My 12 year old lab killed a 5 month old kitten

[buttercup132]

I saw it happen and smacked the lab rather hard as fast as I could get out of the chair and held the kitten in my arms until she had passed.

Are you kidding me...you got up and physically hit your dog for doing what it was bred to do?!?!
You do realize you have a breed that was BRED to HUNT small animals right?
Not to mention your dog is 12, dogs get agitated very easily when they are older and being 12 chances are her vision is not so great.

I was so mad I almost put the dog down,

Again this is absolutely ridiculous, I understand that your upset the kitten got killed but the dog was doing what come natural to it. If you want a dog that gets along with other animals dont get a dog that was bred to hunt.
Thats like expecting a Border Collie not the herd, it's just absurd.

The dog has changed her life through her unwarranted action in the death of an innocent kitten

How so?

BUT IT KILLED A LIVING THING!!!!!

Guess what 97% of dogs were bred for? Even pretty fancy poodles were bred for killing.

Heck dogs attack each other all the time, should they be put down?

That all being said you could have the kitten in your house still and just continue what your doing, ie: separating them.
People have dogs in the same house that would rip each others throats if possible but they are managed in a way where they never come in contact with each other.
Also does your dog have a crate?
I would highly suggest getting one if you dont so she can have a area that is her area to get away from the other animals.

[Karen]

Buttercup, Labs were not bred to kill small animals. They were bred to retrieve game, usually birds, that hunters had shot down. Poodles were also bred as retrievers.

Many terrier breeds were bred to be vermin control, so yes, terrier, dachshunds - THEY were bred to kill small animals. The retriever breeds were not.

[buttercup132]

I know they were bred for that but as others have stated the dog didnt attack the kitten it grabbed it. The dog still has prey drive to go after little animals.

[Animal _lover]

Buttercup....

I will try to understand your comments and as it was said sooner that Labs were never bred to kill anything period.They were actually first bred to retrieve fishing nets if I am not mistaken.Most of the labs I know are pets except for the few bird dogs for the few hunters I know here in the area.They are terrific with small children.
My first reactions at seeing such a horrific event that completely blind sided me was over done as I stated later on in this thread ,woulda coulda ,shoulda.I am an honest person and only human and reacted in a fit of anger,but I did not harm to the dog permanently and I did get my rational back fairly quickly.
If I ever thought that the kittens would be in any danger from any of my dogs,that all had been brought up with cats their whole lives with never a piece of fur out of place,the kittens would have been gone out the door to a rescue facility.
I have always had multiple dogs in the same house and never has one drawn blood from another ever.They have shown teeth,growled ,but never ever has one bitten the other.The only time the teeth showing or growling has occurred is when they have been given chew sticks and they get protective of their treat.Heck they all go around and clean out the others food bowls after the original dog has finished eating to make sure they do not miss a scrap of food.
I have come to the conclusion that Tia being old and grey just got irritated for some reason and reacted ( that I will not understand as the kitten had done the same thing a hundred times before) and her action would have been a minor incident on any animal larger than the poor 5 month old kitten.
My heart is hurt by the incident,but more importantly the little Feisty is slowly getting over missing her companion as I have introduced Feisty to a new environment,outside in the yard with trees and bugs and leaves.It seems to be helping as she started to play with the balls and toys we have put out through out the house which is a good sign.Today the kitty is getting spayed and then hopefully I will talk some sense into the wife and she will see it is best that Feisty go to a good home.Until that time she and Tia will never occupy the same space with out control on Feisty ( the kitty harness is a good tool ) as Tia is old and slow and Feisty is young and wicked fast.
In my home there are six different dog beds and each dog has one upstairs and one downstairs.Then there is the couch , the fake Persian rugs with padding,the beds etc..I have a fenced in area in back of the house for the buds to hang out in when needed then there are well over 100 acres of land they can go romp in as well.But I do not have a crate for the dogs to be put into when in the house nor in the car as they have their own mini van that they allow me to drive.Tia gets the front seat and Ginny and Chrissy take the back bench seat with the middle seats out and another carpet with padding in between the front and the back seats.Of course with a water bowl and treats.The air conditioning is on always in the summer and the dogs ride with me just about everywhere.Very seldom is there a time they are not cruising when I am cruising.
It was a tragic incident as to which I have never witnessed before in my many years of taking care of abandoned pets.Each of my animals ,all of them, either were a rescue or an abandoned animal.I seem to attract them for some reason.
I know there is a lesson to learn from this tragedy,but it seems to elude me at the moment as it still makes no real sense and most likely will never make any sense to me.I am just keeping the kitty and Tia separate from one another.When Tia is outside the kitty owns the house and when Tia is in the house the kitty owns the downstairs and Tia the upstairs.
Maybe Cesar Millan could explain it to me....

[luvofallhorses]

Well dogs are animals. Prey drive is normal regardless of breed. Not a big fan of Cesar Milan.

[Animal _lover]

Well dogs are animals. Prey drive is normal regardless of breed. Not a big fan of Cesar Milan.

You are correct they are animals.He , Cesar Millan was the first dog behaviorist I could think of at the time.I can take him or leave him.
I actually emailed someone at Best Friends Society to see what they think and I do believe their success with all kinds of animals is outstanding .I know the kitty needs a new home that is a given.
The kitty is back home and is a hissing grump which after a bit of web surfing found out that can occur after surgery.Tomorrow will be another day.In the mean time the dogs and I have the couch and the kitty and the wife have the bedroom.

[buttercup132]

.Most of the labs I know are pets except for the few bird dogs for the few hunters I know here in the area.

Doesnt matter if they are pets its something that has been bred into them for years it's not going to go away just because they are a pet. It has to do with their lines and genetics.

I have always had multiple dogs in the same house and never has one drawn blood from another ever

It was a example, not saying every dog does that. There are certain breeds though that are like that like the APBT, they have dog aggression bred into them and any one who owns one needs to be prepared for that by taking the appropriate actions to prevent that.
So anyone who has a Lab needs to know they have prey drive bred into them, they will chase and unless your lab has been taught to have a soft mouth chances are they will just grab and kill. And as the owner you need to be prepared that, that could happen at any point in the dogs life.

In my home there are six different dog beds and each dog has one upstairs and one downstairs.Then there is the couch , the fake Persian rugs with padding,the beds etc..I have a fenced in area in back of the house for the buds to hang out in when needed then there are well over 100 acres of land they can go romp in as well.

How nice and how many beds you have does not mean anything to the dog. It needs somewhere that it can get away from everything, something that is theirs and secluded.
A crate is equal to a cave/den.

Cesar Millan would tell you the exact same thing, you have a dog with years of prey drive bred into it. It's pretty simple.
Go join a Lab forum, garuntee they will tell you the exact thing I just did.

Well dogs are animals. Prey drive is normal regardless of breed. Not a big fan of Cesar Milan.

Agree 100%

[sasvermont]

Just wondering why you think you know all the answers?

[buttercup132]

Years of research, seeing people have to pay for these kind of mistakes, life experiences, working with animals for years, talking to behavourist and researching dog behavior.
I never said I know all the answers just that its absurd someone would contemplate putting a dog down for something it was born to do.