Should my dog be labeled as a "Dangerous Dog"?

Question

I own an average sized pitbull that I let loose in my yard at night to guard against intruders (humans,dogs,possums,cats whatever).I also have a security camera around the premises.What I have witnessed surprised me.I reviewed the film because every night when I was sleeping a screaming screetching sound woke me up,it wasn't everynight,it was every other day.I have 2 small children and I have a little playground and a sand box in the backyard.What the video recorded was a total of 15 murders.My dog is a "Serial Killer".He waited everynight at around 2-3 AM for cats to come in to the sandbox which cats love to do. Once the cats where taking a dump and not paying attention to their surroundings,my dog slowly creeped up to them and pounced on them,after he delivered a fatal blow he ate them all but the bones and fur.Of course he didn't kill all 15 cats in one night,it was during a 1month span.I never review my recorded videos because my dog is always guarding but after hearing so many noises late at night I decided to check my computer and look back at last months videos and that's what I saw.Out of all the 15 cats he stalked only 1 got away.It was an orange one but 8 days later that same one came into the yard and this time he killed it.What can I do,there are dozens of flyers all over the street signs with "Cat Lost" or "Pet Missing".I always saw the flyers when I walked my pitbull but I red them and didn't think much of it,now after seeing my videos I realized that my dog is probably responsible for every single one of them.What should I do? What should I do with the hard drive?

Answer 1

This sounds fishy to me. You say he ate the cats all but the bones and fur but the first clue you had was that you saw this on video? You didn't notice the bones and fur all over the yard? You were woken up 15 times in one month and you never once got up and looked outside or reviewed the film until a month went by? You didn't recognize a screaming cat after hearing it a few times? Happy trolling.

Answer 2

Im sure everyone will hate me.

But the cats were out too, too bad.

Its the way s*** goes.

Your dog was protecting his AO.

TOO bad for the kittys!

Answer 3

I would ask myself "what if this was a child'?????? One day it might be.

Answer 4

man , r u serious ???  

Answer 5

Your dog is very dangerous. If you have any sense at all you'd have that monster destroyed. If your worried about security get a real pure bred dog, like a rottweiler or doberman and have it protection trained. Pitbulls are dangerous in general and in my opinion should be outlawed, but yours is truly being vicious and cunning even. It might get tired of stalking cats and go for other prey. Destroy it before that happens.  

Answer 6

forgive and forget.  after all an animal is never evil because his thought processes are nowhere near to human.   From now on, just prevent your dog from killing more cats. to make him like cats, get a cat as pet too.

Answer 7

bs. right?

Answer 8

Um, if your serious then yes your dog IS dangerous.  What happens when it's one of your children or someone else's?  

You should ask your local shelter and your vet.  

Your dog will quite possibly kill something more than a cat soon.

Answer 9

I think technically, as long as the cat was killed on your property, you are not responsible.

Also, put something over the sandbox when it's not being used. Do you really want them playing in something that cats use as their litter box.

Answer 10

One you shouldn't be leaving your dog outside unattended

Two dogs CHASE and EAT things it's a DOG why do you have a APBT if you do not know they have high prey drive your dog is not dangerous it's a DOG.

You have seen your dog kill cats yet you still let the dog out? WHY?

You have a security camera the APBT is NOT supposed to be a guard dog nor is it appropriate to use them as one. They are supposed to be a people friendly breed so why would you want to try and go against that standard to have it bark and guard against people?

Answer 11

Hopefully this is bs. If it's not...I'm keeping my pets away from you and your scary dog.

Answer 12

keep some harmless dog which would be pet and as guard it is only idea for ur peacefull mind

Answer 13

I'm sorry you have been put in this position.

However, you are in it now, and so you must deal with it, before it becomes worse.

I don't think your dog is a "dangerous dog".  he was placed there by you, the owner to guard your property, and he has never left your property.

dogs are very protective and territorial, and unfortunately for the cats, (I do love cats, let's make this clear.)  the cats found themselves in a bad way by jumping the fence, into your yard, as their owners allowed them to wander the neighborhood, and into your backyard.

I would consider the following:

call the owners, and give them peace of mind.

inform them of the unfortunate events, and that you felt you owed them the truth. It is up to them how they react.  they can be understanding, and thank you for letting them know, or just go ballistic, and threaten or call the aspca on you.  (which, may or may not happen, and in any case, they are wrong for allowing and knowingly let their cat loose on the streets.)

*by the way, the cats could have been hit by a car, snatched by a feral predator, like coyotes or large birds of prey, or killed by someone else.  At least you could tell them what happened, and they won't have to guess.  the fact your dog killed them is just one way in a thousand they could die if their owners let them out every night.

inform them that in the future, your dog will be loose in your yard, guarding your property, and you want them to know this, to keep any other cats they may have or consider getting safe.  

Your dog is not wrong.  if you want to place blame, you can look at it this way: they were wrong for allowing their cat to run loose, to trespass into your property, p**p in your children's sandbox, which is utterly gross, and really bad for your children, and you can also blame yourself, not your dog, for letting him loose and kill the cats.  HOWEVER, your dog never left your property.  he was doing exactly what you wanted him to do, protect your property.  

You may consider contacting someone such as the aspca or the local police to ask them about your rights and your dog's rights, and about your allowing him to run loose at night in your yard...

just a thought.

I hope this works out for you, and for your dog.

Answer 14

A lot of big dogs prey on small animals.It is instinct.

I would say buy or build a cover for the sand box.You will not have anymore murders on your property and you children will not get sick from the cat urine/f***s.I am more worried about the kids getting sick!

If these people are genuinely missing their cats, they shouldn't let them out of the house.The owners will not be able to do anything because the dog was roaming in his back yard..not the streets.

Your dog however can be labeled aggressive if it attacks someone or another animal that is not intruding on your property.I wouldn't make any harsh decisions but I would watch for red flags.

Answer 15

that's absolutely horrible and saddening!! Think of those poor kids with no cat...missing their great friend...a member of there family. This has to be a joke...right?? I mean, 15 cats?? are you serious?? If this is real, serious training is a must!! As soon as possible!! What if one day a small child somehow gets in? You will be in loads of trouble!!  

Answer 16

Cats today, Kids tomorrow.  Have the dog put down.

Answer 17

If this is a serious question, then yes, your dog is dangerous. If it is willing to kill and eat cats, it may kill strange children or other small living things. If you are sure about some of the cats it killed, you should tell the owner, they deserve to know. Your dog should not be allowed to kill any more cats, that is a horrible, horrible thing.

Answer 18

I say half the ones your dog killed were owned by people, the other half weren't-AKA loads of strays!

Just because your dog killed 15cats, doesn't man every single cat was owned by someone, heaps of strays around.

In some states, its illegal to have a dog loose in the front yard and you can be CHARGED for having a dog loose even though it on your property-YOU can still get charged!, so its best to put them out the back-Burgelars will Jump over the fence!

Confine your

dog to your

property at

all times ...

onfining Dogs

All dogs should be confined to the back yard of a "dog proof", fenced property and not be able to wander onto the streets.

The majority of dog bites actually occur on the owner's property or on the property boundary line. Dogs regard their property as their domain and will naturally seek to protect it.

Legally, people have right of way access to your front door. This means you are responsible if your dog bites someone who has entered your property and is going to or coming from the front door. Meters for utility services such as gas or electricity must also be positioned to allow the reader safe access.

With this in mind, don't leave the gate open while you are washing the car or working in the garden. It is an offence if your dog is not confined to the yard and leaves the property. You are also liable if your dog attacks a person or another dog, damages property or causes a traffic accident outside your property.

The solution is to ensure that your gate is closed so that your dog is confined and cannot wander from the property.

Wandering dogs can not only become lost or stolen, but at worst can be severely injured or killed by motor vehicles. They also represent a hazard for pedestrians and bike riders.

If you want a dog who...

Is medium to large, muscular and powerful

Looks imposing, so makes an effective deterrent, but is usually non-aggressive with people

Thrives on vigorous athletic activities

Has a sleek, easy-groom coat that comes in many colors

An American Pit Bull Terrier may be right for you.

If you don't want to deal with...

Legal liabilities (public perception, future breed bans, insurance problems, increased chance of lawsuits)

An extremely careful search to avoid all the nasty, neurotic Pit Bulls

Providing extra amounts of socialization and training to make sure your dog turns out well and counteracts the bad press

Aggression toward other animals

Rowdiness and exuberant jumping, especially when young

Destructiveness when bored

Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge

Shedding

An American Pit Bull Terrier may not be right for you.

Extreme animal aggression. Most Pit Bull Terriers are aggressive toward other dogs. Many have strong instincts to chase and seize cats and other fleeing creatures, including deer and livestock. If anything goes wrong in the breeding, socializing, training, handling, or management of this breed, it is capable of seriously injuring or killing other animals.

To keep your Pit Bull in, and to keep other animals out, fences should be high, with wire sunk into the ground along the fence line to thwart digging. Gates should have the highest quality locks.

Its in the pitbull natureto kill other animals such as cats! 4km daily walks should reduce some of this cat kill behaviour, but still the only way to curb this behaviour is to keep in the backyard or inside, and Burgulars will eventually get inside the house, and in turn the dog should scare the Intruders away-They should NOT attack or be trainned to attack as this can cause Aggression and other behaviour issues!

The debate about "dangerous dogs" cannot progress without clarification of the meaning of "dangerous." A thing, activity, dog or person should be considered "dangerous" if it or he presents an unacceptably high risk of serious injury, even before causing harm. This definition uses the word "risk." Cars, plastic bags, electrical cords and other mundane objects are considered dangerous to some degree because of their potential for harm, not their individual history of crashing, suffocating or electrocuting. When discussing whether a dog is "dangerous" in this sense, the issue is not whether that particular dog will ever bite, but whether it presents too great a risk of serious injury -- not because of what it has done, but because of what others of its class have done. The definition also uses the term "serious injury." The bites of teacup-sized dogs and even herding dogs (who use their mouths to seize and guide as opposed to crush and rip) do not present the risk of serious injury inherent in the bites of dogs which were bred for the specific purpose of killing animals. When "dangerous" is defined in this way, many believe that it accurately describes the latter group of dogs.

Delise illustrates the information problem in the following graphic way (quoted from E-mail by her to Attorney Kenneth Phillips):

    Consider five fatal attacks included in the CDC statistics.

    A man was bitten in the forearm by a Pit bull. The bite was not serious but introduced into the wound was a virulent and fast spreading bacteria. The man died 4 days later from this virulent bacterial infection.

    A teenage girl give birth to a infant, distraught and frightened, she tossed the hours-old infant into a neighboring-junk-strewn yard where two Pit bulls resided. The dogs killed the newborn.

    A German shepherd mixed breed dog went into a bedroom, lifted a newborn out of a crib and carried the infant (by the head) into the living room  where the adults were seated.

    A man restrains his girlfriend, while ordering his Pit bull to repeatedly attack her.  He is eventually convicted of murder and is serving a 20-year sentence.

    An elderly man attempts to stop his German Shepherd dog from fence fighting with his neighbor's dog, the dog turns on his owner, severely mauling him, inflicting fatal head and neck wounds.

    The CDC was right, in that five people died as a result of a dog bite. But were all these bites the result of aggression? Were they the same type or level of aggression? Which behaviors initiated the attack, human or canine? So the number of deaths by dogs (as per the CDC) cannot be used to define aggression, or the aggression of certain breeds, as aggression is not defined or qualified.