🐕 Ginger, the Escape Artist 🐾

Written by Barbara Levine

Originally Written: June 6, 2016

Updated: May 31, 2024

🐕 Ginger, the Escape Artist 🐾

June 2016: Our very precious pet Ginger is a 10-year-old Australian Cattle Dog (a cross between an Australian Shepherd and the wild Dingo). She is extremely smart and the most lovable dog that you could ever find, except when you try to lock her up – then she will do everything in her power to escape.

My husband Stan's daughter Tiffany lives with her husband and their two daughters, Jessica and Juliet, in Newbury Park, CA. Tiffany rescued Ginger from a shelter three years ago in 2013 when Ginger was seven years old. Even the six-foot wall surrounding their property could not prevent Ginger from leaping over and escaping to freedom.

It's not that Ginger wasn’t happy with her new family – she just always has to be with people and doesn’t want to be left alone. So Tiffany reluctantly asked Stan and me if Ginger could move to Rolling Hills with us where there are no leash laws and she can run free whenever she wants to.

2014: I am with Ginger and our five-year-old granddaughter Juliet

Stan and I moved into Rolling Hills in 1987. We brought our German Shepherd with us, and gradually added three more dogs and three cats, all of whom we inherited from neighbors and friends. They all passed away over the years until we became pet-free for several years, and we were trying avoid taking on the responsibility for another pet.

Ginger changed everything, and now we can’t imagine not having her with us. However, it was tough at first. Whenever we would leave her behind alone, she would run out through her dog door, race our car up our long driveway, and start chasing us down Saddleback Road. Afraid for her safety, we would take her home. We tried keeping her inside by shutting her dog door. She soon learned to put her nails under the bottom and lift it up and escape.

2016: Stan & Ginger by our pool

We next locked dog door. When we returned, she had torn out all of the wallboard around the door down to the studs. Then we tried locking her in our stable, where she escaped by leaping up five feet and jumping through the screen on an open window. We tried locking her in our motorhome on a trip – she couldn’t get out, but she tore up the screen on the closed door trying to.

We have now taught her to stay behind by talking to her and explaining that we are going away, but will be back for her. She gets this terribly sad look on her face and lies down on her dog bed. When we return, she is racing up the driveway to greet us, having waited outside for us the whole time.

2016: Stan takes Ginger for a walk on the horse trail at least three times a day.

Ginger no longer races us up the driveway nor does she do any damage (as long as we leave the dog door open). However, she will let us know that she is unhappy being left behind by scattering the trash about the floor if we are careless enough to leave it out.

Ginger wants to be with people, and as close to them as she can get. She follows Stan or me wherever we go in our house or on our property.

2014:  Our two granddaughters Jessica, 12, and Juliet, 6, visit Ginger often at our home or at our vacation homes in the mountains and desert. They also dog sit for us when we travel and can’t take Ginger with us..

Ginger loves to be invited to go with us in a car, and strangely, never minds being left in the car to wait for us when we can’t take her along – somehow, she feels confident that we will return to the car.

2016: Ginger is always eager to play tug rope, and Juliet loves to accommodate her

She seems more human than dog, and I believe that she has found dog heaven here in Rolling Hills.

My story of our precious pet Ginger was published in the the September 2016 issue of the Rolling Hills Living magazine shown below.

🐕 Henry, Our Boxer 🐾

Our Boxer Henry was born in September 2016. He moved in with us in 2018 when he was a year-and-a-half and Ginger was 12 years old.

Henry was purchased by Tiffany's neighbor as a purebred when he was 3 days old. However, the neighbor's husband would never let Henry come into their house, and he had to live in the yard or the garage. A year later, the family moved to a place without a yard, and Henry was in the garage full-time.

Tiffany finally convinced the wife to give Henry to us to be raised in a proper environment.

May 2018:  Juliet with Ginger and Henry playing tug-of-war.

Ginger was definitely the alpha dog, and Henry kowtowed to her at all times, even though he was larger and more muscular. Henry helped Ginger live to a ripe old age by playing rough house with her and keeping her active.

We have had Henry for six years now, and he still doesn't like going into our garage.

🐕 Postscript🐾

For the last four years of her life, Ginger was incontinent and had to wear diapers whenever she was indoors. Stan and I felt like we had become parents to a newborn baby during our 80s. However, we willingly stepped up to the added inconvenience because she was such a wonderful, loving dog and so full of life.

September 2021: Henry on the couch with Ginger in diapers (and with a large lump on her thigh).

In 1921, Ginger developed a large malignant lump on her left thigh. She had four surgeries over the next 2 ½ years to remove the lump and cover it with a skin flap from her belly. Unfortunately, the lump just grew back several months after each surgery. Fortunately, the cancer was not the type to spread to other parts of her body.

🐕 Epilogue🐾

On a Saturday evening in January 2024 when she was nearly 18 years old, Ginger started having violent seizures. I stayed up all night with her, holding her in my lap and cuddling her through each seizure that occurred at roughly half-hour intervals. By the time morning came, she had lost the use of her rear legs.

I am holding Ginger during one of her many seizures. You can see the large scar on her left thigh from her fourth surgery. Click on the photo to see a video of Ginger having a seizure.

Stan and I decided that it was time to put an end to Ginger's suffering. I texted my son Mike and his wife Carrie for the name of a vet who had come to their home recently to euthanize their dog Dash.

I called the vet at 8am on Sunday morning, and he and a helper were at our home by 11am.

Meanwhile, we called Stan's daughter Tiffany, who had given Ginger to us – she was able to make it to our home and spend time with Ginger before the vet arrived.

Stan and I watch as Ginger is euthanized by the vet and his assistant.

Ginger spent a long and wonderful life with us. She outlived the life expectancy range of her breed by two years.

We still miss her greatly, as does Henry.

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🐕 The End of Ginger, the Escape Artist 🐾

May 2006 - January 2024

Nearly 18 Years Old