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<DIV>I have a year and a half year old basset who is lean and wiry and needs to
run A LOT. Not just go for walks, but full-out runs. I've been
taking her every day to the off-leash park for at least an hour, and the whole
time she is a blur of motion, playing with the other dogs, running as fast as
she can.</DIV>
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<DIV>But suddenly she has discovered the thrill of chasing squirrels.
Three out of the four sides of the park are fenced in, but the squirrels
congregate around the open end (that's where the trees are). She'll be
playing at the "safe" end with all of her friends and then without warning, five
minutes or fifty minutes into the play, she'll see/smell/imagine a squirrel and
tear down the field to chase him. There is no way I can catch up to her in
full barreling speed. (I didn't know bassets could move so fast.)
She just runs right out into the road and across to the other side. It's a
quiet dead-end road, but she had a close call yesterday.</DIV>
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<DIV>We went to obedience class and she's wonderful about listening and coming
and obeying anytime except when there's a squirrel involved. It's like she
doesn't even see me or hear me. There's no stopping her.</DIV>
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<DIV>I just don't know what to do. Obviously, I can't bring her back to
the park if she's going to do this. But how then do I get her the running
she so desperately needs? I take her for on-leash walks, but that's not
even close to what she needs. When we get home, I'm worn out, but she's
fresh and ready to go. If she doesn't get her hour of full-speed running
every day, she's restless, destructive, and unhappy. The unhappiness is
what breaks my heart. When she's running, it's pure joy, and then she
comes home happy and calm. The days we miss that hour, she's miserable,
like it's a physical need.</DIV>
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<DIV>There are no other places for off-leash running. What do other basset
owners do? How do people in cities meet this need for running? I
want her to be happy, and I was so happy the months we've been at this park,
before she discovered squirrels. It breaks my heart that we can't go
there, and that she won't see her friends anymore, and won't get this "full-body
workout" that she loves. She's such a wonderful dog, and I feel like I'm
letting her down. I'd do anything for her.</DIV>
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<DIV>What do others do?</DIV>
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<DIV>Thanks so much. Debra and Molly</DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>