Dealing with neighbours dog

bronte

Hi all, bit of an incident earlier on today.
I own a cat and earlier today it was chased by next doors (quite vicious) dog and almost attacked.

This dog is a small Jack Russell type and has previously attacked a neighbours cat which had to be put down.
The dog broke three of the cats legs in the attack and he himself lost an eye.
I think at this stage you can see why I'm concerned,
This dog is generally not allowed out by itself and is confined to the back garden unless somebody is taking it for a walk
Today however it was out on it's own for several hours.
My cat is of a nervous disposition and was quite shaken when I managed to get her into the house ( the dog had chased her in the door)
I suppose my question is how should I approach it with the neighbours?
We get along fairly well, and I don't want to piss them off, however leaving a dog out who is prone to attacking isn't very responsible.
Are violent dogs still required to wear muzzels?
I'd appreciate your thoughts, and would love to know if anybody's had any similar experiences.

Thanks

mountainyman

Cats kill songbirds. It is just swings and roundabouts. Dogs have a right to chase cats.

MM

eth0_

If the dog did something like that to a cat then i'd be afraid it would attack a child. You should definitely have a friendly word with your neighbour. Dogs shouldn't be wandering around on their own anyway, isn't it against the law?

Whispered

mountainyman

I see your point about cats and songbirds, I have two cats and as a responsible owner they have bells, are not allowed out at dawn or dusk (when birds are most vulnerable etc). Leaving a dog out all day is against the law, unfair on the dog and unfair on any surrounding animals (I'm sure this dog would have no problem killing a songbird too, given the chance). I also have to question why you are reading this forum, you obviously have no pets or if you do I wouldn't imagine you have much love for them if you can be so callous to someone who had a frightening incident with a pet they love!! If your pet was killed or almost killed would you like to be told they deserve it?

bronte

I actually had another run in with the dog in question later today..was leaving rubbish out in the bin and he came after me fairly agressively.
I mentioned it as nicely as I could to the neighbours, I just hope they take it seriously.
I love dogs really, it's just this one frightened me.
MountainyMan, I do realise dogs are always going to chase cats, but most of the time it is just to frighten them off.
This dog is particularly vicious and that's why I'm concerned.

deaddonkey

bronte wrote: »

This dog is particularly vicious and that's why I'm concerned.

dog bites cat = vicious dog bites children. gotcha.

eth0_ wrote: »

If the dog did something like that to a cat then i'd be afraid it would attack a child.

somehow i feel these are unrelated. that's completely and utterly irrational.

like mountainyman said, dogs chase and kill cats, cats chase and kill birds.
chillax.

zAbbo

Pet Dog (for which someone is responsible) attacks Pet Cat, and you're reasoning is that cats kill birds, so its OK?

bronte

deaddonkey wrote:

dog bites cat = vicious dog bites children. gotcha

specifically where did I say that?

EGAR

The onus/duty of care is with the owner of the dog with which you should take up your complaint. No dog, regardless of its breed and/or history should be allowed to roam unsupervised. Have a chat with the owner, voice your concerns. Should they fall onto deaf ears then contact the dogwarden and explain the situation.

eth0_

deaddonkey wrote: »

i feel these are unrelated. that's completely and utterly irrational.

like mountainyman said, dogs chase and kill cats, cats chase and kill birds.
chillax.

"This dog is a small Jack Russell type and has previously attacked a neighbours cat which had to be put down.
The dog broke three of the cats legs in the attack and he himself lost an eye."


Sorry but that is not normal dog vs cat behaviour. That dog is not safe to be let out without being on a lead. The OP just said the dog went for her/him this evening.

deaddonkey

bronte wrote: »

specifically where did I say that?

you didn't.

eth0_ wrote: »

"This dog is a small Jack Russell type and has previously attacked a neighbours cat which had to be put down.
The dog broke three of the cats legs in the attack and he himself lost an eye."


Sorry but that is not normal dog vs cat behaviour. That dog is not safe to be let out without being on a lead. The OP just said the dog went for her/him this evening.

i'm not saying it's a safe sane dog
i'm saying it's irrational to call it vicious because it's attacked a cat.

MsFifers

I always find it interesting in these debates about pet behaviour/dog control/etc that people start talking about what is typical cat behaviour (eg killing birds) and typical dog behaviour (chasing cats) - and trying to close the argument by saying something along the lines of 'let cats be cats' or 'let dogs be dogs'.

Surely the point is, that we have already modified the behaviour of these animals in domesticating them, and part of their whole charm is the way they have adapted to our human lifestyles and living arrangements, and can fit in with our human imposed restrictions - giving us loads back in return for our care. When you think about it, we only give them a pretty limited outlet for their "natural" behaviours - compared to their wild ancestors.

There are lots of ways we impose our rules on our pets - where they can poo - what they are allowed to eat - where they sleep. In this context - I can't see how is isn't perfectly reasonable to try to modify a pet's behaviour to stop it attacking other animals. Dog/cat/snake/bleddy pet spider - does it matter?! Our pets are - or should be - under our control, and should not be making a nuisance of themselves.

If that dog has already been responsible for the death of a neighbours pet it should not be allowed out unsupervised - end of story. Its nothing to do with what is "natural" for a dog's behaviour - it is about what is appropriate for the neighbourhood.

fits

MsFifers wrote: »

If that dog has already been responsible for the death of a neighbours pet it should not be allowed out unsupervised - end of story. Its nothing to do with what is "natural" for a dog's behaviour - it is about what is appropriate for the neighbourhood.

Well said. My neighbours have much-loved cats and I take every care to ensure my dogs are not off leash near their house, even though they arent particularly cat-driven or aggressive.

Talk to your neighbour OP, and try to explain the situation.

richie_rvf

I agree that animals are animals and we should not forget that.

If a neighbors dog ran at me in an aggressive manner I would definitely want something done about it.

That dog sounds like it has been completely spoiled all it's life and now thinks it is equal to humans in the pack order - it needs to be taken down a level before something horrible happens.

I am surprised at the owners though, if one of my dogs had led to the death of another animal I would be concerned and would certainly not allow it out alone.

It is very important to remember that an dog is a pack animal, no matter how domesticated, the owner must be the pack leader or there will be nothing but problems.

Richie.

bronte

I had a word with the owner, who said the dog must have been let out by accident(they were away all day)
I do think it was a genuine mistake, as I rarely if ever see the dog out on it's own.
I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that It had chased the cat, and then me...they were very understanding.

I will say again that I have nothing against the dog, or any dog...I'm animal mad.
Dogs who are likely to attack and have a history of attacking do need supervision though.

stovelid

deaddonkey wrote: »

dog bites cat = vicious dog bites children. gotcha.



somehow i feel these are unrelated. that's completely and utterly irrational.

like mountainyman said, dogs chase and kill cats, cats chase and kill birds.
chillax.

Not all dogs kill cats, even if they chase them.

Maybe the dog owners can correct me, but is it normal for a dog to be that badly injured (lose an eye) and still carry on with an attack?

The number of pet birds that get killed by cats must surely be low. Pet birds are rarely out whereas the territories of dogs and cats often overlap.

The point is that neighbors should try and prevent pets killing, or harming, other pets as much as possible.

Please don't feed MM's trolling.

Ruby Soho

This seems such a silly argument.... of course dogs chase cats, yes it is in their nature, I know my dogs certainly would if they got the chance, they would probably kill it too. But using that as an argument to defend an aggressive dog who is allowed to roam the streets alone is just ridiculous, its irrelevant. It is against the law to have a dog in public areas uncontrolled / unaccompanied. Sin e. Your neighbor is breaking the law. But insinuating that a dog who chases cats is a danger to people is complete crap. Does that go for greyhounds too? Give me one greyhound that will walk past a strange cat without wanting to chase. Are they a danger to people? Absolutely not.

wyk

Ruby Soho has a good pooint. Plese read the post above mine.

As for dogs and their behavior - we often forget that no matter how much nurturing, training, and breeding, that animals are animals. They do not have the cultue humans have. How can we expect a dog to act rationally when even humans will act irrationally even under the smallest amount of stress.

In other words, perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to label a dog, or cat, etc. as vicious. To a terrier, a cat looks to be about the size of a Mountain Lion does to us. When in a struggle, I would expect the terrier to fight viciously, perhaps even losing an eye if it was to the death, as the example was. A dog does not look at a domestic cat and think "It's just a domestic cat, chances are it will flee if I act tough". What it may think is more along the lines of "There is a cat(or non dog), this is my territory or close enough to it, I am threatened and will attack since it seems I have a chance of being victorious." If such a thing happens, the animals then react as their dna dictates, being as it likely wasn't trained to 'subdue' a cat, this may end up in the death of one or both of the animals. Just an example.

In any case, the owner needs tot ake steps to properly control their animals. BOTH owners. If you allow your cat outside, you place the cat's health and well being at risk. You should keep your cat indoors as well. There are plenty of things outside other than a terrier that can doom your cat.

WYK

stovelid wrote: »

Not all dogs kill cats, even if they chase them.

Maybe the dog owners can correct me, but is it normal for a dog to be that badly injured (lose an eye) and still carry on with an attack?

The number of pet birds that get killed by cats must surely be low. Pet birds are rarely out whereas the territories of dogs and cats often overlap.

The point is that neighbors should try and prevent pets killing, or harming, other pets as much as possible.

Please don't feed MM's trolling.

bronte

wyk wrote: »

Ruby Soho has a good pooint. Plese read the post above mine.

As for dogs and their behavior - we often forget that no matter how much nurturing, training, and breeding, that animals are animals. They do not have the cultue humans have. How can we expect a dog to act rationally when even humans will act irrationally even under the smallest amount of stress.

In other words, perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to label a dog, or cat, etc. as vicious. To a terrier, a cat looks to be about the size of a Mountain Lion does to us. When in a struggle, I would expect the terrier to fight viciously, perhaps even losing an eye if it was to the death, as the example was. A dog does not look at a domestic cat and think "It's just a domestic cat, chances are it will flee if I act tough". What it may think is more along the lines of "There is a cat(or non dog), this is my territory or close enough to it, I am threatened and will attack since it seems I have a chance of being victorious." If such a thing happens, the animals then react as their dna dictates, being as it likely wasn't trained to 'subdue' a cat, this may end up in the death of one or both of the animals. Just an example.

In any case, the owner needs tot ake steps to properly control their animals. BOTH owners. If you allow your cat outside, you place the cat's health and well being at risk. You should keep your cat indoors as well. There are plenty of things outside other than a terrier that can doom your cat.

WYK

This was a really interesting post, thanks.
It's good to try seeing it from the dogs point of view.
My cat is a very indoors type and usually only goes out to go to the toilet/stretch the legs.
I agree it is the responsibility of both owners too.
Thankfully in my situation, my neighbours have been great..which is something. I'm all too aware of other people having ongoing battles about things like this.

Nala

bronte wrote: »

Hi all, bit of an incident earlier on today.
I own a cat and earlier today it was chased by next doors (quite vicious) dog and almost attacked.

This dog is a small Jack Russell type and has previously attacked a neighbours cat which had to be put down.
The dog broke three of the cats legs in the attack and he himself lost an eye.
I think at this stage you can see why I'm concerned,
This dog is generally not allowed out by itself and is confined to the back garden unless somebody is taking it for a walk
Today however it was out on it's own for several hours.
My cat is of a nervous disposition and was quite shaken when I managed to get her into the house ( the dog had chased her in the door)
I suppose my question is how should I approach it with the neighbours?
We get along fairly well, and I don't want to piss them off, however leaving a dog out who is prone to attacking isn't very responsible.
Are violent dogs still required to wear muzzels?
I'd appreciate your thoughts, and would love to know if anybody's had any similar experiences.

Thanks

My cat was killed by a dog, it ran into our garden and got my cat, it dislocated her hip and fractured her leg in 2 places, she died from her injuries 2 weeks later as she developed septacaemia.
Nicely but firmly tell your neighbours to keep their dog in, call the dog warden if they don't.

bronte

Nala wrote: »

My cat was killed by a dog, it ran into our garden and got my cat, it dislocated her hip and fractured her leg in 2 places, she died from her injuries 2 weeks later as she developed septacaemia.
Nicely but firmly tell your neighbours to keep their dog in, call the dog warden if they don't.

This is what I was worried about, sorry to hear that Nala.
Unfortunatly this is what can happen and what I was stressed about.