. The window was frosted glass though so couldn’t be seen through.
The adopter then tied a rope to the handle of the door outside and back in through the bathroom window. When Poppy came inside again she pulled the rope and the door shut! Safe!
We were prepared to go with the humane trap however we didn’t want to risk Poppy running off when she saw us as she was staying right near the house. Poppy tested her adopter’s patience for sure but it eventually worked and now she is safely inside her new home.
We often get owners finding it difficult to believe us when we say to keep the house door open, especially when the dog has only been staying there for a few hours. Dogs will always use what they know and they will work with that. They are more cleverer than what they are believed to be and, even though we have been doing this for a long time, often amaze us with what they do and how they are excellent at looking after themselves out there. They can find their way home even if they have never been walked from the house and go to places to be walked in the car. They don’t need drones or sniffer dogs and they don’t need people searching and approaching them, trying to catch them. These things endanger them. They need to be left alone so they can do their thing and get safely home. In this society though people will search and will try catching them. This is the main reason why lost dogs have lost their lives. Obviously there are situations where sometimes a dog does need to be searched for, but these are few and far between. Poppy was allowed to do her thing and make her way home, after only being at the new home for a matter of hours. Trust in your dog. Respect the fact that they are sentient beings and they are more than capable of working out what to do and getting back home.
