My dog killed my neighbors kitten. . .

[Jims5543]

My Choc lab killed this little guy last summer at our house in NC. She thought she was doing good picking it up and carrying it to me breaking its back in the process. The kids were heartbroken but understood the dog did not know what it even did.

They have an instinct to retrieve small animals picking them up and carrying them around.

[rusnak]

Sad story. You know, I don't let my cocker/poodle dog play with rotweillers or pit bull mix dogs, no matter how friendly they seem at first. In other words, you can see some things coming if you are fairly aware to start with.

It is sad, and I'm sorry for you and your kids.

But it is worth learning from it, and taking away some wisdom, which is what makes us smarter than the dog and cat. You are the human in the picture, the one who is supposed to be wise. So, although it is a sad sad accident, and it's not like blame is going to do any good, there is every reason to not chalk it up totally to fate until you ask if there was anything that you could have done differently. It could be possibly that this episode saves you from something much worse in the future.

[krichard]

Sad story, I can relate. We recently moved out of the city to a couple acres. We get lots of deer and wildlife in our yard and our dogs love chasing them out. A couple weeks ago I hear a loud screaming noise and went to investige. I found one of my dogs with a baby deer in its mouth shaking it violently. To late for the deer, his back was broke and died pretty quickly. I was horrified. I would never have believed he had the ability to kill anything, he's very obediant and has never shown any signs of aggression. He has been professionally trained so POPs theory is just plain wrong. Anyway, a couple days after the baby deer episode I find half of another baby deer in the back yard. 2 dead deer in a matter of days. Last week he killed a 5' rat snake. I guess he's on a mission to remove anything living from our back yard.

[charleskieffner]

der hund(doggie) anger management classes, possible timeout, possible incarceration! muzzles are in vogue these days!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by kstarnes

This is quite an interesting opinion which I am totally unable to understand. Typically, I can comprehend arguments that I disagree with, but not this one.

Sorry.

Best,

I gotta agree.

My 5 year old Labrador has brought three baby possums to our rear door in the last week. The mother died last Monday. I found it in our backyard and automatically assumed my dog killed it, though it didn't have any bite wounds.
Animal Control said my dog would have bites and scratches on him cause the possum was big but he didn't. Said it likely was hit by a car and limped back to its babies but died in the yard. Fast forward two nights and my dog is bringing these babies to the back door seeminlgy dead. I put them in the trash can but they are "playing possum" - natch. Two died (probably) of being in the trash can all day. One was very alive and ran into the bushes. I think a dog WILL do what dogs do. They will go after small living things. Perhaps to play with it, maybe with no particlaur intention to kill it but in my case, my Lab is 100 lbs. whats likely to happen?

He caught a truly tiny feral kitten two years ago and tried to bring it in the house. Didn't hurt it at all but it was covered in slobber. It is full grown and healthy as my son's pet now but it easily could have been killed accidently by the dog and I don't think you could have rightfully said he has "training issues."

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jim,
I posted my story apparently while you were posting yours. Sounds like two identical stories with two different outcomes. Your Lab accidentall killed the bunny. My Lab carried the infant kitty without hurting it. Sorry to hear about the rabbit, it was very cute.

I think you (the collective "we") can over-intellectualize things. A dog is a pack hunting animal at its origin. The fact that your dog didn't attempt to EAT the bunny (and mine didn't draw blood or try to eat any of the three possums) probably means we've domesticated these animals about as far as we are going to. If a Labrador Retriever isn't among the most domesticated of dogs - and STILL accidentally or on purpose kills small furry things - then I don't know what kind of training you're going to do that would prevent these things from occasionally happening.

[rusnak]

I think there is no argument over the fact that dogs do what dogs do. No amount of dog therapy will change that. So, having said that, how surprised can you be when it kills a small kitten or rabbit or anything that you place in front of it?

I know accidents happen, that is not the issue either. I just think that there is a threshold of common sense, beyond which you have to acknowledge that the event was foreseeable, and could be reasonably expected to happen. Those who say a dog will do what a dog will do entirely support this fact.

So if you are ok with your dog killing other animals, then you have nothing to worry about. Otherwise, there are fences and small animal cages, and common sense to adhere to. If I owned the cat that got killed, I doubt I'd let it over to a neighbor's house with a large dog, and if I owned a large dog, I doubt I'd let a kitten over. Sort of a double doh!

[Jims5543]

My Lab has killed numerous snakes in my back yard. The most recent and largest was a Coral snake close to 4' long. That could have been bad for my kids if they found the snake before the dog did.

I truly think she was just bringing the rabbit to me with no intent of killing it. It was just so little a fragile there was no way she could pick it up without hurting it.

[charleskieffner]

Originally Posted by rusnak

I think there is no argument over the fact that dogs do what dogs do. No amount of dog therapy will change that. So, having said that, how surprised can you be when it kills a small kitten or rabbit or anything that you place in front of it?

I know accidents happen, that is not the issue either. I just think that there is a threshold of common sense, beyond which you have to acknowledge that the event was foreseeable, and could be reasonably expected to happen. Those who say a dog will do what a dog will do entirely support this fact.

So if you are ok with your dog killing other animals, then you have nothing to worry about. Otherwise, there are fences and small animal cages, and common sense to adhere to. If I owned the cat that got killed, I doubt I'd let it over to a neighbor's house with a large dog, and if I owned a large dog, I doubt I'd let a kitten over. Sort of a double doh!

"DOG THERAPY" = DOGGIE DOWNERS! as seen on TV.............saturday night live.

yep accidents happen. cant count how many bunny wabbits/rock squirrals/lizards/birds/ snakes etc., my labs and my goofier than poo wolf/weimereiner have dragged in . the best one was one day in back yard bee bobbin along i spy my female lab with something in her mouth from a distance. when i got close i about flipped! it was the left hind quarters stuffed in her mouth so only the paw and ankle were hanging out her mouth! this was a jack rabbit-big earred model) needless to say we had an on the spot corporate meeting and alpha male (ME) decided to yank it out of female labs mouth. she didnt agree with my decision and proceeded to growl at me and thats when i got behind her, grabbed the hind quarters and flung it over the fence. never did find the rest of said bunny wabbit. my weimereiner tried the same growl action with another rabbit carcass and i got some rolled up paper and threatened imminent permanent blain(brain) blamage(damage) and has since never growled at me for taking critters away. the ones i fear the most are bats with rabies. but any of the above can be a carrier of rabies/plague etc. and then you really have yer hands full!

hell why do you think they call them "HUNTING DOGS"! there isnt a bird alive or around my wolf/ weimereiners food or water dish! will come out of a sound dog day afternoon summer slumber and leap full body onto bird(endangered gila woodpeckers) and literally inhale them! damnest thing we have seen in a while! freeking feathers everywhere!

[rusnak]

Charlie, I love your posts! Stay cool, brotha man!!

[Seahawk]

My current dogs average a ground hog a week, but they won't touch the new rescue barns cats other then to try and lick them.

My old lab Earl would chase a grown rabbit all day, but bring home the bunnies, right to my feet, and drop them alive, without a scratch.

We had quite a little warren in a box for years.

Nature, can't breed it out of them.

[Danny_Ocean]

My cat wants to challenge your dog to a "cage match"...



My black lab killed a few hamsters when I was a kid. Caught him carrying them around like a tennis ball.

[Dan in Pasadena]

My Lab when we are down at Lake Mohave has nearly drowned because of birds. You can't get him out of the water for long then a duck or three will actually play with him by landing near and letting him swim ALMOSt within striking distance...then as soon as he is near they get up and fly a few yards away and lure him deeper. I've actually had to get on my Jet Ski and go rescue him because he'll swim a couple hundred yards off shore and be near exhausted. One of these days he's gonna drown himself trying for those ducks..or get run over by a boat!!

[rusnak]

awww man! Accept my condolences in advance for your Lab. It's sad, very sad.

[dtw]

Good friend's Golden had a compulsion to bring small animals back to master. It was indoors a lot and would really fret if it didn't have a small animal to 'rescue'. They finally figured out what was going on and bought him a small stuffed animal so that he could 'rescue' it and bring it to the owners. You had to make a show out of accepting it and holding it or the poor dog would just go to pieces. It was actually quite touching. That toy was threadbare, but not a tooth mark anywhere.

Impossible to say what your Golden's intentions were without witnessing the incident, but I'm going to guess they were innocent. The kitten may have struggled and the dog may have clamped harder. Doesn't sound like aggression, just sounds like nature being nature. Heaven forbid this post had started "My Pit Bull..."

Best regards to your kids and neighbors.

[teenerted1]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

My Lab when we are down at Lake Mohave has nearly drowned because of birds. You can't get him out of the water for long then a duck or three will actually play with him by landing near and letting him swim ALMOSt within striking distance...then as soon as he is near they get up and fly a few yards away and lure him deeper. I've actually had to get on my Jet Ski and go rescue him because he'll swim a couple hundred yards off shore and be near exhausted. One of these days he's gonna drown himself trying for those ducks..or get run over by a boat!!

dan sounds like the Lab might need one of these for his next duck session.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9023

starting to see more of these out on the lake when Merle and i are out chasing balls and sticks at the beach.

[nostatic]

I've been on the other end of this (as some might remember - my cat killed in front of my apartment by a dog who's owner lost control of the leash). It sucks for everyone, but imho your dog was in your yard and that means you were under reasonable control of the animal. Stuff happens.

If you were letting your dog run around the neighborhood and this happens then that is another story. But the cat doesn't belong in your fenced back yard.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by teenerted1

dan sounds like the Lab might need one of these for his next duck session.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9023

starting to see more of these out on the lake when Merle and i are out chasing balls and sticks at the beach.

Ted,

Funny - last time we were at the lake I was saying he needed a life jacket! Kinda embarassing for a Lab though.

The other thing I have thought to do is buy a cheap plastic duck decoy from Walmart () and use it as a float on one of my anchor ropes for the Jet Ski's. It would give him something to be neurotic about that was nearer the shore.

[Racerbvd]

One reason my cats live so long is that I keep them indoors, I also keep close tabs on my dog, always have.

[teenerted1]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Ted,

Funny - last time we were at the lake I was saying he needed a life jacket! Kinda embarassing for a Lab though.

The other thing I have thought to do is buy a cheap plastic duck decoy from Walmart () and use it as a float on one of my anchor ropes for the Jet Ski's. It would give him something to be neurotic about that was nearer the shore.

is this one more appropriate?
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0020931617587a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=dog+vest&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=dog+vest&noImage=0