Pet dogs turning feral

Party going feral

Well, I definitely learned something new today! I know Shelties are very sensitive and can get scared, but I never heard the term "feral" with them. I guess I am very lucky. My babies have gotten out or away from the house (all but one of my ten have done this at least once) but so far all but one came right back to the house by himself, or back to me with me calling and searching. My little Bonnie (my soulmate) was the hardest to get to come to me once when she ran off, but I thought that was just her. I adopted her from a breeder at age 6 1/2 after she had been pretty much living in an enclosure with five or so other Shelties her whole life and didn't have much personal interaction at all, and was definitely extremely shy. She was my little sweetie who needed a LOT of patience and love to trust anyone but me for a long time. Lots of stories about getting her adjusted to a home situation (noises, hand movement, ANYTHING). So I guess after reading the thread and thinking about it, she might have been the one who came close to reverting to a feral state of mind when she did get lost.

I sure hope Party will come back to her owner and things will be okay. God bless everyone who loves a Sheltie. They are so very special.:hugs

Maida, owned by sweet Christopher, sweet Ritchie and my eight little Sheltie Angels in Heaven
 
I am fortunate with both of mine... Well, all actually. Three years ago on July 4th kids let all of my dogs out and they willingly came back for neighbors. Caleb was the only one that went further. He ran until he hit a wall. The people who found him caught him easily next to their apartment. He was returned Fter 3 days loose. Then last year Lark got loose and wandered the woods for a week with no sightings other than the tracking dogs finding her scent. Lark was in her crate on my porch 7 days later and let me come get her. It seems like mine don't go feral when lost.
 
danisgoat said:
Our Vinca got lost for 6 hours a few years back. She was at a park one mile from our house. The park rangers called us to let us know that she was under a van looking scared to death. We tried and call her and she would not come to us. She had a wild vacant look to her eyes. It was REALLY weird. My daughter was young at the time and started sobbing because she was so upset that Vinca didn't recognize her and we were next to a highway and didn't want to chase her. Something clicked when she started crying and heard the panic in my daughter's voice and she snapped out of it and ran over to her.

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Years ago, my parents lost their sheltie when firecrackers started to go off. We, and the entire neighborhood searched for two weeks, and there were no sightings. My parents had just about given up when a friend of mine who lived maybe a mile away called to say our dog was in their yard. We quickly went over there, and the dog would not come to any of us. She didn't run, but wouldn't let us get close. When she finally turned and started to run away, my Dad let loose with a whistle that he occasionally used to get her attention in the field. It clicked; she stopped dead in her tracks, then turned quickly and ran to my father. It was a very tearful reunion. Once home, she acted as if she had never left, but when we found her, her eyes, like everyone has said, were vacant. No recognition at all. Very scary. I didn't know that was called 'going feral' at the time, but I can certainly see where the phrase came from.
 
The adoptive family accidentally lost a dog I had previously fostered and I went out to look for him. When we found him (he had run into someone's house after being hit by a car and was limping), he was growling at us, clearly afraid and didn't want to approach. And he had only been gone for less than 12 hours!

After a few minutes though, he relaxed, and when I started talking to him and he sniffed me, he recognized who I was, and he was so happy and RELIEVED that he leaned his entire weight on me!

I'm not sure what my two would do if they got lost. I think Juliet would be too fearful and would hide. Romeo might fare a little better.
 
Thank you all for the explanations and examples of this scary topic. Just the thought of one of my dogs being afraid of me and running from me instead of to me makes me want to cry! I had no idea this happened to pets you've had for years. I could see a new rescue or something like that, but not a dog you've had from puppihood. The entire topic just scares the crap out of me. :(
 
I don't think that "feral" is a state that animals can slip into and out of, although I do know the fearful state that I think it's being used to describe in this context.

Having owned Shelties for many years and having worked with rescues for quite a few years, I know that plenty of stray/lost Shelties have allowed themselves to be caught by people and that some of them even come willingly to people in those situations.

IMO, a dog bolting from people and being too terrified to allow anyone near it, for days or weeks on end, is a temperament and socialization issue. There are some really shy, fearful, and timid temperaments in a lot of Shelties, and that's down to breeding. Unfortunate breeding. I wish for better for this wonderful breed, not that they should have the temperaments of Labradors, but that "reserve" should not mean "terrified of anything new or different." I've worked with my shy Sheltie for 10+ years now and there's a lot we do to compensate for it, but this is at bottom a matter of breeding. :(
 
Connie said:
IMO, a dog bolting from people and being too terrified to allow anyone near it, for days or weeks on end, is a temperament and socialization issue. (
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I tend to disagree with this.

I do agree that the word "feral" is used differently in this situation than say in the case of a cat that has been living in the wild for years.

However, I do think that dogs, in order to survive, have to sort of flip a switch in their minds in order to survive. Imagine a dog who loves other animals and wants to "play" with squirrels, cats, etc...in the wild, this could be incredibly dangerous. They have to alter their personalities in order to survive.

Also--they learn to use their sense of smell and their instincts to find food and water which is something they have almost NEVER had to do before. In other words, their instincts take over. That means hearing every noise, being wary of anything that moves, not trusting people, etc...
 
corbinam said:
I tend to disagree with this.

I do agree that the word "feral" is used differently in this situation than say in the case of a cat that has been living in the wild for years.

However, I do think that dogs, in order to survive, have to sort of flip a switch in their minds in order to survive. Imagine a dog who loves other animals and wants to "play" with squirrels, cats, etc...in the wild, this could be incredibly dangerous. They have to alter their personalities in order to survive.

Also--they learn to use their sense of smell and their instincts to find food and water which is something they have almost NEVER had to do before. In other words, their instincts take over. That means hearing every noise, being wary of anything that moves, not trusting people, etc...
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I think you're describing a state of extreme fear. A couple of other people have noted it too: their dogs seemed not to even know who their owners were when they had been out for a length of time. I would liken it to PTSD.

But one Sheltie who gets loose or lost will head for people and seek attention, while another Sheltie who gets loose or lost will panic and avoid people. Why? Why such different reactions? That's where I think temperament comes in.

Once I was walking three of my dogs; it was getting dark, and it started to rain. I picked up the pace and headed for home. When I got home, I discovered that I had dropped the leash of Shiri, my shy Sheltie. I panicked, and searched frantically along the route of my walk. I found her, unharmed, standing stock still on the sidewalk, in the dark and thunderstorm. Her temperament is such that she 'shuts down' when she can't handle something. Another of my Shelties, if I had dropped her leash, would simply have trotted along behind us and not just stopped. Temperament is key.

But I would say the stressors the loose dog encounters are a big factor also. Getting out of the yard in a quiet neighborhood is less stressful than being ejected in a car crash on a highway. All loss situations are different and probably play a role in the subsequent behavior of the dog. It's an interesting thing to think about, and certainly one we hope we never experience!
 
There are other factors that play into a lost dog going feral. Is it lost because it got afraid of something and ran off afraid to begin with. More likely to go feral quickly. Or has it sauntered off on it's own through an open gate etc. Just to explore and is basically a friendly dog not shy or timid. Easy to catch. Shy, timid breeds are harder to catch and go semi wild quickly - operating in survival mode. I saw an Irish setter running down the street and got out of my car and opened the back door and the dog jumped in. A lady ran up to me and said everybody in the area was trying to catch it for two weeks. I think I was at the right place at the right time and offered it a safe haven - or it was tired and wanted to give up running. I have caught three dogs by just opening my car door for them. Strange?
 
biowicks said:
Years ago, my parents lost their sheltie when firecrackers started to go off. We, and the entire neighborhood searched for two weeks, and there were no sightings. My parents had just about given up when a friend of mine who lived maybe a mile away called to say our dog was in their yard. We quickly went over there, and the dog would not come to any of us. She didn't run, but wouldn't let us get close. When she finally turned and started to run away, my Dad let loose with a whistle that he occasionally used to get her attention in the field. It clicked; she stopped dead in her tracks, then turned quickly and ran to my father. It was a very tearful reunion. Once home, she acted as if she had never left, but when we found her, her eyes, like everyone has said, were vacant. No recognition at all. Very scary. I didn't know that was called 'going feral' at the time, but I can certainly see where the phrase came from.
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Wow! that's a hell of a story -great that your father was so on the ball.

tears over here.

scott
 
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