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If a dog kills another dog there is no going back (to echo some others' comments). To think a dog confuses another dog with prey (somehow ignoring all scents, hormones, other dog-to-dog communication methods) is incredibly naive.
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.
The dog is not a Rottweiler, it is a mix. I have no idea why people keep calling something with even a hint of a breed something it is not.
Typical predator-prey situation; just as dogs kill mice, squirrels, etc, dogs are predators. Cats also are. The hysteria over this is ridiculous (in regards to the dog itself, the situation is tragic), a dog is going to be a dog many times, even when unexpected. It could even have been an alpha assertion gone wrong.
You must have missed the first line in the OP.....Here is why people keep referring to the dog as a rottweiler...Because it is.
"our fence blew over, our rottweiler escaped into our neighbor's yard and killed her small dog."
I keep starting to write a post here, and then moving on. There is so much information lacking here, since no one saw what happened. The only thing certain is the OP must do everything necessary to make certain this never happens again.
I do want to emphasize, as others have, that aggression toward dogs is completely unrelated to aggression against humans, in the same way that aggression toward cats doesn't mean a dog will be aggressive toward anything else.
And Rottweilers are a wonderful breed of dog. They are large, they are powerful, and they should be trained well, as any large dog, but the crack from the lab owner is completely uncalled for. Given the nastiness I see in a few posts, I wish the OP had just said "my large dog". That wouldn't have altered the situation in any way.
This! We had this happen in our neighborhood last year. Same breed...what a coincidence. Once it killed the first dog it was a menace wanting to attack every dog. Neighborhood officer asked them to destroy dog before it came after him or his dogs, or he would shoot it in the head.
Pick a better breed next time. Labs are happy nonviolent dogs.
My maltipoo would probably kill a squirrel if she could catch one, yet she wouldn't hurt another dog or person. Like others are saying, some dogs have prey drive.
If a dog kills another dog there is no going back (to echo some others' comments). To think a dog confuses another dog with prey (somehow ignoring all scents, hormones, other dog-to-dog communication methods) is incredibly naive.
SMH. You don't know as much about dogs as you think you do. Dog prey drive will cause them to kill human infants that crawl and squeal, the same dogs that would never think of biting an adult human or more grown child. It's the same with other dogs. Don't make stupid assumptions about dog instincts, or assume that they have some moral code that says "I do not kill of my own species." Have you ever witnessed a large dog kill a small dog intentionally? I have. They do it the same way as they would a rabbit they catch (I've seen that too). There is no difference to them. It's just prey.
Legal liability was her statement -For the dog because she was worried it is thought of as "personal property and could be taken to court about this"
Of course! If the fence wasn't her sole responsibility, it wouldn't matter if the law viewed the dog as personal property or allowed for emotional damages.
It's very clear that the OP is worried about her overall legal liability. She may feel terrible about what happened, but she is mostly focused on that. I don't blame her. What's done is done. She can only look at how to protect herself. That's why the fence discussion has been relevant.
People say stop blaming the victim, but when you end up in court, it might come to that as a defense. The OP is willing to do whatever it takes, buy a new dog, etc. But if her neighbor goes for bigger damages via court, I don't blame the OP for trying to protect herself legally in whatever way possible.
You must have missed the first line in the OP.....Here is why people keep referring to the dog as a rottweiler...Because it is.
"our fence blew over, our rottweiler escaped into our neighbor's yard and killed her small dog."
I thought she just has two dogs, both mutts, because of this:
"I agree. Our dogs were found as strays, one Lab mix/another Rottie Mix. They have been around her dogs before without a problem."
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