Do you think I would be to blame if......

[FestiveSpirit]

WeeBarney's comments in Hunting Lounge about how dreadful I was allowing my greyhounds to kill an occasional rabbit have got me thinking.....so I wondered what people thought?

I live in a small mid-terrace house on a housing estate - I have an enclosed back garden (6' wooden panelling all around) and a very small open plan front "garden" (small patch of grass about 3' square with a hedge at the front of it!)

My neighbours cat insists on hiding in my front garden behind the hedge. When I bring my dogs out of the front door in the morning there is often a frantic few moments whilst they lunge for the cat (they ARE on leads I hasten to add!) whilst the cat makes a run for it.

Would you think I would be to blame if one day the cat didnt get away quickly enough? I would obviously never want this to happen, but I wondered what people's views were?

(BTW I personally do not think I would be to blame - my dogs were on their leads in my own garden - but cat owners may have other views I realise!) Thanks

 

[mattilda]

It would be awful if they ever did kill the cat but I'm not sure you could be held to blame. If the cat is in your garden and the dogs were on leads am not sure what else you can do. they are sight hounds and that's what they do.
As far as the rabbits are concerned, please bring them on a daytrip to Cheshire and let them ;loose on the buggers digging up my fields. I love my dogs but they just blunder about being a mild irritation to the bunnies!!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I have a cat who knows exactly which dogs he can go near and which he can't - Sweep being the only dog he can go near - all the cats here at the yard (5 or 6) in total keep out of the way of all the dogs - from terriers through to lurchers. I would be upset if someones dog came into my garden uninvited and killed my cat or they deliberately let it be chased in the barns (the cats are here to keep down the mice and rats) but if my cat was stupid enough to jump in the terriers pen and they caught him yes I would be upset but blame the owners - no. Cats are clever animals so I am surprised they keep coming back to sit in the same place when they get chased everyday by your dogs - do they live next door to you?

 

[FestiveSpirit]

Hmmm well so far it seems that I am not being that unreasonable then - god forbid it ever happens of course

I havent been able to work out where the wretched cat actually does live Slinkyunicorn - we are a little cul-de-sac so could be one of about 10 houses - definitely not either of my immediate neighbours though. It sits there and goes 'ha ha you cant get me' at the dogs generally

- it doesnt seem to realise that they do seriously mean business IF they ever got the chance

 

[Oneofthepack]

Mine are very cat unfriendly when they're in their pack and loose so I try and check there are no cats about before I let them off but god forbid they did catch one then I would feel partly to blame for not making sure.

What's this about getting stick for letting your dogs kill rabbits? Weebarney'd best not come walkies with my lot then

 

[FestiveSpirit]

I said that my greyhounds occasionally caught rabbits whilst out on a walk... so I got accused of using my rescue greyhounds for coursing (WeeBarney was sure that GRWE would like to be informed about that) and asked whether I was not concerned about poor baby rabbits dying in their burrow when my nasty greyhounds had killed their poor mummy

Oddly enough WeeBarney did not take up my offer of PMing me so I could give him/her the contact number for GRWE so he/she could tell them about my nefarious actitivies

Appreciate your point about the cats though

 

[Oneofthepack]

I just read that thread.....god they're horrible on there aren't they! I won't post out of this forum as it's the only one that almost never gets nasty. We seem to be able to share our opinions and discuss rather than resort to snidy sarcasm

ALL ABOUT DOGS ROCKS

By the way completely agree with your point about sighthounds/exercise and bunnies

And what dog could possibly be content with 2 x 15 min on lead walks a day. Sorry but that's b***ocks and I don't believe the greyhound rescue said it

 

[CAYLA]

But but but, she made me go in there

and u know how much I hate getting into argumentss or heated debate ootp

And there are no emoticons in there.....*cala* is obsessed with the lack of emoticons in Hunting Forum

AND, my pointer killed a pheasant on tonights walk

, OH is now cooking it

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

[ QUOTE ]

AND, my pointer killed a pheasant on tonights walk

, OH is now cooking it

[/ QUOTE ]

Yummy!! You having it with lots of lovely mash?!

Clever doggies bringing home dinner....

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
But but but, she made me go in there

and u know how much I hate getting into argumentss or heated debate ootp

[/ QUOTE ]

I SO did not, I merely mentioned the discussion and you dived in there to join the mob

Some fabulous points very well made I might add

[ QUOTE ]
And there are no emoticons in there.....*cala* is obsessed with the lack of emoticons in Hunting Forum

[/ QUOTE ]

I had noticed this already somehow

[ QUOTE ]
AND, my pointer killed a pheasant on tonights walk

, OH is now cooking it

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn it why do my two never catch anything useful

Actually I didnt have the heart to tell WeeBarney that it is about 8 months since they have caught a rabbit, they are bloody useless at chasing them really

The terriers at the yard used to get the rabbits every day without fail

But at least now I have finally realised that eating a dead rabbit is not harmful to my dog, so if they do ever get one (which doesnt have myxi) then THEY will be having it for tea

 

[CAYLA]

Im not going in there no more, if there are any new debates, till the emoticons are reinstated

Do u think I did good then in he debate stakes

I was thinking, if u put a scratchline in the garden, and the cat passes it within 10 secs of your dogs appearing, then surely it's fair game

Im sure the cat will understand what passing the scratchline means for heaven sakes

ahhhh emoticons

 

[woolly]

Haven't read all the posts but good on you for letting your pups have a life!!!! We used to hunt our Irish Wolfie several times a day and he had all the bunnies he could catch as had permission to hunt him on military airfields where rabbits are a problem and under strict conditions! He loved it and was the happiest dog ever when he caught a bunny and scoffed it...(didn't have to feed him that day if he bagged around 3 smallish ones or 2 biggies!!!!) Only bad time was (sorry to be graphic!) he used to literally take the heads off and scoff them down whole and one day after a particularly successful session he came home and went to slob out in the garden. Mext door had a little girl around 6 years old who had a pathological fear of dogs and a massive Irish Wolfhound at the fence (secure chain link aound 5ft high on her side) was her 'Everest'. Slowly but surely (wolfies being a placid dog) she was won around and had reached the stage of being able to give him a 'scooby snack' (small child's biccie) and 'talk' to him through the fence. Her mother was delighted that her daughter's fear seemed to be under control.... Well pup wandered in and little girl was just talking to him affectionately through the fence when Haz wretched and out popped a perfect, albeit a little soggy, rabbits head!!!! Little girl screaming like you would not believe..... felt so sorry for her....
Anyway, if a cat was stupid enough to go into the garden we used to give it as much chance of getting away and did all in our power to prevent an accident. Thankfully the cats learnt pretty quickly to stay away but if one did get yomped in our garden (which was secure) I can not see our dog being held culpable. It is however something we were exceptionally vigilant about. Haz was superb with game birds as found them of no interest and was kept on a lead near any livestock as he had a particular liking of bulls!!!! He was however, terrified of lambs!!!!

 

[Oneofthepack]

[ QUOTE ]
Well pup wandered in and little girl was just talking to him affectionately through the fence when Haz wretched and out popped a perfect, albeit a little soggy, rabbits head!!!! Little girl screaming like you would not believe..... felt so sorry for her....


[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry but that's quite funny

Don't they always pick their moments! I was outside talking to my new neighbour and explaining how easy my dogs were to look after and how well behaved they were (in an attempt to get her onboard for occasional dog sitting) when my lurcher heaved up a recently caught and not very well chewed rabbit right at her feet. You could still see the ears and bits, like a rabbit in a blender

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Aahhh - haha! They just know how to let you down don't they?!! It doesn't matter what you say they always do the opposite.....get on with other dogs - start a fight, always come back - s*d off after a rabbit, not fussy eaters - refuse dog food.....the list is endless!

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
Well pup wandered in and little girl was just talking to him affectionately through the fence when Haz wretched and out popped a perfect, albeit a little soggy, rabbits head!!!! Little girl screaming like you would not believe..... felt so sorry for her....


[/ QUOTE ]

I am sorry but I absolutely PMSL at this one - poor little girl but naughty naughty Hazzie for choosing such a moment

Bless him, he really was one in a million wasnt he

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
Im not going in there no more, if there are any new debates, till the emoticons are reinstated

Do u think I did good then in he debate stakes

I was thinking, if u put a scratchline in the garden, and the cat passes it within 10 secs of your dogs appearing, then surely it's fair game

Im sure the cat will understand what passing the scratchline means for heaven sakes

ahhhh emoticons

[/ QUOTE ]

(notices Cala is hinting for more praise here.......)

I thought you did great - as did all the All about Dog people who posted

What a vile lot the Hunting Forum are that they cannot make their point without resorting to personal insults, poor sad saps

But some really really good responses from decent people I thought

Now I have learned what a scratchline is

Cala I have made one in my front garden.... cats beware

 

[woolly]

Thanks all...he was a dirty skank! Hey babes...well done with Bob!!!!
xx

 

[FestiveSpirit]

Thanks B

I am still feeling really

about it

 

[Oneofthepack]

[ QUOTE ]


Do u think I did good then in he debate stakes

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you were brill! They picked on the wrong person didn't they but TBH you couldn't fail to win a debate with that lot! What a lot of numbnuts

They seemed to be argueing for the sake of it with no proper knowledge of what they were talking about.

And yay thank god for

and

..... sometimes only a

will do