Swan kills a dog in Dublin Park

Irish Stones

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/dog-attacked-and-killed-by-swan-in-dublin-s-bushy-park-1.3941800


I think this is terrible, losing a faithful friend during a quiet morning, in a park, doing the same thing that, very likely, they had been doing for years.
I was told that a swan or a goose can kill a cat with a wing shot, but I had never heard of an incident in the real life.


RIP poor soul

Shemale

What did the owner expect letting their dog swim over to the nest of a family of swans?

Sonny noggs

I don’t have access to the article. Was the dog off leash?

Welruc

Taken from the Irish times:

A dog was attacked and killed by a swan in a Dublin park on Saturday.

The cocker spaniel was swimming in the duck pond at Bushy Park in Terenure near a group of swans and cygnets when an adult swan broke away and made a beeline for her.

A man who was feeding the ducks at the far end of the pond, said he heard the dog’s owner shouting in attempt to get her attention.

“We started screaming at the swan, trying to distract it,” said the man. “The poor dog didn’t realise what was going on and swam straight for the swan.”

Dogs kill swans more often than swans kill dogs, experts say
He said the swan lifted up its wings and beat down on the dog “with one wing and then the other”.

“That stunned the poor thing. Three or four more slaps and she was gone.”

The man said the attack was extremely upsetting to witness and took no more than a few seconds. The owner was so distressed, his phone fell into the pond, he added.

“They need to put up signs telling people to keep their dogs on leads around the pond. The swan was just protecting its cygnets.”

The incident occurred shortly before 11 am, at a time when dogs are allowed to roam off-lead in the park, which was busy at the time.

Peter Duignan, a Dublin City Council park ranger, arrived just after 11 am and he and two colleagues retrieved the dog’s body from the water using a small paddle boat and a net.

“I have never heard of anything like this happening before,” said Mr Duignan, who added that the dog’s owner was extremely distraught.

antix80

Even if the dog wasn't attacked, the birds felt threatened to see an animal capable of ripping them apart approach them.

It said in the article a sign should be put up telling owners to keep dogs on leashes around the swans. I think dogs should be kept on leashes in public.

I've seen "friendly" dogs run up to terrified people while the owner tries to reassure them "oh he won't bite"

Dog owners need to be more responsible.

dudara

Swans (and geese also) are quite territorial and protective of their young. They’re also very strong birds, able to do a lot of damage. People tend to underestimate them.

The first thing that struck me was “why was the dog swimming in the pool”? That’s clearly the swans’ territory. It was, unfortunately, a stupid move.

Poor dog, it didn’t deserve that.

lawred2

Oh well. Shouldn't have been there in the first place. Not the dog's fault.

evolving_doors

Same old story, dog not on lead.
If the dog had killed a cygnet we would have never heard about it.

reg114

Irish Stones wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/dog-attacked-and-killed-by-swan-in-dublin-s-bushy-park-1.3941800


I think this is terrible, losing a faithful friend during a quiet morning, in a park, doing the same thing that, very likely, they had been doing for years.
I was told that a swan or a goose can kill a cat with a wing shot, but I had never heard of an incident in the real life.


RIP poor soul

Tragic, so very sad but unfortunately the dog's owner was irresponsible allowing their dog off a leash which is prohibited in all Dublin parks.

evolving_doors

reg114 wrote: »

Tragic, so very sad but unfortunately the dog's owner was irresponsible allowing their dog off a leash which is prohibited in all Dublin parks.

I was in bushy park a few months ago and saw a warden (not too sure if it was park or dog) stopping people who had no leads and warning them.

BuboBubo

reg114 wrote: »

Tragic, so very sad but unfortunately the dog's owner was irresponsible allowing their dog off a leash which is prohibited in all Dublin parks.

Also, if the swans have cygnets they become very protective of their young. I feel sorry for the dog owner though.

dudara

reg114 wrote: »

Tragic, so very sad but unfortunately the dog's owner was irresponsible allowing their dog off a leash which is prohibited in all Dublin parks.

Apparently dogs are allowed off-leash at certain times in Bushy Park.

The incident occurred shortly before 11 am, at a time when dogs are allowed to roam off-lead in the park, which was busy at the time.

Irish Stones

Probably the dog's owner should have let it swim in a spot of the lake where there were no or fewer swans.

SuperSean11

Dogs can be off leash but need to remain under control. Owners responsibility.

uck51js9zml2yt

The dog was off its lead in a public park. The swan was defending it's young.
No sympathy for the owner here.

Ann22

Omg! The poor wee dog and the poor man!! He didn't realise the danger ffs..A lot of unsympathetic people on here. So many people don't even walk their dogs and leave them alone in the back garden all day..I'm sure he loved his wee dog. He prob thought he was doing a good deed letting his dog cool off and felt it was doing no harm. He made a huge mistake but it's done and he has paid a terrible price.

whisky_galore

Irresponsible owner now left with a dead pet, the cost of inattention and stupidity.

CelticRambler

whisky_galore wrote: »

Irresponsible owner now left with a dead pet, the cost of inattention and stupidity.

And needs a new phone.

The owner was so distressed, his phone fell into the pond

Graces7

Kaylin Some Radish wrote: »

The dog was off its lead in a public park. The swan was defending it's young.
No sympathy for the owner here.

far, far too high a price to pay for a mistake, for both man and dog. we all make mistakes. if we all got what we " deserve"?

dodderangler

Irish Stones wrote: »

Probably the dog's owner should have let it swim in a spot of the lake where there were no or fewer swans.

That’s rubbish. I’ve seen swans fly to a separate part of a lake to get at a dog that was nowhere near its cygnets.
Swans hut have a bad nature on them.

whisky_galore

Graces7 wrote: »

far, far too high a price to pay for a mistake, for both man and dog. we all make mistakes. if we all got what we " deserve"?

If a dog ignores commands off leash it's not under control. How many times have we seen people roaring until hoarse at a dog that doesn't take one bit of notice of them?
It's down to people not bothering to train their dogs properly.

Infoanon

SuperSean11 wrote: »

Dogs can be off leash but need to remain under control. Owners responsibility.

Dog should have been on a lead at the time of the incident.
Dogs are only allowed off the leash before closing time in Bushy Park.
It's an ongoing problem in the park.

tk123

We've had at least one cygnet killed a year in our park because of idiot owners like this. My dogs won't go into the river now without my ok at any time of the year because I made them wait while I checked that the coast was clear for the swans a few summers in a row after we had a new family of swans move in where the dogs paddle. Yet other tools let them down into the river chasing the swans and casually walk away after their dog kills a cygnet or attacks the cob when he tries to defend them :mad:

And regardless of recall swans are protective - even as a kid I knew not to get too close to them so I keep the dogs well away from them whether they're on or off lead, I've seen one come out of a lake and attack a buggy that was too close to the edge etc... everyone from knows they're dangerous.. It's not just dogs either I've seen both adults and kids throwing stones at them too :mad:

Graces7

whisky_galore wrote: »

If a dog ignores commands off leash it's not under control. How many times have we seen people roaring until hoarse at a dog that doesn't take one bit of notice of them?
It's down to people not bothering to train their dogs properly.

I agree totally and fully, but a very high price to pay is my point. Humanity please. You are not reading my words so I am away! Bye!

dodderangler

More cygnets are being killed by mink than anything else. Think we should concentrate on that more than dogs

Keyzer

Owners fault, end of story...

AulWan

I hate swans. Vicious beasts. I was attacked by one as a child and seriously hurt.

I'd consider them more dangerous then a medium sized dog.

My condolences to the dog owners.

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

Vicious beasts. I was attacked by one as a child and seriously hurt.

They're not but they are incredibly protective of their young, if you were attacked you were somewhere where you shouldn't have been.

whisky_galore

AulWan wrote: »

I hate swans. Vicious beasts. I was attacked by one as a child and seriously hurt.

I'd consider them more dangerous then a medium sized dog.

My condolences to the dog owners.

They are large wild birds, what do you expect? A Disney cartoon?

AlanG

Owner clearly had no control over the dog. Unfortunately the poor dog had died as a result of the owners irresponsibility.

dodderangler

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

They're not but they are incredibly protective of their young, if you were attacked you were somewhere where you shouldn't have been.

That’s rubbish to say. I was attacked by one while feeding other ducks. No cygnets around. They’re bad tempered no matter what

AulWan

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

They're not but they are incredibly protective of their young, if you were attacked you were somewhere where you shouldn't have been.

I was walking along a footpath on my way to school with my mother, minding our own business when I was attacked. I was approximately 6 years old at the time. The beast just came out of the water and attacked. My mother had to beat it off me.

Did you not see the post above where someone described one of these beasts attacking a buggy?

These "wild creatures" are vicious and a danger and maybe it's others creatures who need protection from them. They should be kept fenced in.

pawdee

Just swan of those things I suppose.

antix80

pawdee wrote: »

Just swan of those things I suppose.

Mod, please lock this thread. No one will top this

Nikki Sixx

Hope they buy a new dog. It’s the best way to get over the old one.

Budawanny

dodderangler wrote: »

That’s rubbish to say. I was attacked by one while feeding other ducks. No cygnets around. They’re bad tempered no matter what

nonsense. I have walked by thousands of swans and never been attacked. QED by your logic

dodderangler

pawdee wrote: »

Just swan of those things I suppose.

You’re only having the quack now

machaseh

Swans and geese are very aggressive and territorial, letting a dog swim in a swan pond is quite dumb.

They will usually hiss before they start to attack, but yeah if your dog is in the middle of the pond then it's too late.

InTheShadows

evolving_doors wrote: »

I was in bushy park a few months ago and saw a warden (not too sure if it was park or dog) stopping people who had no leads and warning them.

Yeah same guy up at Deer Park every morning and evening same times telling owners to put their dogs on lease.

Plumbthedepths

dodderangler wrote:

That’s rubbish to say. I was attacked by one while feeding other ducks. No cygnets around. They’re bad tempered no matter what

Just because you couldn't see a cygnet doesn't mean there wasn't one, btw I hope you weren't feeding the ducks bread.

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

Did you not see the post above where someone described one of these beasts attacking a buggy?

I did, you seemed to have ignored the part where they said the buggy was too close.

hullaballoo

All dogs' humans should know that swans hate dogs. And yeah, they'll go well out of their way to have a go at a dog even if the dog's human doesn't see the dog as threatening the swan. I suppose it's not the kind of thing that's beaten into you in school but it should be made a matter of broad public knowledge to stop this kind of thing happening because it does happen quite a lot.

I can't remember exactly when I learned about dogs and swans, or just swans (and geese) on their own but I've a very healthy wariness of them both so I must have been young when taught about them.

They are vicious and capable of breaking an arm with their beaks, never mind their wings. They do so when they perceive a threat and they are not very smart so that can mean minding your own business a hundred meters away.

My last encounter with a swan was when I had my then 1 and 3 year old kids in Coosan Point in Athlone to feed the ducks. The 1 year old was mad about ducks and in her element. Ducks everywhere!

I was momentarily focusing on the 3 year old who was inundated with ducks, just to make sure they didn't go for him. I was holding the 1 year old's hand but when I turned around, there, out of absolutely nowhere, was a big swan mid-lunge going for the 1 year old. I don't think I've ever moved as quickly but I managed to whisk her up and avoid having the arm taken off her. Until that point, I hadn't even been aware there were swans in the area and I didn't see any others afterwards.

colm_mcm

InTheShadows wrote: »

Yeah same guy up at Deer Park every morning and evening same times telling owners to put their dogs on lease.

At least you could stop the payments if the dog dies. Better than paying up front.

RoyalCelt

I've always had respect for swans. I've heard stories where they could break a man's arm with a slap of their wing. I'd never let my dog lose walking near them.

uck51js9zml2yt

Graces7 wrote: »

far, far too high a price to pay for a mistake, for both man and dog. we all make mistakes. if we all got what we " deserve"?

Other alternative is cage or kill the cause of the owners distress.!!

rachaelworld

I just hope that parents get the message now that wild animals are wild animals and therefore dangerous and so stop letting their small humans (and furkids) near them

tk123

rachaelworld wrote: »

I just hope that parents get the message now that wild animals are wild animals and therefore dangerous and so stop letting their small humans (and furkids) near them

I wonder where the people who let dog/kids near them or worse sit watching while they throw stones are from :mad:- do they know that swans will attack like? My experience in our park anyways with the kids and some dog owners is that they're not locals ... maybe it's just me being a Dubliner - we're used to the sea/river/canals around us and the wildlife in them? Last year there was 3 kids firing stones at the cob who was injured Mammy and Daddy watching from the swings in the playground - my friend tore strips off both the kids and parents then the kids were giving us the finger but at least the poor swan was left alone. The locals are quite protective of them at this stage.

rachaelworld

What do you mean by locals? And what does it matter where they are from? My experience with both the swans on the canal and the deer in Phoenix Park is that it is everyone and anyone, and I have been watching this get worse for the last few decades. The point is that the message needs to be broadcast more effectively but people see other people feeding them and assume that means they are safe and it is allowed to do it. Hopefully this news story will help to counter that

Irish Stones

Nikki Sixx wrote: »

Hope they buy a new dog. It’s the best way to get over the old one.

I hope they won't buy a new dog, but they will save a dog from a shelter.
In my humble opinion, animals shouldn't be bought.

tk123

rachaelworld wrote: »

What do you mean by locals? And what does it matter where they are from? My experience with both the swans on the canal and the deer in Phoenix Park is that it is everyone and anyone, and I have been watching this get worse for the last few decades. The point is that the message needs to be broadcast more effectively but people see other people feeding them and assume that means they are safe and it is allowed to do it. Hopefully this news story will help to counter that

By locals I mean people who live beside the local park, walk there every day and know how the swans will react as opposed to blow ins who visit the park a few days a year.. I don't care where they're from but I've definitely seen a pattern where people clearly don't have a clue that swans can come up and attack them if they're hanging down trying to take selfies with them or lowering their kids down for a photo... so I wonder if they've encountered swans before wherever they're from..

Always Tired

A dog doesn't need to be even near cygnets or in the middle of a pond for a swan to attack, or even off leash, they are simply very aggressive to dogs, even small ones.

Was walking my dog with a neighbour and her dog and her wee Jack Russell was on leash and simply standing at the water's edge and a swan made a beeline for him. It only barely stopped when my dog who was larger and off leash came running back down the path from where he was and barked at the swan, and while he stopped his attack he wasn't backing off, still hissing away.

While I admire their beauty, and to a certain extent their bravery as they seem to be absolutely fearless, they really could do with some anger management classes.