thoughtless dog owners

[ems]

It is as much to do with the dog as the owner some folks just don't think and the poor dog gets praise for chasing ours gets Sky No!!!  In fact he thought that was his name for nearly 6 months!

I swear Gibson think's his name is "GibsonLeaveIt!" 

[Liz]

We have in our family a large number of cats and 2 dogs. Jazz is 13.5 and a JRT who the cats have no issue with - they think she is a cat and then last year we got Sky our BC pup - He was taught at a young age that the cats come first and that they do have claws and will be allowed to whack you in the nose claws extended, not all Black and white cats are minature Border Collies, they will not be rounded up as practice for your notions.

he does chase the cats oputside the house but they turn round and chase him back usually in groups!  His best friend is a feral cat called Panther and they adore each other to the point that Panther cleans the dog from head to toe each night!

Friends dogs have chased the cats whilst here but Sky is quite protective of them and chses the other dogs away!

Our neighbours dogs all cahse cats and ours sit at the fences and taunt them then leap up the nearest tree and their owners tell their dogs off!!

It is as much to do with the dog as the owner some folks just don't think and the poor dog gets praise for chasing ours gets Sky No!!!  In fact he thought that was his name for nearly 6 months!

[Millys Mum]

I also think it's rather tart for you to allow your cat out un supervised and off a lead and then get pissed off because a dog owner has their dog supervised and on a lead or supervised and off lead. What? One rule for cats and another for dogs? Sorry love, but that's just stupid.

By law dogs are to be kept under control and by law cats are free roaming thats the difference Amo angelus.

Tillywilly maybe you could look into catproofing your garden or a cat run, this is what im working on as i also worry about my lot going out, not they do much but i still hate it.

[tillywilly]

Well I am quite shocked by the replys to my latest rant.
I am a very over protective cat owner, when my cat goes out i worry - constantly that something will happen to her.
I must say that I do not agree with all the posts.
Leave it at that, thank you for the in put.

[ems]

I am sorry but I have to disagree with some of the posts on here.  If you have a dog it is your responsibility to ensure it cannot escape.  If it jumps the fence then you need to higher the fence, if it opens doors then you need to get dog proof handles.  Yes I know dogs can escape occasionally but if it is a regular occurrence then you need to do something to prevent it.  Not only for the sake of local cats but for the safety of your own dog.

Couldn't agree more MM

[Maddiesmum]

I am sorry but I have to disagree with some of the posts on here.  If you have a dog it is your responsibility to ensure it cannot escape.  If it jumps the fence then you need to higher the fence, if it opens doors then you need to get dog proof handles.  Yes I know dogs can escape occasionally but if it is a regular occurrence then you need to do something to prevent it.  Not only for the sake of local cats but for the safety of your own dog.

[Catbird]

Well, it was Tillywilly's post I was responding to, rather than your post about the dog.

[catalyst]

  Um nope not the same person. I mean by one snippet of info referring to my post about the dog.

[Catbird]

I have no idea if any of this is aimed at me.

Well, I was replying to Tillywilly and I could have made that clearer, so apologies for that.  I am a little confused though, you're not the same person as Tillywilly, are you?  I'm not sure what your final comment about "one wee snippet of info" refers to but just to be really clear on this, I was putting my opinion across based on the information that Tillywilly provided (that bit I did make clear!).

Anyway, as Ems says, my comments were indeed made in the spirit of debate. My opinion differs from that of Tillywilly, that's all.

C.

[ems]

Sorry you feel like that Catalyst, all i can see is a healthy debate?

Well as the owner of a dog who we are currently trying to train (as he has picked up v.bad habits from a lack of socialisation at his previous home(s?) ) I certainly do not encourage Gibson to chase cats as we obviously have 2 ourselves but his instinct is to pull on the lead like a dog possessed because he wants to say hello to them which i worry people take as aggression. I woudl be mortified if when off the lead he ran away and somebody felt intimidated. 

I have been intimidated by other people's dogs off the lead so bad dog owners affect good dog owners too 

[catalyst]

I have no idea if any of this is aimed at me. But a quick word about this next door dog. He also chases my dog and growls at him, he chases birds and all sorts of other things. He has a chasing problem that has obviously not been addressed. If my cats were wandering around next doors garden gate, or in their garden then fine. But they were barely outside my gate/fence. The dog seeked them out. I live in a rural area with a very large area outside my front gate that is open and grassed, but have neighbours beside me (farm steading). I am not going to restrict my cats to being indoors when there is all this space outside. Yes it does mean some risks to them and i accpet that. But taht dog is a risk i shouldnt need to contend with. If it had been my dog that he had chased and hurt then i bet the response would be different. Well it would be on a dog forum at least.

I hardly ever post on this forum and hardly really post much on the net. Now i know why. One wee snippet of info is more dangerous than knowing it all!

[Den]

I think it's quite harsh to label the first incident as thoughtless. My dog frequently manages to escape and there's not a thing we can do about it except go out front and hope we're going the right way. He either goes to the top of the lane or crosses a busy main road and goes down by the river and there are cats a plenty in that area. He's also an old dog with not much interest in cats, but he can open doors and get out and we don't realize until we go looking for him.

I think it's quite niave to think a dog can't get out of a garden when you accept that cats can. Not only can dogs jump higher than cats, but they generally have a lot of force too. I know between two our back gate has been broken down at least five times, and been opened a good four. How do you stop it?  Chain the poor thing up everytime it's in the back garden? Guess what? Doesn't work either. We've had to go looking for the dogs countless times on holiday when they've been chained up and pulled the thing clear out of the ground!

You need to be doing something to stop your dog from escaping. You say he can open doors and you don't realise until you look for him ... you need to start locking doors or changing door handles to round ones which then can't be opened. Also, if your dog is an escape artist 1) you can make your fence higher, 2) make sure he isn't outside unsupervised, if you know he cannot be trusted.

[Catbird]

Sorry but I am with Amo_Angelus on this one.  It's not a perfect world and people do make mistakes, which will inevitably lead to the temporary escape of their pets (dogs and others). 

In the first instance, the elderly lab had wandered off on his own, without his owner noticing and by your own admission, he was not interested in attacking or chasing your cat.  In the second instance, yes, the owners let the spaniel off the lead but from what you say, they maintained control of what sounds like a well-trained dog and recalled him immediately and succesfully.  In the final instance, you say that the owner has the dog on an extendable lead and the cat can immediately run to safety under the hedge - I would think that there is a good chance here that the owner doesn't realise that you are worried about the effect that his dog has on your cat, perhaps you could talk to him.

All in all, you really cannot expect the neighbourhood to alter their lives in order to suit you and your cat.  It would be different, I think, if your cat was in any real danger but I don't get the sense that she is from your message.  Sadly, it does seem as if the outside world is becoming less safe for pets - a cat in my area lost an eye at the weekend to yet another air rifle attack - and then there's roads.  If you are really concerned about your cat's safety then I think that a "cat-proof" garden is maybe the way to go.  Or perhaps even consider keeping her indoors (I have a very happy indoor pud).

Sorry I cannot agree with you on this one but ultimately, your cat's safety is your concern and none of the incidents you mention sound particularly worrying.

C.

[moiramassey]

I think you can keep both cats and dogs in!

High fences, a 'pet lock' to make sure that they don't get out with you, strong fences and gates for the dogs, catproofing on top of the fences and gates for the cats.

Costs though!!

[Amo_angelus]

I think it's quite harsh to label the first incident as thoughtless. My dog frequently manages to escape and there's not a thing we can do about it except go out front and hope we're going the right way. He either goes to the top of the lane or crosses a busy main road and goes down by the river and there are cats a plenty in that area. He's also an old dog with not much interest in cats, but he can open doors and get out and we don't realize until we go looking for him.

I think it's quite niave to think a dog can't get out of a garden when you accept that cats can. Not only can dogs jump higher than cats, but they generally have a lot of force too. I know between two our back gate has been broken down at least five times, and been opened a good four. How do you stop it?  Chain the poor thing up everytime it's in the back garden? Guess what? Doesn't work either. We've had to go looking for the dogs countless times on holiday when they've been chained up and pulled the thing clear out of the ground!

You actually have a better chance of keeping a cat in than a dog that wants out. Dogs can be just as crafty, they do pick up a lot of tricks (Ever wondered why they use dogs as aids and not cats?) They are strong (Police use dogs to bowl people over) and they will get out if they want to.

I also think it's rather tart for you to allow your cat out un supervised and off a lead and then get pissed off because a dog owner has their dog supervised and on a lead or supervised and off lead. What? One rule for cats and another for dogs? Sorry love, but that's just stupid.

[Maddiesmum]

Can't stop the dog getting out of the garden?  That's a cop out, it's his responsibility to ensure the dog can't get out of the garden.  I would speak to the local dog warden who can go and see him and give him advice.  He needs to make the garden secure.  Your cats shouldn't have to live in fear.

[catalyst]

Next doors Spaniel hates cats and managed to get out of the garden today and chased both my cats. Milo can look after himself and isnt too fussed and just runs for home. Pagan though is used to my dog who doesnt bother with her and got the fright of her life today. She didnt know what was going on and barely managed to get back to the fence when i grabbed her. I wouldnt have minded so much but the owner said that he just cant stop him doing it. I wanted to say, well if you trained him right from the start you wouldnt have this problem and if neither if you tell your kids to make sure the dog doesnt get out the gate!

She was fine though and was happy in the garden 10 mins later.

[bonnielass]

i had that problem when i first moved up here 6 yrs ago. my front garden goes straight into the woods and my cats thought it was heaven(i had 8 then ) the trouble was people walking by with dogs would see the cats and allow there dogs, even chivving then on to catch the CATS, i spent hours trying to coax my scared cats down from great heights in the fir trees and had loads of arguements with the owners, their excuse well dogs always chase cats its what they do, when i pointed out that i had 2 dogs and they didnt chase cats i was greeted with disbelief, i have always taught my dogs to leave  and  they always looked but then walked on,

[tillywilly]

I want to have a rant about dog owners.
i have a cat who loves to be outside, exploring, doing her thing.

I live in quite cul de sac, with only one other neighbour's cat.
She is confident outside however one thing that frightens her is dogs.
3 dog incidents have occured recently.
1. Large old black lab. walking around by himself.  He was not interested in my cat, she stood her ground, and then turned her back to run off and so the dog chased her.  We know wear he lives so we took him home, the owner said "I did not realise he had escaped".  In fairness he was not that bothered in my cat and does seem very old.
2. People down in the street next to ours have a Spaniel dog, they let him of the lead as they near their house, and he comes bounding into our cul de sac, where my cat is quietly doing her thing and suddenly has a dog at her.  Luckly he went to his owners when they called him.
3. Worst of all - a dog on a extendable lead and my cat is sat by some hedges, the owner lets the dog chase her into the hedges where she escapes.  And walks away.

Usually she shruggs of meeting dogs, but not so long ago she did not come home, and we have put it down to her possibly being scared by a dog.
I wish dog owners would be more thoughfull, that cats do roam around, and they should be able to control their dogs on and off a lead.

I feel slightly better...........