Stay Away From the Fence!

The inevitable happened.  Gracie brushed against the neighbors’ electric fence.

The unfortunate event occurred last week.  I have warned her numerous times to stay away.  The neighbors have horses, so the current is strong.  I have been zapped by it; it is not pleasant. 

Angel was bouncing around to my left.  I turned my attention away for a split second – which is what everyone says when an accident happens.  I looked back to Gracie and found her underneath the fence, about to “do her business.”  I said, “Gracie, the fence!”  She turned and raised her head, taking an immediate jolt to the neck.  She cried in pain – and raised her head again, taking another jolt.  This time, she ducked her head and ran to me, crying in agony. 

I held her for several minutes, trying to sooth her.  She eventually stopped yelping but shook for several minutes.  I could smell burned hair but did not immediately see any issues.  I carried her part of the way to the house.  She tried walking but inevitably ran back to me for comfort.  She was capable of walking.  She just wanted her mommy to hold her.

Once inside, I noticed a small burned place on the back of her neck, near her collar.  I consulted my handy dog manual (see the review on Friday for that).  I clipped away the hair around the burned spot and applied triple antibiotic.  For good measure, I phoned the vet.  The assistant with whom I spoke informed me that one of her chickens had perished the day before from the very same thing.  I knew electric fences were serious business but had never heard of an animal dying from one.  Of course, when the charge is set for a large animal, it makes sense that a smaller animal could be seriously or fatally injured.

I feel terrible about the whole incident.  She might have escaped one of the jolts if I had not called her name.  The angle at which she was standing guaranteed one jolt, though.  There was no way she could have extricated herself from that position without brushing against the fence.

Since then, I have been even more vigilant about her position in relation to the fence.  The day after the incident, she steered clear on her own but has since forgotten.  As pet parents, it is our duty to save our little friends from themselves.  Let's hope Gracie learned a lesson and will help me in that task!

Rescue Mommy