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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dangerous dogs

239 replies

Poppyseed14 · 19/07/2022 17:36

My neighbours' cat was killed this week by two dogs outside our local shop. They were on a lead but being held by the owner's partner who wasn't able to control them. Think American Bully XL types. They take part in those training sessions where they are trained to attack the guy in the padded suit. Not a banned breed in the UK though larger and stronger than a pitbull. A few days ago an adult in Rotherham was killed by the same breed and her partner sustained life threatening injuries trying to get the dog off her. That was their family pet. I know it's all to do with the owners more so than the dogs themselves but I cannot get these awful situations out of my head. The death of the cat has shaken the local community as he was a well known and very much loved local character but it could so easily have been a child instead. And the owners will continue to endanger people and pets. No AIBU just venting really. Feeling so sad for my neighbours, they are understandably devastated.

OP posts:
WendellGeez · 19/07/2022 23:00

GrazingSheep · 19/07/2022 18:51

The OP says they were on leads but the person holding the leads wasn’t able to control them. Another twat. 😡
I really hope the police take action,

This is entirely the point.
We're not talking about dogs that encountered a cat while on the loose, say in a yard or garden, and the prey drive kicked in.
These dogs attacked while (presumably) being commanded not to do so by the person "in charge".
Those are dangerous dogs.

Cherrysoup · 19/07/2022 23:00

Discovereads · 19/07/2022 22:38

No cats are not the natural prey of dogs. No where in nature do dog species hunt cat species- ie you don’t see hyenas attacking cheetahs, or wolves hunting mountain lions. They are both predators of the same prey. The reason they do not get along unless socialised to get along, is because they are predators competing over the same prey. So if a dog attacks a cat, it is due to aggression not prey drive.

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Mine have not had the opportunity to attack cats-we have good fences-but if there was one in the garden, they would try to get it. My puppies are far from aggressive, but anything small and fluffy=prey. No idea what type of dog you have, mine are very friendly and love other dogs, regardless of size. They have a prey drive, normal, given their breed. Cats, squirrels, rabbits, birds=prey. This is my fourth go round with the same breed, all of them have chased these 4 animals. How is a dog supposed to differentiate between cats and squirrels, for example?

Middledazedted · 19/07/2022 23:00

Dogs clearly find cats prey or so many wouldn’t be a danger to them. Chasing a cat makes a dog no more likely to chase a child. I can’t think of a dog I have owned that wouldn’t have killed a cat given half the chance. My dogs lived with a cat and small furies but that made no difference to their out of house prey drive and being socialised not to chase or eat our cats and furries wasn’t what made them safe around children.

EV117 · 19/07/2022 23:01

The thing that shocks me is that these dogs were on lead while the owner couldn't control them. Not sure if OP means they broke free from the owner's grasp of the lead or if they killed the cat while still being held on the lead.

Probably the latter. I’ve had my dog on a lead and a cat has not moved out the way, or they stand nearby staring at us as we walk past. I’m not a great understander of cats, but I get the impression they know what a lead is and that the dog can’t in theory get to them. My dog is a bit of a wimp - but he is quite big and I’m sure could kill a cat if he put his mind to it. They don’t seem to care. Some cats are timid but I’ve seen plenty that kind of saunter around unphased by potential dangers - I’ve even on one occasion done a sudden stop in my car and waited while a cat casually crossed my drive as I was coming out.
The owners should 100% have had their dogs under control. It’s terrible what happened. But I can imagine this cat may have sauntered by, thought nothing of the dogs fletching their teeth since they were on a lead and then didn’t get out of the way in time.

XenoBitch · 19/07/2022 23:03

WendellGeez · 19/07/2022 23:00

This is entirely the point.
We're not talking about dogs that encountered a cat while on the loose, say in a yard or garden, and the prey drive kicked in.
These dogs attacked while (presumably) being commanded not to do so by the person "in charge".
Those are dangerous dogs.

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I am trying to get a mental imagine here... if you have a big dog on a lead, and it manages to grab a cat... then what can you do? Pulling the lead is just pulling the dog and cat.
Only an idiot would suggest trying to pull the cat from a dog's jaws.

Original poster
Poppyseed14 · 19/07/2022 23:06

I'm not sure whether the dogs broke free or were still being held but I heard that the cat was sitting under a bush when they attacked him. 😔

OP posts:
Discovereads · 19/07/2022 23:06

Cherrysoup · 19/07/2022 23:00

Mine have not had the opportunity to attack cats-we have good fences-but if there was one in the garden, they would try to get it. My puppies are far from aggressive, but anything small and fluffy=prey. No idea what type of dog you have, mine are very friendly and love other dogs, regardless of size. They have a prey drive, normal, given their breed. Cats, squirrels, rabbits, birds=prey. This is my fourth go round with the same breed, all of them have chased these 4 animals. How is a dog supposed to differentiate between cats and squirrels, for example?

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How is a dog supposed to differentiate between a cat and a squirrel? Are you joking? They have very good noses and the two smell wildly different. Their eyesight is also pretty decent as well. Animals are intelligent enough to know what is prey and what is another predator. For the first an attack is prey drive, for the second an attack is aggression just like when a dog attacks another dog. Don’t mistake an aggression attack for a prey drive attack.

Discovereads · 19/07/2022 23:11

Dogs clearly find cats prey or so many wouldn’t be a danger to them.

No, that’s overly simplistic thinking, you might as well say that dogs find humans to be prey or so many (23,000 dog attacks resulting in hospitalisation in 3yrs ) wouldn’t be a danger to humans.

Danger from dogs is not always from prey drive.

Original poster
Poppyseed14 · 19/07/2022 23:12

XenoBitch · 19/07/2022 23:03

I am trying to get a mental imagine here... if you have a big dog on a lead, and it manages to grab a cat... then what can you do? Pulling the lead is just pulling the dog and cat.
Only an idiot would suggest trying to pull the cat from a dog's jaws.

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I was googling this earlier and a couple of videos on YouTube were suggesting to effectively temporarily 'choke' the dog to make it let go. They were showing an extra lead that they presumably would take with them to slip round the dog's neck and this would supposedly make the dog release in seconds. Disclaimer - I saw it on YouTube, I'm not saying I necessarily agree or disagree but just that it's a method that some suggest.

OP posts:
ABBAsnumberonefan · 19/07/2022 23:13

Of course it’s terribly sad that that happened but I agree with previous posters, the cat might have just gotten too close and at that point what can the person holding the dog do? At that point it’s too late.

I’ve never had a cat but I think rules around letting them roam so freely comes with risks and disadvantages for others too. They terrorise birds and small animals, send neighbourhood dogs crazy when they jump through gardens, one cat I know has such bad fleas they keep infecting other cats when they visit gardens 🤢 Their shit is toxic to dogs and can kill them, carries loads of horrid bacteria but Ofc it doesn’t get picked up by their owners. Imagine a small dog roaming about like that 🤔

Feelfreetocallme · 19/07/2022 23:13

riesenrad · 19/07/2022 20:41

I wish people would stop trying to say that dogs with prey drives are a danger to people

Why not? They are. Lets never let the facts get in the way of delusion, hey?

I think people are missing the point here.
A dog that is not controlled effectively and is therefore able to act on its prey drive is a risk to children because the owners just aren’t responsible. All dogs are potentially dangerous to children and people if they don’t have responsible owners!

Farmmum77 · 19/07/2022 23:15

coffeecupsandfairylights · 19/07/2022 18:24

You can't compare an attack on a cat with an attack on a child. I wish people would stop trying to say that dogs with prey drives are a danger to people.

As sad as it is that this cat was killed, dogs are predatory animals and will chase small furry things - it's their nature. It doesn't mean these dogs are bad or aggressive, or that they're going to go on and kill or hurt a person.

So that makes it ok?!

WeeHaggisFace · 19/07/2022 23:32

I am trying to get a mental imagine here... if you have a big dog on a lead, and it manages to grab a cat... then what can you do? Pulling the lead is just pulling the dog and cat.
Only an idiot would suggest trying to pull the cat from a dog's jaws.

If they are collared/slip you would pull up rather than back.

Maves · 19/07/2022 23:36

Was saying this the other day that lbreed need banning. Think that's like the 4th death in the unkind a year by xl ab when there's that many by a single beeed you start to think mmmmm is it really the owners?
I don't know why any one would have one they aren't even nice to look at.
I have a bull breed before I'm called a hater but the breed I own has never lkilled a person.

WeeHaggisFace · 19/07/2022 23:37

Alternatively a break stick could be used in theory but not readily available on a morning walk and not a technique to be used by someone who doesn't know what they are doing as they may end up seriously injured.

stillherenow · 20/07/2022 06:32

@ScabbersChin where did I say he runs with them ? We walk with them . He is on a lead . He is ALWAYS ON A LEAD !

OneTC · 20/07/2022 08:32

So they chase bikes for broadly the same reason, I assume you guys all leave that behaviour intact as well? Chasing things is what dog's do after all, if someone comes off a bike or a serious accident occurs it's fine, just a dog being a dog

OneTC · 20/07/2022 08:36

I am trying to get a mental imagine here... if you have a big dog on a lead, and it manages to grab a cat... then what can you do? Pulling the lead is just pulling the dog and cat.

I dunno but if it was your dog and my cat it'd be the last thing your dog ever did Smile

Hrpuffnstuff1 · 20/07/2022 08:36

MiniTheMinx · 19/07/2022 22:36

Where are they getting their ears cropped. I thought it was illegal to do so in the uk. Maybe that is one way of confiscating these dogs, identify the idiot dogs and the "bully type" they own based on the fact that they have cropped their ears.

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Some of these bully types are imports. So the ears, tail docking, etc have already been done.
Dp's cousin paid £5000 for a Bully XL (Import from Romania), it's quite obviously not been socialized properly, and the owner hasn't got a clue. They think whispering and being kind is training.😂
Dimwits.

WendellGeez · 20/07/2022 17:58

OneTC · 20/07/2022 08:36

I am trying to get a mental imagine here... if you have a big dog on a lead, and it manages to grab a cat... then what can you do? Pulling the lead is just pulling the dog and cat.

I dunno but if it was your dog and my cat it'd be the last thing your dog ever did Smile

You issue a command for the dog to "drop" or "release" or "give" or whatever command you have trained him to obey when he has something in his mouth that shouldn't be there.

crochetmonkey74 · 20/07/2022 18:01

You always get crazy people on these threads insisting that these giant dogs are safe. And they are. Until they are not. And then they are big enough to kill a person.
I personally think they should also be banned as they are also intimidating

XSnoe · 20/07/2022 18:02

My dog is animal aggressive. Woe betide any cat who is the garden if he gets let out for a wee. He is walked on a harness and muzzle.

Minfilia · 20/07/2022 18:03

The poor lady who died lived really close to us.

and it really does not sit well with me that a family member has an American Bully XL, and a six year old daughter.

I have said something to her about the dog potentially turning dangerous but just got told that she’s soft and wouldn’t hurt a fly. Sigh.

Lbnc2021 · 20/07/2022 18:14

@Mom2Lenny you have 3 American bullies??

Tara336 · 20/07/2022 18:20

Of course a dog that kills a cat is aggressive! Yes some dogs will chase cats but it ends there with the majority, they don't then go on to kill them! If an owner is not strong enough to control an on lead dog they should not have it. It is about time we have a serious review of some of these breeds as it always seem the same types that crop up again and again. A relative has a staff and he is a sweetie and has been owned since he was a puppy and is extremely friendly but I don't trust him 100% and never will, I have my reasons for that. My dog who is a small companion breed was attacked by a staff in our local woods the only thing that saved him from serious injury was my quick thinking which involved me kicking it really hard before it got a grip on my DDog. Yes yes I know its the owner not the dog but some dogs have a capacity to do an awful lot of harm and that needs to be recognised and addressed.