Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Meh. You can cherry pick my comment and take things out of context all you want. It doesn't change a few simple facts:
The OP was negligent in letting the dog out unsupervised, and uncontained with a damaged fence.
The other dog owner ALSO was negligent in letting HER dog out unsupervised and uncontained with a damaged fence.
It was a shared fence that was damaged, both share responsibility for letting their dogs out unsupervised, unleashed, uncontained. Just because the other dog happened to be a small breed does not absolve that dog owner of her culpability for having her dog not on a leash or contained within the yard either. And, just because the other dog happened to be a small breed doesn't mean it wasn't capable of being the aggressor in this situation.
You say the "attacking dog", what if the attacking dog happens to be the dead dog? What if it turned out the neighbor's dog first went into the OP's yard and the OP's dog chased it back into the other yard and that is where the altercation happened? Does that change it? Or, is it because the OP has the big dog that it is automatically assumed that he was the aggressor?
Years ago, I watched neighbor 1's chihuahua escape from his yard through a hole it had dug under the fence and repeatedly go after neighbor 2's golden retriever. The retriever kept tossing the chi back into its own yard. The retriever was not the aggressor, but could have seriously injured or even killed that chihuahua in one fell swoop. I'm sure that everyone would have blamed the retriever, except that I witnessed it and told the retriever's owner what was going on. The chi actually did suffer some type of injury from the retriever tossing it and if it weren't for me seeing it all happen neither neighbor would have had any idea how it had all gone down and the retriever's owners would have been footing some of those vet bills...............
I agree that decent thing to do is to rehome the dog. Every day your neighbor looks at that dog will be anguish for her.
you know how much WORSEi would personally feel if my neighbor put their dog to sleep due to an incident like this?
i have a homestead, there are livestock on my homestead, and one day a stray dog killed one of my guinea hens, i ended up shooting the dog when it came back the next day to try for another one (i wasnt quick enough the first)
this dog killed one of my birds, i felt like SCUM for shooting it...and worse it didnt ease the pain of loosing one of my critters and made me eel even MORE guilty...
this poor neighbor is seriously hurting right now and its a GOOD IDEA to potenitally add the death of anthoer dog to her already greiving mind?! i dont think so.
for ME personally had this been one of my little dogs, yes id be upset and angry, but if i saw the neighbors (dogs owner) making REAL efforts ro rectify the situation, put up stronger taller, better fences, hire a trainer, not let the dog out unsupervised ect...
THAT would give me more peace than knowng the dog was killed....
it would make me feel like the owners actually learnt something and are now making an effort to prevent anything like it ever happening again...
now ifthose same owners shows to be making NO effort (chained the dog up in the back yard and forgot about it ect) then yes id demand more be done... but an owner who is truly remorsefull and working to rectify the situation, id feel like some wicked monster if i knew they put their dog down because of an incident like that...
but mabe thats why i also made sure that the first thing i did when i moved in was put up my own fence...
its not to protect the outside world form them...its to protect THEM form the outside world...If i want to be sure my dogs are safe, (smae with livestock ect) i put up my own saftey net...
as it is ill bet that little dogs owner is already feeling guilty and partially responsible for not helping maintain the fence (if its a shared fence line) ect and thinking she should have done more herself...
Edit to add:
REPS to the above poster! you mist have posted while i was!!!
you know how much WORSEi would personally feel if my neighbor put their dog to sleep due to an incident like this?...
...this poor neighbor is seriously hurting right now and its a GOOD IDEA to potenitally add the death of anthoer dog to her already greiving mind?! i dont think so
Get a grip, Foxy! I didn't say put to sleep. I said rehome.
but the poster you responded to said to euthanize and other posters have made it clear that rehoming an "agressive dog" like this would be completly irresponsible...so...whats a "dog killing moster" owner to do?! cant rehome the dog, it might kill again and it could be a child next time (*insert sarcasm*)...but shoudlnt keep the dog cause that would make the poor suffering neighbor more upset...
Kinda leaves them in a rock/hardplace kind of situation with those suggestions and both are unnessicary IF the owers are willing to put the time and effort nessicary into the situation...
A wolf will kill a coyote. Many animals kill their same species, a domesticated dog is no different. While the dog is not prey in a normal sense, it most likely set off the hunter-prey instinct, like playing with a house cat; of course the stuffed toy mouse is not prey (food) for the cat, but it triggers the predator instinct.
I think it's more of the doggie version of tet a tet. Rivalry and territorial instincts.
OP I am so sorry that you and your neighbor have had to go throught this . Your dog is not some dog killing monster, he is a DOG . Being no one saw it happen as some have said no one knows if it was aggression or play. If I was your neighbor yes I would feel upset and probably some anger too but being I understand these are dogs not humans I would not expect you to get rid of your dog and certainly not put it down. Dogs come with risks and if you own one you should accept that. These are not humans so people should quit putting human behavior and even emotions to them.The more I see the more I am thinking that maybe people who view dogs as if they are little humans and expect them to behave as such should not have dogs.
As for the if a dog kills or bites once it will do so again...where is that proof? The Gorden Setter my parents had when I was in high school bit a kid and it did not turn him into some child biting killer. The kid was one of a group that would tease him by poking sticks through a hole in the fence so no he did not like that kid but he was great with other kids and was not an aggressive dog at all..none of that changed after he " tasted blood" like some here seem to think. There is a difference in a dog biting and a dog that is truly aggressive as there are many reasons even Lassie might bite and it does not make her suddenly an aggressive dog as often it is a defensive move. My friend had a dog that killed one of her other dogs yet he was great with other dogs and people so he also did not become some dog killing monster and I would love to know where people that claim that get that info from? ( if it is from some dog trainer yeah I can see some of them telling you that hoping you will hire them to " fix" your dog as they then make money so sadly some will use scare tactics to get business. I know from trying to find help with Jazz many years ago and one of them that tried to pull that scare tactic was at the time billed as a dog trainer to the stars.. the Behaviorist ( vet with a PHD in such) that I did use even was aware of the tactic this trainer was using trying to scare people into using him)
I think you are accepting the responsibility for what has happened and trying to prevent it from ever happening again . Kudos for that.
And for those of you that say get a lab as labs would not kill another dog.... you sure about that? Labs are known to be gentle dogs but that does not mean there are not labs out there that have issues. The one dog in our agility class that can not be trusted with any of the other dogs just so happens to be a yellow lab, she is very dog aggressive. And just yesterday a new big chocolate lab came to the dog park and started a fight with a Golden retriever so don't fool your self as ANY dog could have done what the OPs did. I have met other aggressive labs and Goldens before and had to pull Jazz into a bathroom stall years ago when two such Goldens came at us in a very aggressive way . Any breed of dog can be aggressive and any dog can harm or kill another dog as they are dogs. We all take a risk when we get a dog and most of us should be thankful that our dogs are as tolerant as they are.
Kinda leaves them in a rock/hardplace kind of situation with those suggestions and both are unnessicary IF the owers are willing to put the time and effort nessicary into the situation...
It is a rock and a hard place situation. Here's the thing. The neighbor is never going to be comfortable with that dog living next door. Every time she sees the dog, she'll mourn the loss of her dog. It will make it much more difficult to get over her grieving. No amount of time and effort on both their parts will solve that problem.
When my basset at my parakeet, it took me about 6 months before could look at him normal again. Every time I looked at him, I saw a killer of my parakeet and how much I missed my parakeet. And I LOVE this hound! The OP's neighbor doesn't love the OP's dog. It will be near impossible for her to ever look at the dog without it causing very difficult emotions.
I dare say the risks of what could happen if you keep a dog under those circumstances. People have poisoned dogs for less. It happened in my neighborhood with a german shepherd. New neighbors moved in and didn't like that german shepherd at the fence of their property line, fearing the dog would bite their children. Next thing you know, the german shepherd is terribly sick and dies. The vet said poisoning. The owner was certain the neighbors did it but couldn't prove it. She sold her house and moved away.
The little old lady next to the OP might seem sweet enough. The neighbors in my neighborhood who are suspected of poisoning the german shepherd seem sweet enough too. But when people have fear and/or mental illness (depression due to grieving), anyone is capable of anything.
So rehoming the dog isn't just good for the neighbor but it's potentially good for the dog too.
Hello, everyone. The OP here to give you an update. Thank the Lord our neighbor has been kind to us, she isn't angry and vengeful. I've been checking up on her everyday and she is doing better, not hateful in any way, even hugs me whenever I see her. Offered her a new doggie when she is ready for another.
We have put up a new fence already and plan to fortify it. The dogs are chillin' at the kennel for now. We will take this one step at a time.
Hello, everyone. The OP here to give you an update. Thank the Lord our neighbor has been kind to us, she isn't angry and vengeful. I've been checking up on her everyday and she is doing better, not hateful in any way, even hugs me whenever I see her. Offered her a new doggie when she is ready for another.
We have put up a new fence already and plan to fortify it. The dogs are chillin' at the kennel for now. We will take this one step at a time.
I'm so glad to hear that things are going well and that you are doing all the right things by her. AND, it's refreshingly nice to see BOTH of you taking responsibility for the situation. Your neighbor sounds like a wonderful person. Hopefully things continue on a good path for all of you!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
( if it is from some dog trainer yeah I can see some of them telling you that hoping you will hire them to " fix" your dog as they then make money so sadly some will use scare tactics to get business. I know from trying to find help with Jazz many years ago and one of them that tried to pull that scare tactic was at the time billed as a dog trainer to the stars.. the Behaviorist ( vet with a PHD in such) that I did use even was aware of the tactic this trainer was using trying to scare people into using him)
Kudos for that.
