Backstory - wife and I rescued Sailor 5 years ago as a puppy. She is a mutt but certainly has some aggressive, prey drive in here gene pool. She has had her way with plenty of squirrels, possums, rabbits, armadillos etc... that would roam into the yard.

She was never aggressive towards people but would become aggressive to dogs if another dog spooked her at the park etc...

Fast forward to this morning - she gets loose from my wife and kills a neighbor's cat. Several other neighbors witnessed. We are relativly new to the neighborhood (moved in, in October).

My gut reaction is to euthanize the dog. My wife would prefer to find her another home but right now she just feels like too much of a liability. While I do love the heck out of the dog, at some point you have to remember that she is a dog and she is aggressive.

Looking for any advice from folks who may have had similar situations.

-Rick

I hate a lot of things about the world we live in right now.

Dogs kill other animals, bigger or smaller. That's what they do naturally and instinctively, especially depending on breed. I wouldn't put the thing down. You know how many dogs would kill a cat given the chance?

FInd it a decent home where there won't be any city-folk neighbors who get all upset over a cat dying.

double edit for grammar fail

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 2/6/2013 9:14a).]

That is the hard part. When we first got her we lived in a much more rural area. We moved recently because we needed a bigger house (had another kid).

She'd be a great ranch dog.

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she gets loose from my wife and kills a neighbor's cat

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Give it a treat?

being aggressive toward people is one thing, but dogs preying on smaller mammals is completely instinctive/normal and not necessarily indicative of "aggressive" behavior or a bad dog.

sorry for the tough situation, but i would not put the dog down. at the most, find it a new home in a rural area.

So your wife was walking the dog (or something similar) and it got away from her, or was the cat in your yard and the dog went territorial?

If the cat was in your yard, oh well. If the dog got away from your wife while she was walking it or something like that, then I'd chalk it up as an accident. They do happen on occasion.

This is from a guy who's wife's chihuahua was killed two days AFTER an immediate death in our family. The dog got loose from our house and ran under the neighbors fence a few houses down and got partially eaten by their two boxers, we have bigger dogs so we think he heard them bark and thought he was back in our yard and crawled thru. The sheriffs came out and couldn't really do anything, the neighbors never came and apologized. Or said anything. I was in College Station and my wife was back home.

My thoughts: dogs do what they do, they're dogs. However, you are responsible for it ALL the time just like we were. At least go say something and if it happens again then look into giving away the dog.

BTW, we adopted a boxer mix 3 years ago who purportedly had a thing for cats herself, however we got a cat 6 mths ago and that dog adores our cat. Look into some kind of training, remember YOUR the boss.

Not sure how the neighbors reacted but, assuming the cat wasnt in a fenced in yard or on a leash, the cat was running just as loose as your dog.

Yeah... Dogs do tend to kill cats if they can catch them...

I'm failing to see the problem here.

Yeah, you're over reacting, majorly. I watched my dad's dog kill my cat, and although I might have been a bit upset, I didn't do anything to the dog, and we certainly didn't get rid of her. Apologize for the cat, say it won't happen again, and make sure it doesn't. Easy as that. Worst case, if it happens again, find her a rural home. I'd never put a dog down over killing/eating something it looks at as prey. That's just stupid.

Absolutely no damn reason to get rid of the dog.

Keep it in your yard just as others should keep their pets contained if they want to keep them safe.

You have to consider the feelings of the family who lost their cat.

When I was a kid, there was a neighborhood dog that killed a couple of our cats. We were pissed, but didn't do anything. They let their dog roam free, and it killed the cats on our land.

Couple days later, another neighbor "accidentally" ran over the dog. If the same situation occurred today, dog would have been "accidentally" shot coming on my land.

Thanks for the perspective guys.

Yes, my wife was walking the dog(s). We have a lab that is a great, calm, loving dog. She was fine.

I dont think my initial reaction to euthanize the dog is best fit now. Looking for either new ranch home or some further training (just a bit hard with a commodity trading job and two newborns).

-Rick

Bad things always happen to cats who spend too much time outdoors. Seen it so many times.

[This message has been edited by ZooGuy (edited 2/6/2013 3:13p).]

I'm a dog person, but I do like cats. And this cat was probably someone's pet. I still don't get the attitude some people have to cats. Seems like some take pleasure in their demise.

That being said ... it should have been in their house. I can't stand cats that are allowed to roam free, or dogs that get out of fences, or off leashes.

So, I'd say in this case it is a wash.

If it had attacked someone's dog on a leash, you would be at fault. Or if the cat had somehow been on a leash, or under their control, same thing.

We once had a neighbor who shot one of our huskies for crossing the fence onto his property. Kinda just had to suck it up. I hate to sound insensitive but that's what your neighbors are going to have to do.

The difference is you don't see cats killing other people's pets.

The dog got free - so there is some liability there.

[This message has been edited by ZooGuy (edited 2/6/2013 10:15a).]

what if the dog choked on the cat?

took two loose animals for this to happen. at least y'all were TRYING to control yours.

apologize to the neighbor and promise to take steps to keep your dog on the leash better.

Dogs kill cats, it happens. It's normal behavior.

My two old dogs killed a couple cats- the first was when we were visiting my parents and they were in the back yard. Somebody was letting their cat roam the neighborhood and the cat came into my parents' back yard and the dogs did what dogs do.

The second time was my MiL's cat. She was watching the dogs at her house and put her cat outside in the back yard with the dogs. Same thing happened.

And these two dogs (lab & mutt) never ever showed aggression or gave me a moment's pause to think about euthanizing either one.

The idea that you should put down a dog for killing a cat or somthing like it is absolutely ludicrous.

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The difference is you don't see cats killing other people's pets.

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Bull****.

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The dog got free - so there is some liability there.

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what if the dog choked on the cat?

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[This message has been edited by TX AG 88 (edited 2/6/2013 10:20a).]

unbeknownst to anyone, your OTHER neighbor who has parakeets had one get loose the evening prior. Overnight, that cat killed the parakeet.

JUSTICE!

Interesting... as others have stated if the dog got away from your wife, ok so you violated leash law... but where was cat.

We had a dog that would kill our cats when I was a kid, just had to learn that he couldn't be around them. Or they better sack up and beat his ass, two did and he never messed with them.

But, again I think you're over reacting a little bit unless there is something you're not telling us regarding his aggression towards people. It'd be a super hard sell to say that a dog killing a cat is equivalent to attacking a person.

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apologize to the neighbor and promise to take steps to keep your dog on the leash better

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Contact the neighbor and see if you guys can see how you can make it right...or SOMETHING. Your responsibility as an owner is to be aware of the dogs behavior, which you were, and maintain control, which you didn't. I have three dogs, they dont kill cats, but they do kill chickens.

Id feel pretty bad about what happened. It might cost you a pretty penny, but id see what I could do about it short of putting it down. I wouldn't put it down. Obedience training should be in your future though.

I know its easy for the internet badasses to say 'its just a cat, **** it'...but the fact is that there are a lot of people that have cats that feel the same way about them as you do a dog and some do about their own kids. For me, if my neighbors dog killed my cat, id probably wait patiently until it came back and send a 22LR through its chest. That's just me, I hate cats, but my wife loves them, and id rather kill the neighbors dog than listen to my wife ***** about it for the rest of my life. Id treat it the same way as it killing my chickens....id kill it back.

Good luck with whatever happens.

[This message has been edited by BrazosDog02 (edited 2/6/2013 10:30a).]

Schmellba, what if this had been your cat, Samantha?

Why is a cat any less of a pet than a dog? To the kids who lost their cat - how do you think they feel? Why do we put a dog above the level of a cat?

And, seriously, tell me what cat kills another person's pet (except for the occasional bird).. and then how many people have birds? Comeon, be serious here. Dogs kill a much higher percentage of other's pets when they aren't controlled than cats do. Cats kill birds in nests, rats, mice, etc. A super aggressive cat simply can't kill a person.

I've had multiple dogs (7 or more as a kid), and we didn't let any of them run free. If they showed any type of aggressive behavior, they were out the door (given to someone else or taken to the humane society).

If you touch Samantha, I will personally commandeer a Predator Drone and send a stinger missle up your chocolate starfish!*










*Damn you, I had forgotten about that. You win 1,000,000 internet points today.

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First sign of aggression and I have kids - dog is getting euthanized.

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Overreact much?

If you have pets and find out you are having kids, you might as well pre-emptively euthanize any and all pets, you know, just to be safe.

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You have to consider the feelings of the family who lost their cat.

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Sure you do. That's why informing the owner of what happened and offering a sincere apology is pretty much all that is warranted.

Just because it's a cat does not give it special privileges or protection when a loving and caring owner decides to toss it outside in an unprotected environment. I have no doubt that the cat owner is probably upset and hurt that poor kitty got eaten by a dog, but in the same breath you have to realize that poor kitty is subject to the same pet laws that dogs are as well.

It all goes right back to what I said earlier - sometimes accidents just happen. It's a part of life. Sometimes a sad part of life, but a part of life just the same.

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That's why informing the owner of what happened and offering a sincere apology is pretty much all that is warranted.

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Yep. It should end there.