Advice required: exs dogs have killed neighbor's cat

[Megs]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm hoping for an idea of what comes next & what the likely outcome is for these dogs.

 

My ex just called to say his two wolfhound crosses have killed the neighbors cat. His parents were out walking the dogs on lead and they spotted a cat running. They took off, pulling his parents to the ground and attacked and killed the cat. Obviously this is devastating for the cats owners and my ex is distraught that they did this. The owner either knows/witnessed it and is obviously very very angry and upset. I am unsure whether the cat was on the owners property at the time or not. 

 

I guess I would like to know what will happen next. Will these dogs be seized? Can they be euthanized for this? Or will they be declared dangerous and have multiple restrictions placed on them - muzzled in public etc. 

 

In the long run I think it may be best to separate the dogs, obviously there is a strong element of prey drive in both dogs and being large, strong animals there would be a greater risk if they stay together. However, they are extremely attached to each other and that needs to be considered, and sadly euthanasia as well. 

 

Straightforward information and advice (without malice) would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Ps these dogs are not dog or people aggressive in anyway. They regularly attend doggie day care and public events.

 

[persephone]

 
Awful for everyone . 
I have no  thoughts on what may happen , sorry . 
Guess it depends if cat was on private land , or roadway  to an extent .. 
Hmmm..
have a read here (for Tassie)   http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/local_government/legislation/dog_control/general_dog_control_issues
 

[Little Gifts]

I hope someone can give proper advice. I wonder if the cat was in a council area where it was supposed to be suitably contained? If that's the case then some blame will be on the cat's owner for having it loose too. Then there are the dogs. No history but a potential disposition to chase and catch based on breed might be considered. And then we have the fact that even though the dogs were leashed the parents were unable to restrain the dogs at a critical time. No intent and no history to suggest they are a public risk but several unfortunate contributing factors have led to this incident. It could've been avoided if the cat was contained and the parents were able to manage the dogs under all conditions. I hope they are not seized (or worse) for instinctual behaviour (perhaps muzzling in public might be a safety measure that is now needed) but it is an eye opener for all dog owners really. Of course we don't want our pets to cause harm to others but I don't know how well I could control both of mine if I was walking them at the same time and a cat ran in front of them either.

 

I hope you find out some factual information so your ex can take a sensible course of action.

[Dogsfevr]

I think the bigger issue is who walks them and not being able to hold them if they decide to chase .

What will happen depends on what avenue the cat owner takes 

[Maddy]

For Tasmania, attacking any animal, even a pest species, is against the law. As to what will happen, depends on the council. Most are disinterested in dealing with dog issues. Some (like LCC) will deal with dogs where livestock is involved. In the case of a cat.. I wouldn't expect much, unless the cat's owner lawyers up and starts getting loud. Even then, DD order, at most. I've only known of a couple of attacking dogs to be euthanised but that was because of fairly extreme non-compliance from the owners (who had no f**** to give).

 

That said, I think it would be wise to try to smooth things over with the cat's owners. Offer to pay for cremation or a memorial (don't offer to buy them a new cat. Srsly.), send them a card, make them aware that the dogs' owners are aware that they need to fix the issue and what steps they are taking.

Personally, I wouldn't walk two large sighthounds together. All it takes is one to see a cat and then it's chaos. I'd stick to one at a time, wearing a muzzle. if they can't control one between the two of them, perhaps large, strong sighthounds are not a suitable type of dog for them. 

[Megs]

Thank you all for your thoughts.

 

My ex always walks the dogs separately or drives them to the off lead park to avoid the abundance of wildlife on the streets. Sadly, he didn't think to warn his parents to do the same. However, I agree that two older people should not be walking two large, strong dogs together, or at all in the first place. I think we can all become complacent when we have such lovable goofballs and forget that they are dogs, and sighthounds at that.

 

Still waiting to hear news, council have not approached them yet but it's likely only a matter of time. My ex is considering pts of both dogs if they are declared DD, I'm heartbroken at this decision but it's his decision. I'm at a loss of what to do or say. 

Edited February 4, 2018 by Megs

[Dogsfevr]

Just because there a sighthound doesn’t excuse what they did nor is it normal to do it .

Have owned sighthounds and shown sighthounds and they don’t just want to chase anything ,that is not an excuse 

[Maddy]

1 hour ago, Dogsfevr said:

Just because there a sighthound doesn’t excuse what they did nor is it normal to do it .

Have owned sighthounds and shown sighthounds and they don’t just want to chase anything ,that is not an excuse 

No one was excusing the incident because they were sighthounds. 

As for sighthounds not wanting to chase "just anything", a cat is not just anything and in my experience (owning and rescuing many sighthounds), many will absolutely chase a cat, if they get a chance. This is one of the reasons it's very unwise to walk them off leash. They will chase things that move, whether it be a cat or a plastic bag, blowing in the wind. Chasing things, by sight, is exactly their purpose, as a type.

Edited February 4, 2018 by Maddy

[Danois]

18 hours ago, Little Gifts said:

I hope someone can give proper advice. I wonder if the cat was in a council area where it was supposed to be suitably contained? If that's the case then some blame will be on the cat's owner for having it loose too. Then there are the dogs. No history but a potential disposition to chase and catch based on breed might be considered. And then we have the fact that even though the dogs were leashed the parents were unable to restrain the dogs at a critical time. No intent and no history to suggest they are a public risk but several unfortunate contributing factors have led to this incident. It could've been avoided if the cat was contained and the parents were able to manage the dogs under all conditions. I hope they are not seized (or worse) for instinctual behaviour (perhaps muzzling in public might be a safety measure that is now needed) but it is an eye opener for all dog owners really. Of course we don't want our pets to cause harm to others but I don't know how well I could control both of mine if I was walking them at the same time and a cat ran in front of them either.

 

I hope you find out some factual information so your ex can take a sensible course of action.

The fact the cat was outside is largely irrelevant.  It is entitled not to be chased and attacked regardless. 

 

The parents have failed to have effective control of the dogs.  That could attract a fine. 

 

The dogs could also be declared dangerous as they have seriously injured/ killed another animal. 

 

 

 

 

[cannibalgoldfish]

Quote

My ex always walks the dogs separately or drives them to the off lead park to avoid the abundance of wildlife on the streets

Next big flag right there. These dogs got free and killed a cat. Off lead parks are often full of small fluffy quick moving dogs that will give the same stimulation as a running cat. If the parents couldn't recall said dogs from chasing the cat after they pulled free from the leash then your ex wouldn't have been able to call them off a small dog if they had run across one on their off lead park rambles and it triggered their prey drive. Just luck it hadn't happened before now. 

[RuralPug]

The bottom line here is it all depends upon the council, and whether or not the cat's owner reported the incident to council. If the council orders that the dogs be registered as dangerous dogs then there will be all the restrictions that go with that.

These are large strong dogs obviously with a strong prey drive, even if there is no action from council, at the very least I would suggest that your ex put basket muzzles on these dogs when walking them in future to prevent them seizing prey. 

His parents are not strong enough to walk the dogs, so he should not let that happen again. 

I suggest that your ex be extremely sympathetic to the cat owner and explain the actions that he is taking to prevent this from happening to someone else's pet.

[Alibi]

In all fairness, the cat could have been being walked on a lead (as some are) and the same thing would have happened.  It’s not about the cat it’s about the lack of control over the dogs.

[persephone]

I feel for the parents  What a horrible thing to have happen - to lose control with fatal consequence .Been there, done that - terrible feeling  
It does seem that these dogs were accidents waiting to happen , sadly .