It isn’t a comment on your fitness as an owner if your dog dashes out of the house and into the street, although it is extremely stressful. That’s simply what dogs do; it’s dog nature. And even the best-trained dog is someday bound to see something so interesting, he’ll forget everything in the world except that cat or rabbit careening across the street.

So there’s nothing wrong with your dog wanting to make a break for freedom, but if you don’t have a reliable dog fence in place, then you’re risking your dog running away, or worse, being hit by a car.

Many people think putting up a dog fence is expensive and inconvenient. Or they’re worried that any fence they can afford will look tacky, or require a lot of difficult digging. On my street alone, which is home to a lot of dogs, one dog has lost her leg and three others have died from being hit by cars, because many of us don’t have effective dog fencing.

One of the ways to avoid both great expense and inconvenience is to look into one of the hot canine products on the market today, the wireless dog fence. Why doesn’t everyone have one? Probably because many people think they’re expensive or hard to install, and some people are afraid that they’re cruel.

The truth is, you don’t need professional installers to put in the dog fence, and they don’t have to cost a lot. In fact, you can find a complete quality dog fence kit starting at around $260, and even for a large space or several dogs, you’ll probably stay under $400.

Kits come for every type of dog and every level of handiness in the owner — you’ll find them designed for larger dogs, smaller dogs, quick-learning dogs, stubborn dogs, thick or thin-third dogs, and in above-ground and below-ground configurations. Some are even portable. However, most wireless dog fences aren’t a good choice for very small dogs, such as under 10 pounds.

Invisible dog fences aren’t a guarantee. Occasionally, some kinds of dogs will get so focused they’ll run right through them. But for many dogs and owners, they’re the perfect solution, and they offer dogs a safe and non-punitive warning before the dog approaches the fence.

With a wireless dog fence, most owners can preserve the beauty of their yard, while protecting their pet from the fate that so many dogs on my street have met. And that is a very good thing.