My dog killed a cat this afternoon. What now?

[HarrietSchulenberg]

Out with dog this afternoon. Dog off lead in seemingly empty field. Cat jumped up from long grass in front of him and he pounced. Cat didn't really have a chance. It was still alive when I managed to get dog off so wrapped it up and took it to vet who lives locally. Vet just rang to say cat died. Owners on holiday till Tuesday but have been told.

First step is dog is staying on lead at all times. Next step is training classes, will ring when I get home tomorrow eve. What else?

Dog is insured so should be covered for vet costs for cat. Will have bill for him too as he was injured, but still waiting to know how much. Will offer to meet with cat owners, if they want to. Do I need to muzzle him if he's on a lead?

Really shocked at the mo and prob not thinking straight. I've always had cats until recently so I really feel for the owners.

Will be bwck in a while, need to get kids to bed.

The problem is though Matilda, is that under voice control is only under control until the dog isn't under control.

You don't know how a dog will react to something unexpected unless it happens. You train a dog to recall, you proof it against things you're likely to meet while the dog is offlead and mostly that's good enough, but, when something you didn't think to proof it against or didn't think you needed to appears suddenly... There's no guaranteeing how your dog will react.

See above. Yes, you have been trying to explain that. Go in peace.

I do hope the OP hasnt taken any of these calls to get her dog put to sleep to heart. She must be devastated as it is.

Add message | Report | Message poster matildasquared Mon 19-May-14 17:12:33
Well, I've already said that dogs should run about in fields so long as they are on leads or under voice control, so there's that.

And how exactly are you going to train your collie to come back if called if you don't let him off (untrained) first? You haven't really thought that through have you?

I often wonder what kind of cats some people have their area, where I live cats have four legs, are incredibly fast and look, smell and act like prey animals i.e small, four legged, creatures with fur which move fast and smell a bit whiffy (fox, badger, rabbit, rat etc).

Children tend not to fit that description, ime, well, my dd2 is questionable, admittedly, but dogs tend to like her, they view her as one of their own

I'm sorry OP, it must have been a shock for you, but sadly these things happen. Such is nature. I really wouldn't do more than offer to pay the vet bills/cremation. There is no need for a muzzle. This kind of thing is highly unlikely to happen again, unless of course you wouldn't be able to call your dog off prey if he spotted to chase, that would need to be worked on, but that wasn't the case here.

If you want to live with an animal, you have to accept that it is an animal. You should certainly train it as much as is humanly (and caninely (?)) possible, but it is what it is. People who do not accept that their dogs are animals usually end up with very unhappy pets.

And how exactly are you going to train your collie to come back if called if you don't let him off (untrained) first?

I've answered that above haven't I?

A field with kids/other pets in it is not the place to try a bit of voice recall training.

You're not really disproving my point about entitlement/denial, are you? I'm trying to remind myself that not all dog owners are irresponsible.

In your garden? Good luck with that. Dogs don't generalise well so a dog with perfect recall in your home and garden won't have the same perfect recall elsewhere.

So your lovely collie never gets let off lead anywhere except for home, becomes incredibly bored, starts barking, herding your kids and nipping them, he even starts self harming because he is so under stimulated.

Never get a dog.

No.

You said you wanted a collie when you got a back garden.
Posters told you that a back garden is not enough for a collie.
So you said that dogs should be allowed to run around fields if under lead or voice control.

You cannot run a collie (or a n other dog) on a lead, it's not enough exercise.

You cannot train a dog to follow voice commands for recall without letting the dog OFF the lead in the first place.

So please, don't get a collie unless you are going to let it off lead to run around fields/woods etc..and if you do let it run around fields/woods etc then it may well catch/kill a rabbit/pheasant/cat... No matter how well you think you've trained it.

Yes, that's just what will happen. No responsible pet owners have happy dogs. Go in peace.

Where did I say a field with other pets/children in? Please point that out.

The field appeared empty to the OP, the cat was not visible. As far as she was concerned it was empty, there were no kids or pets in it.

Please don't get a dog until you have learned a lot more about dog behaviour, instinct, how to understand canine body language, appropriate care and exercise, how to choose the right breed for your lifestyle and how to find a reputable breeder or rescue who will thoroughly grill you on your canine knowledge, experience and lifestyle. Collies are not good first dogs for inexperienced owners.

There are already enough bad owners out there; don't become another one.

I had a border collie for 14 years and no, a back yard is not suitable. Until the last few years when his legs went a bit daft, my dog would have been out all day every day if he could. They're working dogs. They need extremely long walks - and often. Plus they're highly intelligent - stick then in the back garden all the time will lead to a badly behaved and bored dog. They need stimulation.

No responsible pet owners have happy dogs

A responsible pet owner wouldn't be stupid enough to think a garden is enough exercise or stimulation for one of the most intelligent and highly strung dogs there is.

My cat was killed by our neighbours two dogs.

OP - it sounds to me like you have dealt with the matter in an understanding way. Ie, you took the cat to the vet and you clearly understand the upset the owner will be going through. It really helped us that the owner of the dogs that killed our cat seemed a nice guy and genuinely choked up about the incident.

Yes, we've been over that. If a field appears empty it might not be so! Mind-blowing.

Really, go in peace.

No responsible pet owners have happy dogs

Rubbish.

I had a border collie for 14 years and no, a back yard is not suitable.

Which is why: 1. leads and 2. voice control! As I said.

It's no good, I have to ask, what on earth does that mean? Are you trying to copy Olivia's "Peace and Love" but getting it spectacularly wrong?

So basically all dog owners should keep their dogs on leads all of the time just in case a cat or wild rabbit or even a squirrel decides to pop up.

Because even a dog with the best recall acts amazingly fast.

A responsible pet owner is one who recognises the limitations, needs and characteristics of the animal they live with. Not someone who thinks they can turn their pet into a 100% infallible voice-controlled robot. Because there is no way that can ever happen, however well you train it.

Which is why: 1. leads and 2. voice control! As I said

How are you going to train voice control then? I'm intrigued.