sabies
09-21-2011, 03:30 PM
I have not been on the forum in a while since my beloved Sadie passed. We have since adopted 2 dogs, hoping they could be friends since we have kids who require a lot of our time as well. Last night a baby deer got into our yard and our dogs, acting on instinct and a prey drive, attacked it. I wasn't at home at the time but my husband heard the deer crying out. He chased the dogs away but the deer was injured and a police officer ultimately put the deer down.
I believe the dogs were just being dogs with a prey drive. They are both 40 pounders who are harmless around the kids and don't even chase the chipmunks in the yard. I suppose that is only because the chipmunks are too quick and the baby deer was too naive, and too trapped.
My problem is my guilt. Our yard is surrounded by deer fencing and a hidden fence that together work to keep large animals out and the dogs in. This system works fine, except that I forgot to close the gate that morning. It was closed just 2 hours later, again by me, and I didn't realize I was trapping 2 deer inside. Yes, to make the situation worse, there were 2 baby deer in the yard and I know these deer from the neighborhood - they were already orphans. One is now left totally alone. And that is my fault. Since I didn't think the baby deer would be alone I searched the yard and found the second orphan and chased him til he found the gate. Unfortunately that was the least I could do for him.
I'm mad at myself and the dogs, though I know they were simply being dogs. I wish I could do something for the remaining deer but he/she prefers to be no where near me and of course now I would have no way to identify the deer unless I see a young deer all alone. The baby deer that was killed was still so small - were these orphans surviving well enough on their own? Why were they always alone when there are lots of deer around here, wouldn't another family take them in? I couldn't sleep last night thinking of this lonely deer alone out in the cold. I know I'm being anthropomorphic but that does not stop my thoughts.
Sorry to vent but I figured other animal lovers could understand. What the dogs did is so disturbing to me that I wonder if I truly am a dog lover and if I can get over this.
I believe the dogs were just being dogs with a prey drive. They are both 40 pounders who are harmless around the kids and don't even chase the chipmunks in the yard. I suppose that is only because the chipmunks are too quick and the baby deer was too naive, and too trapped.
My problem is my guilt. Our yard is surrounded by deer fencing and a hidden fence that together work to keep large animals out and the dogs in. This system works fine, except that I forgot to close the gate that morning. It was closed just 2 hours later, again by me, and I didn't realize I was trapping 2 deer inside. Yes, to make the situation worse, there were 2 baby deer in the yard and I know these deer from the neighborhood - they were already orphans. One is now left totally alone. And that is my fault. Since I didn't think the baby deer would be alone I searched the yard and found the second orphan and chased him til he found the gate. Unfortunately that was the least I could do for him.
I'm mad at myself and the dogs, though I know they were simply being dogs. I wish I could do something for the remaining deer but he/she prefers to be no where near me and of course now I would have no way to identify the deer unless I see a young deer all alone. The baby deer that was killed was still so small - were these orphans surviving well enough on their own? Why were they always alone when there are lots of deer around here, wouldn't another family take them in? I couldn't sleep last night thinking of this lonely deer alone out in the cold. I know I'm being anthropomorphic but that does not stop my thoughts.
Sorry to vent but I figured other animal lovers could understand. What the dogs did is so disturbing to me that I wonder if I truly am a dog lover and if I can get over this.