Loose dogs and owner responsibilty

[rswyan]

Today we lost our orange tiger cat as the result of a irresponsible dog owner who let their animal run loose.

This little guy was a stray who showed up a couple of years ago, in the middle of winter and climbed up the screen door of my basement studio about 4 foot peering inside to see who was here ..... I let him in and after that it was over .... we became his. We took him to the vet, had him neutered, given shots, and cared for him pretty well.

There wasn't a mean bone in his body - he still was trying to be friendly to our other cat (also a stray we took in about 12 years ago) - even in spite of the fact that she wouldn't let him near her, ever. She would always spit and hiss at him.

Our cats became outside cats about a year ago when our oldest son moved home with his new wife - she's allergic to them. The cats stayed in the garage.

Yesterday these two dogs show up from out of nowhere (we live on 16 acres) and come running right up to our front door .... sniff around a little and then take off.

This morning my wife hear's a commotion in the garage and runs to the kitchen and opens the garage door - the dogs are running out and the cat is laying up against a wall on it's sides - still breathing ..... but barely.

We grabbed him up and started to make the run to the animal emergency clinic ...... but our cat (with no name) expired within a minute or two of leaving our driveway. My wife was totally devastated.

In the past I generally didn't have a problem with animals running loose ..... I figure that we live in a suburban/, somewhat rural area .... goes with the territory. I really didn't care much that dogs would defecate in our yard ..... doesn't happen often and we have probably four acres of it (yard) ..... so no biggie. But this is where I draw the line.

What if my wife had been outside with a small grandchild (don't have any yet) and one of these dogs had come up while she had her back turned for a moment ?

Our county has a leash law - dogs have to be confined or on a leash - it is a CRIMINAL matter - not civil (the destruction of the cat is civil though.)

I've called the local police and they came out and made a report and will be on the lookout for these animals.

The minimum toll I will require, if I can exact it, will be the destruction of both of the animals. If I get any hassle from the dogs owner(s) I might just pursue it in civil court as well.

And in the future, if I catch a dog on my property, he will be dispatched if it is legal for me to do so.

So if you love your dog - be smart - keep it under your control.

Otherwise you might just run into someone like me.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

I understand your pain. One thing to remember is that it's the owners fault, not the dog's fault. The best way to deal with the owners is to make friends with the dog, then take it to the pound. The owners will have to pay to get it out and it doesn't hurt the dog any.

I am sorry about your cat. It's hard to lose a pet. Imagine that you had a dog for ten years and it never got away, but then one day, it chases a squirel into your neighbor's yard and he shoots your dog.

Cliff

 

[Sigarms]

I would bet that if the dog was able to "get loose" from the owner, if the dog was taken to the pound, the owner most likely would not care one way or another. If they did, most likely you wouldn't of had this problem in the first place.

Some owners don't gives a rats butt what their dogs do.

You had every right to terminate the dogs life while on your property during this incident.

 

[Jstpssng]

Yes, that really does stink. It makes me think twice bout two posts which I've written today. I.E., in this one; related topics ...Now here's the rub; she has been attacked 4 times that I'm aware of by cats while she was tied and unable to get away...

And, just 3 threads below this one; everyone should accept responsibility for their pets, no matter how big or small..

I'm sorry to hear about your cat. Although we always know we'll outlive them it'sstill tough; especially when it shouldn't have happened.

 

[Jstpssng]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Shortly after that incident a neighbor was knocked down and bitten several times by the same dogs. Again, nothing happened. )</font>

What the... If those were my dogs you wouldn't have to worry about them again, ever. What happened isn't the dog's fault. We can make all the excuses we want, but ultimately it's part of the responsibility of pet ownership. Yet if an animal shouldn't be running at large, especially if it creates a hazard.


Too bad it isn't legal to take action against the owner.

 

[Shimon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Shoot, shovel, and shut up. )</font>

Very good advice. I'll have to remember The Three S's.

I love my dogs so I keep 'em under control at all times. If they get out it's my failing...I would hate for them to get shot so I do whatever I can to prevent it because I know one of them would love to kill some chickens. A little prevention goes a long way.

 

[shepherd]

i'm sorry about your cat. everyone here is saying that don't ever let the dogs run loose, i agree in the area YOU are in, but we let our dogs run loose all the time and they never stray mind you we are on 200 acres

 

[Jagmandave]

I have some property that's on the edge of town but is still considered rural, and all the people in that area seem to think it's ok to let their dogs run loose.
I'm going to build my house there this summer, and we have two small dogs, so my choices are to try and get all the neighbors to keep their dogs on their own property or to fence mine in. I'm probably going to have to spend the $10K to fence.............
The neighbor behind has two very large Rotty's(?) who have challenged me a couple of times on my property, so I drove around the block and had a conversation with him. I explained that even tho they have had the run of the property and pond for a long time, it was no longer available to them and he needed to keep them on his property - all in a conversational and pleasant tone. He agreed, but yesterday they were there again growling at me. I'm going to visit with him once more, and inform him that if they set foot on my property again, they won't be coming home. I don't like to start off with new neighbors this way, but there's no way I'm going to put up with a dog challenging me on my own property.

It is sad tho, because a number of the neighborhood dogs who have come up to say hello have been very friendly, happy dogs. I've given treats to the two who live on either side and they no longer bark at me, in fact one comes over to have me throw a stick for her. But the only way I think I can keep my two safe is to keep theirs out from now on........

 

[greatrandini]

Don't dispatch the dog! Call dispatch and have them send out the dog catcher. Could be a nice dog that just happened to get out once. I think I am going to put up an elec fence gate across my drive. The rest of my property is fenced. All my neihbors let dogs run loose. I keep mine safe inside or inside fence. I have two German Shepherd Dogs and a "Fugly". If I did not love them so much I would let them run just to see how the neihbors liked that.

 

[PBinWA]

It took my dog about two and half years to commit the big sin and he finally caught one of the neighbors cats (in their yard too). I think I was more mortified than the neighbors. I fenced in the five acres within a few months. He was in solitary confinement during that time and only allowed out with his shock collar on.

These days he sits and stares into their yard looking to relive his conquest. I can tell that if I didn't fence in the yard he would be over there all the time.

I love that dog so I put up a fence (he cost me at least $4K).

Good fences make good neighbors.

 

[gsganzer]

I think a lot of it depends on the dog. I have a yellow lab that stays out during the day. I DO pen him up at night. He's a friendly dog that visits all the neighbors. One neighbor gives him a stale loaf of bread each day. He goes for afternoon walks with another neighbor and he frequently naps on another neighbors porch. They all encourage his visits. He occasionally gets into mischief, but never anything destructive or threatening. I'll find an occasional shoe or sandle (he never chews on them) in my yard and I return them as I find them.

One of the real worries with dogs running loose, is when they team up with other dogs. Dogs can act very differently when they're in a pack. Fortunately, my dog isn't very social with the other neighborhood dogs and will usually chase them off. He prefers human companionship instead.

I'm 100% confident in the docile personality of my dog. If I wasn't, I would have probably put him down and certainly wouldn't let him run loose.

 

[scott_vt]

Hi Randall,
Sorry to hear that you lost one of your pets!

I have to agree with most of the others, in that it wasnt the dogs fault, but the owners problem. The girl down the road from me was getting all her clothes pulled of the line and finally she had enough. She pulled out her 223 and took the dog out, called the people who owned the affending dog to come get it /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Too bad it has to come to that, but some people are slow learners.

scotty