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I had a friend whose cat killed her cockatiel. She was devastated. She took the animal to a shelter.
Pets should not kill other pets. Period.
I think that the important word in this statement is "should." There are a lot of things in this world that "shouldn't" happen but still do. As such, I think it's best to be realistic rather then idealistic, especially when dealing with animals.
It's only when people accept animals as they are--rather than insist that they be something that they aren't--that people and animals can successfully cohabitate. Otherwise, it's possible that you're just setting the animal up for failure.
The dog can easily be rehomed to a home without cats and I commend the OP's friend for pursuing that course of action; I also commend the OP for expressing her concerns because the dog's actions are justifiably concerning and any new owner definitely needs to know this dog's history.
Play tends to get a but rougher when it is more then 2 dogs.
That is so true.
Another thing that bothers me about the dog pack mentality is that sometimes my dog's best friend who is a bigger male knocks over my dog by accident so she needs space to get back up and recoup but this is the time when dogs around come at her. I don't ever see what happens afterwards because my dog comes to me and I push the other dogs away or their owners grab them. They settle down quickly but it makes me upset to see them trying to come at her when she needs to recoup.
Also the dogs I am referring to are her best friends. They walked together and play together normally but when they come at her like that, she becomes furious and barks at them. Normally, they will let my dog have her way and listen to her (she is bossy) but when she is down, they won't listen to her telling them to stay away and humans have to intervene.
I had a friend whose cat killed her cockatiel. She was devastated. She took the animal to a shelter.
Pets should not kill other pets. Period.
All pets are animals and they are doing what is instinctual. It's not the cats fault it killed the bird. It was doing what came naturally. It's the owner's fault that she had two pets that weren't compatible and did not keep them separated. You can't expect an animal to reason like a human and realize that it's wrong to kill another pet in the house.
Some dogs have more prey drive than others and it's up to the owners to manage it. One of my dogs was fine with my cats but would kill a squirrel if it could catch it. I don't have cats now and won't get them because the two dogs I have very high prey drive.
The OP's friend is doing the right thing and rehoming the dog. As long as the new owners are aware that the dog is not cat-friendly (and probably not small animal friendly), it should be fine.
All pets are animals and they are doing what is instinctual. It's not the cats fault it killed the bird. It was doing what came naturally. It's the owner's fault that she had two pets that weren't compatible and did not keep them separated. You can't expect an animal to reason like a human and realize that it's wrong to kill another pet in the house.
Some dogs have more prey drive than others and it's up to the owners to manage it. One of my dogs was fine with my cats but would kill a squirrel if it could catch it. I don't have cats now and won't get them because the two dogs I have very high prey drive.
The OP's friend is doing the right thing and rehoming the dog. As long as the new owners are aware that the dog is not cat-friendly (and probably not small animal friendly), it should be fine.
I am so tired of people blaming the owner in these posts.
In too many posts to count, people laud the intelligence of dogs, their ability to be trained, their fantastic companionship. Now those same people are coming back saying "its the owner's fault the dog killed a cat! Not the dog!" So please stop trying to have it both ways. Either a dog can be trained to curb their prey drive in certain situations, or they aren't the intelligent animals everyone says they are.
Personally, I think there are bad apples of every species-- creatures that can't resist the urge to do things that are antithetical to their continued positive contribution. Humans are predators too, yet most of us manage to curb our urge to kill. Cats can live successfully with birds. Growing up I had a cat who used to snuggle with an albino mouse. Dogs can live with cats, kids, other dogs, guinea pigs, you name it, without showing aggression. If they couldn't, we would not have them as our companions, period.
So if a dog is a killer and its not trained to know when this is appropriate, or to be able to control that drive in daily life, that dog is not one that I would want around for any reason. I would put it down in a heartbeat. Who knows when that prey drive will extend to the neighbor's crawling infant or the other smaller dogs in the house. Stop making excuses for bad behavior. The world does not need more unpredictable dogs.
I am so tired of people blaming the owner in these posts.
In too many posts to count, people laud the intelligence of dogs, their ability to be trained, their fantastic companionship. Now those same people are coming back saying "its the owner's fault the dog killed a cat! Not the dog!" So please stop trying to have it both ways. Either a dog can be trained to curb their prey drive in certain situations, or they aren't the intelligent animals everyone says they are.
Dogs ARE intelligent - for animals. The very brightest dogs are about as bright as a human toddler.
No animal is as intelligent or as reliably trainable as a human schoolchild, much less an adult human. And just like people, dogs differ in their level of intelligence, their level of self-control when highly excited, and their general reliability.
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Personally, I think there are bad apples of every species-- creatures that can't resist the urge to do things that are antithetical to their continued positive contribution.
Dogs are predators. They eat meat. Any animal that eats meat needs to have the instincts to allow them to successfully procure it or face starvation.
And quite a few dog breeds still need those instinctive drives to do their jobs, even though their food comes in a dog bowl. Terriers, sighthounds, and herding breeds in particular have to have quite a bit of prey drive or they won't make good working animals.
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So if a dog is a killer and its not trained to know when this is appropriate, or to be able to control that drive in daily life, that dog is not one that I would want around for any reason. I would put it down in a heartbeat.
That's your prerogative, but you're still killing an animal for exhibiting a perfectly normal behavior for its species.
Dogs ARE intelligent - for animals. The very brightest dogs are about as bright as a human toddler.
No animal is as intelligent or as reliably trainable as a human schoolchild, much less an adult human. And just like people, dogs differ in their level of intelligence, their level of self-control when highly excited, and their general reliability.
You finally said something I agree with and actually reinforced my point.
So if this, or any dog is not smart or self-controlled enough to be around other pets, that would be reason enough to me to put it down. Ever cleaned up an animal that has been savaged by a dog? I have. Not fun. Now imagine if that animal was another beloved pet.
You finally said something I agree with and actually reinforced my point.
So if this, or any dog is not smart or self-controlled enough to be around other pets, that would be reason enough to me to put it down. Ever cleaned up an animal that has been savaged by a dog? I have. Not fun. Now imagine if that animal was another beloved pet.
People make far too many excuses.
No, I didn't reinforce your point. What you don't seem willing to accept is that a high degree of prey drive is actually USEFUL in some circumstances. The same behavior that makes a terrier a good ratter or a sighthound a useful hunter can make that animal untrustworthy around small furries such as cats and rabbits. And your childhood cat, the one who would snuggle up with a mouse, would have been completely useless in keeping wild mice out of your childhood home.
As long as a person recognizes that a particular animal has a high prey drive and is willing and able to take the necessary steps to control it, there will be no problems. In the case of the dog the OP has discussed, life in a home without small animals and never allowing the dog to run loose should suffice.
No, I didn't reinforce your point. What you don't seem willing to accept is that a high degree of prey drive is actually USEFUL in some circumstances. The same behavior that makes a terrier a good ratter or a sighthound a useful hunter can make that animal untrustworthy around small furries such as cats and rabbits. And your childhood cat, the one who would snuggle up with a mouse, would have been completely useless in keeping wild mice out of your childhood home.
As long as a person recognizes that a particular animal has a high prey drive and is willing and able to take the necessary steps to control it, there will be no problems. In the case of the dog the OP has discussed, life in a home without small animals and never allowing the dog to run loose should suffice.
You are correct.
In this day and age, there is absolutely no reason to breed so many animals with "high prey drives" and expect them to be pets. I will never agree that the vast majority of domesticated dogs should be suitable as anything more than companions. Same with any house cat. Seriously, if I lived somewhere with a mouse problem I would set traps or call an exterminator. I would not try to find a feral cat to take care if it. We don't live in hovels without technology anymore. "Wild mice" in my "childhood home"? What? I don't know about you but where I grew up we did not have "wild mice" as a problem. Maybe my ancestors did. But guess what? We live in an age with all kinds of resources to take care of vermin.
If I need some other kind of specialized animal because I need to savage a deer and need a pack of dogs to do it, then and only then is it warranted to breed for this and by rights this should be an infinitesimal proportion of the general population. What YOU aren't willing to accept that is that in modern industrialized nations, most domestic animals need to be companionable, easy to get along with and docile pets. Not killers. Unless you live in an environment where you think its okay to breed dogs to fight.
Why are dogs surrendered? The vast majority of the time because they have behaviors which their owners who are looking for the above-mentioned docile, companionable pets find difficult or destructive. So why should the OP's friend pass along a dog with difficult/destructive behaviors to someone else? How is it fair to this animal who is "just doing what a dog does" to be shuttled around from home to home? Seriously, give this some thought. We aren't talking about too much barking or the occasional chewed shoe. We are talking about an animal that killed another pet, presumably when it was being fed and cared for. Maybe this is a consequence of all that "purebred" BS you like to defend. Or maybe its just a dog with a bad temperament.
So if this, or any dog is not smart or self-controlled enough to be around other pets, that would be reason enough to me to put it down.
Sounds like you shouldn't be owning pets if you find them to be so disposable. Not every animal is going to be a perfect fit for a certain household. That doesnt mean you just have the animal killed. You either find a home that is a better fit for the animal, or give them to someone/someplace that can do a better job at matching the animal to the right home.
In this day and age, there is absolutely no reason to breed so many animals with "high prey drives" and expect them to be pets. I will never agree that the vast majority of domesticated dogs should be suitable as anything more than companions. Same with any house cat. Seriously, if I lived somewhere with a mouse problem I would set traps or call an exterminator. I would not try to find a feral cat to take care if it.
Oh, plenty of people still keep barn cats, because they are genuinely useful. And my parent's late, very domesticated kitty earned his keep keeping mice out of their house. MOST cats have serious levels of prey drive, and can't ever be completely trusted around small birds or small furries such as hamsters. (And because even a small scratch or nip from a cat can cause an infection that can quickly kill a bird, even large birds such as macaws should NOT be allowed contact with cats!)
Likewise, people still use terriers to kill vermin, and hunting breeds to track and retrieve game (both mammals and birds), and protection dogs for police work. Those dogs have and need prey drive to do their jobs.
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What YOU aren't willing to accept that is that in modern industrialized nations, most domestic animals need to be companionable, easy to get along with and docile pets. Not killers.
And what YOU don't accept is that plenty of dogs still have real jobs to do. And as long as that is the case, dogs from those breeds are only going to be good pets if the owners take those dogs' traits into consideration BEFORE they get the dog.
Stick with breeds/breed mixes that have been bred to have low levels of prey drive if you want a multi-species household, and there won't be any trouble.
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Why are dogs surrendered? The vast majority of the time because they have behaviors which their owners who are looking for the above-mentioned docile, companionable pets find difficult or destructive. So why should the OP's friend pass along a dog with difficult/destructive behaviors to someone else? How is it fair to this animal who is "just doing what a dog does" to be shuttled around from home to home? Seriously, give this some thought.
Why shouldn't the OP's friend pass the dog along to another owner who's willing and able to deal with the dog's prey drive? I'd happily take such a dog, as I have no small furries in my house and I wouldn't let the dog go roaming. Why should the animal receive a death sentence just because its current living situation isn't working out? How is what you propose any different than killing a dog because it sheds too much, or barks too loudly, or needs to be exercised for a couple of hours a day instead of being OK with a 15 minute walk twice a day?
Domestic animals aren't animate houseplants. They aren't infinitely adaptable to every living situation. And rehoming an animal that is not dangerous to people but has traits that are a problem in its current home is sometimes a good solution to the problem of a bad fit.
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