Scary stuff

digitalscream

dano said:

I've got two 10 month old cats. Since they started going out in the garden (we live edge of town, semi rural) they have caught several mice and rats and now (unfortunately) about 3 birds.

I've put (in bad taste to annoy the mrs) a kill chart on the fridge and they get a skull and crossbones sticker each time they catch something.

Fun fact: cats enjoy a unique exception in UK law, in that they're the only domestic animal treated by the law as "wild" - owners cannot be held responsible for any destructive acts by their cat (including killing other people's pets).

Drew_TNBD

digitalscream said:

dano said:

I've got two 10 month old cats. Since they started going out in the garden (we live edge of town, semi rural) they have caught several mice and rats and now (unfortunately) about 3 birds.

I've put (in bad taste to annoy the mrs) a kill chart on the fridge and they get a skull and crossbones sticker each time they catch something.

Fun fact: cats enjoy a unique exception in UK law, in that they're the only domestic animal treated by the law as "wild" - owners cannot be held responsible for any destructive acts by their cat (including killing other people's pets).

And clawing up small children.

digitalscream

Drew_fx said:

digitalscream said:

dano said:

I've got two 10 month old cats. Since they started going out in the garden (we live edge of town, semi rural) they have caught several mice and rats and now (unfortunately) about 3 birds.

I've put (in bad taste to annoy the mrs) a kill chart on the fridge and they get a skull and crossbones sticker each time they catch something.

Fun fact: cats enjoy a unique exception in UK law, in that they're the only domestic animal treated by the law as "wild" - owners cannot be held responsible for any destructive acts by their cat (including killing other people's pets).

And clawing up small children.

Indeed - I have a scar over my right eye where a cat did exactly that when I was 3.

The exception is odd, particularly given that they're probably the most spiteful creature known to man (I say this as somebody who's had cats, and while they were great...I trusted them far less than I'd trust any dog).

littlegreenman

digitalscream said:

dano said:

I've got two 10 month old cats. Since they started going out in the garden (we live edge of town, semi rural) they have caught several mice and rats and now (unfortunately) about 3 birds.

I've put (in bad taste to annoy the mrs) a kill chart on the fridge and they get a skull and crossbones sticker each time they catch something.

Fun fact: cats enjoy a unique exception in UK law, in that they're the only domestic animal treated by the law as "wild" - owners cannot be held responsible for any destructive acts by their cat (including killing other people's pets).

If someone allows their gerbils to roam into my yard then what do they expect?

Sambostar

Fucikng hell of someone's dog killed my dog, I'd not only kill the dog but the owner as well.  I'd only get two years with free meals anyway, not like I haven't paid my TV licence or anything.

digitalscream

Iamnobody said:

My boy is too old now to think about training...

He's 13 and greyhounds don't get much older unfortunately.

Interestingly, I used to think the same thing - older dogs just don't change.

My recent experience with our other big dog, Mac (12-ish), has soundly taught me that was wrong. This is a very anxious dog; everything stressed him out (no doubt from his first year, before we found him at the rescue)...to describe him as "highly-strung" would be the understatement of the century. Everything's a chore with him...it's a case of "living with him" rather than "training him". Not only that, but he's actively dangerous around other dogs.

He wouldn't even go for a walk. Hated it. He'd actually hurt himself trying to avoid it.

Towards the end of last year, I decided enough was enough; I was going to get this dog to leave the garden if it killed me.

I tried everything - coaxing, treats, running around the garden and then out the gate...nope. Dead stop. He'd lie on his back as soon as the lead went on, and that was the end of it.

As a last-ditch effort, I waited until it was really quiet one day, put the lead on him (so he lay on his back), opened the gate, and just stood there, waiting. It took about an hour (and it was bloody cold...), but eventually...he just looked at me, and walked out. I picked the lead up, and that was it - walked about a mile.

After everything several vets had said ("He's just an anxious dog, it happens sometimes", "It's probably his arthritic hips, no wonder he doesn't want to walk" etc), the herbal (and not-so-herbal) supplements to reduce the anxiety, the attempts at socialisation...it turned out that all he needed was to be given a choice.

Of course, we've created a monster - now he'll wake us up and won't settle at all until he's been for his 5:30am walk. The old, arthritic dog who'd snap and snarl at me when I tried to put a lead on him is now bouncing around the house like a puppy every time he sees it.

Not only that, but he's noticeably happier and more relaxed now, although that might be the fact that there's another big dog in the house and he doesn't feel the need to protect everyone so much.

At 12 years old, it's suddenly like having a totally different dog in the house.

I've probably lost track of my point now. It's makes me feel good to tell it, though

Iamnobody

boogieman;1064337" said:

I've just got back from walking our lab in the local country park. At one point we got overtaken by a couple of greyhounds running at full pelt, then there was a lot of shouting in the distance and a kid crying, followed by the greyhounds' owner scurrying past me. Turned out one of the greyhounds had caught a squirrel and ripped it apart in front of a family with a couple of small kids. The kids were distraught. I kind of sympathise with the dogs' owner who was trying to explain that it's only nature taking its course: the dogs are natural hunters, squirrels are prey. Not a nice thing to see if you're only little though.

Yeah can never train the chase completely out of them. It took us 8 months of training and trust building before we were ready to leave ours alone with the cats in the house.

But, any other cats he would see as fair game and squirrels Etc. Although he never caught a squirrel he tried hard...

It's a shame the child witnessed the squirrel being ripped apart yesterday. That opens up a debate about muzzling when off lead. We used to do this on and off lead in the early days until we were confident of how he reacted to 'most' situations.

ennspek

When dogs properly get into it and you have to separate them it's a genuinely scary experience. I have the scars to prove it.

If all owners treated the responsibility of a owning a dog like @digitalscream does we would have few problems.

Sadly this is not the case but then we let idiots have children as well.

digitalscream

ennspek said:

When dogs properly get into it and you have to separate them it's a genuinely scary experience. I have the scars to prove it.

If all owners treated the responsibility of a owning a dog like @digitalscream does we would have few problems.

Sadly this is not the case but then we let idiots have children as well.

Oh, don't get me wrong - we've made mistakes which could easily have had terrible results. Mac got out once (broke a hole in the front fence) and grabbed a terrier by the neck. Ruby once got out and ran through traffic to try to kill a Rottweiler on the other side of the road (I managed to scoop her up in the middle of two lanes of moving traffic, about an inch from the front wheel of a Mondeo...she had absolutely no fear, that little one).

The trick is to only make those mistakes once 

ennspek

We've always had big dogs, more my wife's thing than mine but it's good for the children I think.

They can cause trouble but I'm generally more comfortable knowing they're in the house if I'm not.

Most difficult dog I've known though my parents got me when I was a nipper. He was a Fox Terrier/Jack Russell cross. He escaped, tracked me to school and killed all the school chickens.

I was not popular.