Quote Originally Posted by Pam
That's it in a nutshell. If someone has a dog that is aggressive in any way at all it is THEIR responsibility to keep that dog controlled.
I have to agree with this. I own a highly dog aggressive dog. Kayleigh firmly believes she should be the only dog on the planet. She's a big girl and she could do some serious damage to another dog if she had the opportunity. I go to great lengths every day to ensure that my other dogs are safe, my neighbors' dogs are safe, and that Kayleigh still has a happy life. No one else should have to adjust their life, their schedule, their dog walking route because of my dog. It's my responsibility to adjust my own life to meet Kayleigh's needs.

Owning any dog is a big responsibility; owing one with a temperment like this is a HUGE responsibility. If I mess up; if I let my guard down with her for a second, if Kayleigh gets away from me; if she causes any injury to another dog, it's my fault completely, but Kayleigh will be the one to pay the price. Under our animal control by-law, if she harms another dog off my property, it is assumed she had my permission to do so; she's automatically declared a dangerous dog and she's dead. No question, no recourse, no second chance. I know what she's like and it is my job to protect her from herself.

Kayleigh is good with people. She likes kids. She's gentle and playful. If she were on the loose and chasing something, I think she could hurt someone, not intentionally, but with her sheer size or by someone sticking their hand in the wrong place! A kid trying to protect their own dog might well get hurt by her. Again, it's my job to make sure that never happens.

The shelter I got her from never told me she was dog aggressive when I adopted her; they were just happy to get rid of a big, black dog! Had I known, I might not have adopted her, but I made a committment to her that day--to love her and keep her safe for the rest of her life. I didn't realize that meant safe from herself, but I'll do it happily for as long as she is here. I adore Kayleigh. She is a wonderful dog in many ways and has taught me many lessons. I never want anything bad to happen to her, but I also never want another dog like her.

These dogs clearly had an established pattern of escaping and causing havoc. If their owner cared about them, they should have taken whatever steps were needed to prevent further escapes and problems. It's sad that the dogs will pay for their owners stupidity, but legally I doubt there is any choice.

Prey drive is a whole seperate issue from aggression. Prey driven dogs are not aggressive. It's usually a breed trait. All of my dogs are prey driven to some degree, with the exception of Kayleigh, none of them are also dog aggressive or human aggressive. My yard is small critter free! An outdoor cat is my yard is dead and I've suffered that agony with one of my own cats who had escaped. I've warned my neighbor that if their cat comes into my yard, I will not take responsiblity for what happens to her. If my dogs are off my property and kill someone's cat, I will take full responsiblity for that.