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