Feel terrible!

LisaW123

picklepick wrote: »

You clearly haven't if you keep confusing the wrong person for the dog's owner!!

Regardless of who the owner is, this dog needs to be controlled.

lisawood78

Hi op. I own three great danes, they are wonderful animals. I hope your injuries are recovering, as stated above watch for infection.
I don't have cats, they don't venture into my garden either so can't really advise there.
But I hope you find a resolution that suits you and your other pets and the neighbours.
I certainly don't think this makes your pup a monster dog , And calling the police/RSPCA/ anyone else seems OTT to me, especially as the cat is ok and the owner not upset. Good luck

scrabbles_2

mammyof7 wrote: »

I've actually spoken to a few people whom have said this. The dog has been fine with our cat for quite a while now, even licking him. However I freely admit to now being frightened to let her out in the garden and when she has been out we have watched her like a hawk!

Presumably the dog was 'fine' with you before as well. And yet you were injured by it yesterday yourself. If you cat-proof you will trap your own cat in if the dog ever goes for it. If you don't cat-proof you are ignoring the fact that your dog has attacked a pet and that, when it did, you weren't able to control it. Even if this is perfectly legal, it is morally wrong. Not having a go, just trying to give you my perspective.

~Chameleon~

scrabbles wrote: »

Presumably the dog was 'fine' with you before as well. And yet you were injured by it yesterday yourself. If you cat-proof you will trap your own cat in if the dog ever goes for it. If you don't cat-proof you are ignoring the fact that your dog has attacked a pet and that, when it did, you weren't able to control it. Even if this is perfectly legal, it is morally wrong. Not having a go, just trying to give you my perspective.

The OP wasn't injured by her dog but by the cat as it tried to make its escape.

NewKittenHelp

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

The dog was in its own garden. If you went into the owners garden to save your cat and attack their dog then you would be trespassing and performing a criminal act.

Oh well. I'd just have to live with the consequences, and I say that as a former and future dog owner.

fannyadams

Couldn't just read and run, as an owner of two sighthounds who, as a condition of my insurance, have to be muzzled in all public spaces. I was interested to read Fire Fox's post about DDA (thank you).
I hope everything is calmed down now and your neighbour's cat is recovered too. have you had a chat with your vet to see if there's a behaviour specialist you can contact to resolve this - I know from personal experience that many dogs live quite happily with cats and only chase invaders but I still wouldn't leave them on their own together...
Quick question though, did you call your insurance company to let them know what happened in case your neighbour makes a claim on you for their cat's injuries. Cats can sometimes look fine on the outside and be really messed up inside (my mum breeds cats so I have learned stuff by osmosis).

FA
x

scrabbles_2

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

The OP wasn't injured by her dog but by the cat as it tried to make its escape.

Sorry, my misunderstanding. So in that case I'd want to put a fence up to spare myself the scratches next time if nothing else. I would stand by the essence of the fact, which is that the OP had always previously been able to control the dog, but has discovered that they can't always.

heartbreak_star

I'd have an ask at the vets about behaviour specialists, and I like the look of those plastic fence topper things - quite cheap too. Glad the kitty is okay though!

I advocate cat-proofing the garden as someone who has owned both cats and dogs. I have a feeling (though of course I may be wrong) the OP's dog is "protecting" its own cat, which as a kitten is presumably smaller than the neighbour's full-grown cat?

And to those who think the OP is irresponsible - I think she has been VERY responsible in risking herself to save the cat. Irresponsible would have been to do nothing, and kudos to her neighbour who realises that animals are animals and as such can be unpredictable.

Incidentally, if the cat was unscathed, was it actually a full-on attack? If my mum's labrador went for a cat properly, even if it was just across the garden I wouldn't get there in time to stop injury.

Just a few thoughts. And please keep an eye on those scratches OP!

HBS x

mammyof7

BECKIN1507 wrote: »

Totally agree with what most people are saying, my dogs accept my cats as part of the pack, other peoples cats is a different story. The cat will probably now be worried and shouldn't come back in your garden. I don't leave my cats and dogs together if I'm not in, mainly because my cats are slightly evil and love scratching the dogs, I couldn't blame the dog if she bit the cats back.

My neighbours have actually said that the cat will maybe learn to keep out now (I seriously hope so!!) However they also have another cat which does not tend to come in my garden, but that will now be a worry too

mammyof7

antw23uk wrote: »

Wow what a terrible day you have had. How are you feeling now?

Well for me i would be thinking prevention is better than cure...

Higher fence so enable more control of your dog.

Cat proofing to help/ ensure neighbours cat doesnt get into garden *

Sorry but i tend to agree ... Once a cat agressive dog ... you are just waiting for the sh*t to hit the fan at home with your own cat**

*cat proofing your garden will mean your own cat cannot get out.

**This is from awful personal experience which none of us at the time could have predicted.

Finally LUCKY YOU ... if it had been my cat i would have taken your dogs head off and then apologised through gritted but satisfied teeth

Thanks ant, I am feeling a lot better now. My fence is already 6ft high. The dog is normally very controllable. We have had her for over 7 years and this is the very first incident of this type. I freely admit that she isnt at all good with othjer dogs (or cats!) but she is safely contained within our own garden.