Help!!!!!!!

[swimma253]

Meeka was outside by herself.. and she started barking visciously.... so I ran outside quickly. She was barking at a large woodchuck. So I ran over to her and tried to grab her so that she and the woodchuck would not get hurt. But she is VERY fast so she ran the other way and kept barking and trying to bite the animal. I kept yelling bad dog, and stop it and I was calling her and she wouldnt even look at me she paid absolutely no attention to me what-so-ever. So Then she and the animal ran deeper into the woods, where I could not get to them. Meeka was continuously (sp?) barking visciously at the animal. (When I first saw it I thought it was Rodney.. thank god it wasnt) So I resorted to being friendly to try to get her to come to me. Still she wouldnt come or even listen. I saw her lunge at the animal and it squealed. I was ready to cry. She didnt get it yet tho. So she kept barking and barking.... eventually the barking stopped. I knew she had killed it. I then didnt care if I got poisin ivy or got stabbed by prickers. I ran in to the woods. If she was going to kill somthing she was not going to enjoy it. So I got down there to find her licking and sniffing the dead body. Of course she ran off knowing what she had done was bad... so I stopped to see if the animal was still breathing. If it was, I would have tried to save it. It wasnt. I was so upset with Meeka I could just scream! She kept running from me... so eventually she got tired and I caught her. I yelled in her face... "Bad Girl!" and pointed to the dead animal. Hoping she would know what she did was wrong.

So now she is sitting inside under the table.. looking ashamed of herself.

What should I do? Was I too harsh on her? Please help!!!

Carly
p.s. sorry for rambling on but I just had to tell the story.

[tatsxxx11]

I know how upsetting it is to see that and no be able to stop it When my Cody caught a squirrel, I was beside myself. She wouldn't let it go I was so sad for the poor creature and cried when I realized it was dead. Does Meeka have a strong prey drive? Cody is a Husky/Shep and she'll go after anything really small, scampering about I'm sure Meeka's feeling pretty bad right now too

[swimma253]

well... I dont think she really meant to kill it... she was just playing but she did... and that upset me. But she does like to chase small animals that scamper... if they are still she is fine but if they move fast then she thinks they are playing. But with Rodney, she knows he is part of the family even if he is scampering.

so she doesnt chase him

[pitc9]

She was just doing what dogs do.... some have high prey drive some don't!! No one wants to see stuff like that, but that's what dogs/wolves do in the wild for food!! You can't take that out of them! I'm sure she got your message!!

[binka_nugget]

Sorry you had to go through that.

There's no way to take instinct out of a dog. In some cases, you may be able to control her but sometimes, instinct takes over and she just acts like a dog.

[cocker_luva]

i dont think you were too harsh at all. you told her to stop and she didnt. i think you did what every dogowner here has done (and felt) when their dog/s caught and/or killed an animal.

[swimma253]

thank you for the replies everyone!

[chocolatepuppy]

swimma253, I don't know if a wood chuck is the same thing as a ground hog but here where I live we have ground hogs and one nearly killed my brother-in-laws pit bull! He had to beat it off of her with a shovel! Please be careful with Meeka and the wildlife!

[swimma253]

Originally posted by chocolatepuppy
swimma253, I don't know if a wood chuck is the same thing as a ground hog but here where I live we have ground hogs and one nearly killed my brother-in-laws pit bull! He had to beat it off of her with a shovel! Please be careful with Meeka and the wildlife!

It is!!! Oh my goodness!!! Thank you for telling me! I will difenately be more careful! But I dont think this one was viscious it was just trying to get away, I watched it.

[sirrahved]

Your story sounds exactly like what happened to my little budgie, Skittles. So sorry you had to go through this!

[Tonya]

I am sorry that you had to go through that. It hurts when you have to be that mad at your pets. None of my pets have a prey drive, but I can still sort of relate. My RB Rosco hated kids and would go after them. It is a horrible feeling when your pet that you love dearly does something violent. I don't think you were to harsh on her though. She needs to know that is unacceptable.