Was It The Right Thing To Do...

[airwoofer]

I think you did the right thing to shoot the goat. I had a Norwegian Elkhound that I let get too old and one Sunday afternoon something inside him failed. As he was out in the middle of the grass I did all I could to move him to the shade which was right under my bedroom window. I had taken a nasty fall a few days before and had a broken wrist and very badly injured neck and could not pick him up to put him in the PU truck to carry him back to the woods to shoot. As he was laying in front of where the other dawgs go to get under the porch I couldn't shoot him in place either. he sufferred very badly and noisely all night. The next day I was able to get him into the PU and carry him to the vet to be finished off. I hated it that he sufferred so badly.

As for the dawg, things happen. It may not be his/her fault and he may not ever be a problem again. You should watch out though and be careful.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Drache]

Your dog was trying to play and when the goat ran the dog was playing not going after food.

A dog should NOT be ever allowed to chase something to exhaustion. It is not just "playing", that is a hunting instinct that is coming through.

Goats and sheep will run and when tired they will lay down and give up the game, by that time the damage was done.

That may be so but then the dog TEARING the goat to pieces while it's still alive goes above and beyond what you call playing.

I had a Husky that chased and killed chickens and I took a dead chicken and tied it around the dogs neck for awhile like 3 days , she never killed again.

For all you know she didn't kill any more of your chickens. Can you say for certain she never switched to any other animal?

I am positive the Dog DID NOT damage this goat on purpose, had it meant to kill for food you would have found it protecting it's kill, at that point you would have seen a wild animal.

Excuse me? The OP stated that WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE GOAT was still alive, barely and that pieces of the goat were all around the yard (at least thats my understanding). He even admitted the dog ATE a few tiny pieces of the goat.

How did the dog not mean to tear a still alive animal up and eat a few tiny pieces of it?

 

[Gnome]

mini goats are awesome..i think i would offer the dog up to someone who can offer him a home where no other critters could get hurt by it. then get another goat or 2.

best of luck man..sorry about your loss.

 

[goldfish65]

Of course putting the goat out of it's misery was the right thing to do.

Now you must take the dog to the vet to be put down. Or have your girlfriend remove him from your property immediately and permanently.

 

[DUSTERDOWNS]

when you found the dog setting by the back door it showed it did not kill for food. It showed that play time was over when the playmate couldn't play anymore. Again I say this dog was bored and was playing not on any killing rant. Just think how even humans play at different levels, what is rough to excess to some is normal to others. love your dog and crate him when gone and you will see a difference in him. The dogs I have crated took the crate as a comfort zone and when we had company and the dog went to his crate we knew he didn't want to deal with whatever bothered him and we told the people to stay away from him at that time, he wanted to be alone. I am a firm believer that some dogs have traits born into them but from the pic of the cat and your dog I don't see a killer. If your dog was a killer it would not push anything away from it's food dish it would protect it and there would be no doubt whether it would kill or not. Best of luck and my smypathy on the loss of you pet Goat . Being raised on a farm I have had pet everything, any loss is not easy. Steve

 

[demon seed]

If it were me in the same situation the Husky would have gone to doggy heaven the same day he offed and ate part of the goat. No question about it.

 

[805moparkid]

well i thank you guys so much for all the responses...

my mind is a little more at ease but im still down...:sad11:

i'll let her see this thread and see what she says...

 

[Drache]

when you found the dog setting by the back door it showed it did not kill for food.

Once again I take it you missed the part where the OP stated the dog tore the goat to pieces? That there were pieces all over the yard?

Did you miss the part where the OP stated the dog was covered in blood?

Did you also miss the part where the dog ate some pieces of the goat?

No the dog didn't kill for food, it chased and tore the goat apart for fun then ate a few pieces as an afterthought. That is NOT acceptable behavior for a dog, ever!

 

[805moparkid]

Once again I take it you missed the part where the OP stated the dog tore the goat to pieces? That there were pieces all over the yard?

Did you miss the part where the OP stated the dog was covered in blood?

Did you also miss the part where the dog ate some pieces of the goat?

No the dog didn't kill for food, it chased and tore the goat apart for fun then ate a few pieces as an afterthought. That is NOT acceptable behavior for a dog, ever!

im just glad she (gf) didn't see them.... poor thing is soooo sad right now...

 

[DUSTERDOWNS]

Drache you sound like some kind of a expert, I am sorry I stepped into your field of expertice. I have over 50 years of dogs and farm animal's under my bald head and have no desire to have a pissin contest with anyone. All I know is what I have learned along the way. I raised Huskies for 25 years and that was on a farm with several hundred animals. I made my comments to the member that first asked the question not you so our conversation is over, go argue with someone else. everyone is entitled to their own opinion sometime best kept behind a closed mouth. The dog was bored and playing or it would have finished the poor goat off. The peices that were found or missing were torn off as the BORED DOG chased the goat from BEHIND and nipped at it. That is my I have seen it happen opinion and final thought. I am out of here and will not comment on another post ever again I do not have time as I will be training my 2 dogs not to chase birds or butterflys even though they are playing.

 

[Johnny Dart]

The dog is not at fault here. The dog was going on natural instinct.
Basically the dog is a wolf, what do you think it would do ?
It is your responsibility, as a dog owner,to keep your dog safe, and out of trouble.
If you can't do that, then you need to find a home for him/her who can.

To place the fault on your dog is not knowing your breed, and very irresponsible.
To even suggest to put your dog down for this is ridiculous.

 

[805moparkid]

The dog is not at fault here. The dog was going on natural instinct.
Basically the dog is a wolf, what do you think it would do ?
It is your responsibility, as a dog owner,to keep your dog safe, and out of trouble.
If you can't do that, then you need to find a home for him/her who can.

To place the fault on your dog is not knowing your breed, and very irresponsible.
To even suggest to put your dog down for this is ridiculous.

see i had no idea about the breed but my gf does... she has books and what not about them cuz she has always liked them...

i guess he just needs some dead animal training lol... im sure i can give him a rabbit and then tie it around his neck....

 

[Burntorange70]

I have had my nabers dogs come down to my place before and kill some of my goats. Lets just say the dogs did not make it back home. I gathered there collers up went to there house and knocked. They were home but did not come to the door so I left them on there door knob.

As for the goat. You did the right thing. Even if it could of been saved the vet bill would of been a lot more than just buying a nother goat.

 

[Drache]

I REALLY hope that no one is condoning what the dog did....

Yes the dog was bored and when it needed something to do it chased down the goat and slowly tore it to pieces and then ate some of those pieces. If a dog does that it needs to be put down, period.

I've had enough dogs brought out to the ranch to get put down by my family because the dog attacked someone. When asked they always start by saying that they had no warning of these events but after questioning, I bet at least 90% admitted they let the dog or sometimes encouraged the dog, to chase small animals such as rodents or cats. A lot of those cases the dog moved up to larger animals such as cows or horses. Ever see what happens when a dog hamstrings a horse? Or even a cow running scared steps wrong and busts it's leg? Or what about a deer fawn that was chased right into a barbwire fence and pretty much gutted itself trying to untangle itself?

In two different cases I speak of, the owners had kids running around the yard and the dog went after the kids because they were running and they dog was just "playing" as you call it. The boy needed 42 stitches to close his wounds. The girl was lucky as her parents were there before the dog did any real damage, 10 stitches there.

I myself even had a Blue Healer that anytime I had to run for something would run after and bite down on my the back of my ankle. No amount of training done by myself, my father, or the others we hired did any good, that dog could not get that out of his head.

Im sorry if it's just me but I dont believe a dog should be allowed let alone encouraged to chase an animal unless you plan on keeping it locked up 24/7 any time you are out of eye and/or earshot. But then don't go crying to anyone if you dog decides it's only "playing" and chases someone's animal down and kills it or God forbid someone's child and you face legal action because of it.

The dog is not at fault here. The dog was going on natural instinct.

Basically the dog is a wolf, what do you think it would do ?

It is your responsibility, as a dog owner,to keep your dog safe, and out of trouble.

If you can't do that, then you need to find a home for him/her who can.



To place the fault on your dog is not knowing your breed, and very irresponsible.

To even suggest to put your dog down for this is ridiculous.

Some breeds are more inclined to their natural instincts than others but I have yet to hear of any dog breed that is 100% immune to their natural instincts.

Any dog will have that percentage of attacking someone no matter what training you will do. You'd be surprised at the damage even a little Chihuaha can do and yes it has happened.

 

[805moparkid]

I REALLY hope that no one is condoning what the dog did....

Yes the dog was bored and when it needed something to do it chased down the goat and slowly tore it to pieces and then ate some of those pieces. If a dog does that it needs to be put down, period.

I've had enough dogs brought out to the ranch to get put down by my family because the dog attacked someone. When asked they always start by saying that they had no warning of these events but after questioning, I bet at least 90% admitted they let the dog or sometimes encouraged the dog, to chase small animals such as rodents or cats. A lot of those cases the dog moved up to larger animals such as cows or horses. Ever see what happens when a dog hamstrings a horse? Or even a cow running scared steps wrong and busts it's leg? Or what about a deer fawn that was chased right into a barbwire fence and pretty much gutted itself trying to untangle itself?

In two different cases I speak of, the owners had kids running around the yard and the dog went after the kids because they were running and they dog was just "playing" as you call it. The boy needed 42 stitches to close his wounds. The girl was lucky as her parents were there before the dog did any real damage, 10 stitches there.

I myself even had a Blue Healer that anytime I had to run for something would run after and bite down on my the back of my ankle. No amount of training done by myself, my father, or the others we hired did any good, that dog could not get that out of his head.

Im sorry if it's just me but I dont believe a dog should be allowed let alone encouraged to chase an animal unless you plan on keeping it locked up 24/7 any time you are out of eye and/or earshot. But then don't go crying to anyone if you dog decides it's only "playing" and chases someone's animal down and kills it or God forbid someone's child and you face legal action because of it.



Some breeds are more inclined to their natural instincts than others but I have yet to hear of any dog breed that is 100% immune to their natural instincts.

Any dog will have that percentage of attacking someone no matter what training you will do. You'd be surprised at the damage even a little Chihuaha can do and yes it has happened.

i agree with this but its not my dog... and i dont think it is right to put it up for adoption again (got him from a rescue) cuz the new owners could go thru the same thing...

 

[goldfish65]

Of course putting the goat out of it's misery was the right thing to do.

Now you must take the dog to the vet to be put down. Or have your girlfriend remove him from your property immediately and permanently.

OK I'll add this and shut up....this is about keeping people safe on your property, all the other stuff is irrelevant.

My condolences on the sad loss of your pet goat.

 

[Drache]

i agree with this but its not my dog... and i dont think it is right to put it up for adoption again (got him from a rescue) cuz the new owners could go thru the same thing...

Legally you would have to inform the new owners that the dog "playfully" killed one of your goats by chasing it and biting pieces off of it and thats why you are getting rid of it.

Because if it kills something else (animal or kid) and you had prior knowledge of it doing something like that yet never told the new owners then expect to be before a judge.

At least here in Canada you do. An owner here is responsible for everything their dog does. Hell if my dog chases a car and you happened to hit it while it's on the road, guess who has to pay your repair bill for your car? Yup, me.

It's also against the law in Canada to give a dog up for adoption that was trained as a guard dog unless it's to someone looking for a guard dog. Try asking the SPCA to take a dog trained for police K9 and see what happens

But yes feel free to offer the dog up for adoption privately (most shelters wont take a dog that has a history of killing) and be sure to inform any interested persons of the nature of the reason for giving away the dog.

Or by all means keep the dog but be aware you are gambling that the dog will never fall to it's instincts again.

 

[OneOfMany]

First off, I am sorry for your loss, and the pain and confusion you are feeling at the moment. In a previous post, it has been mentioned that it is irresponsible to not know your breed and it's tendencies. I have to disagree, since in the first post you stated that it is a shep/husky. It is impossible to determine which traits and tendencies it will have. Mutts can be the gentlest of dogs, but just as easily can inherit all of the negative traits of their breeds. I love and have owned both purebred sheps and huskies, and yes, many of their traits can be determined with tests when young, it is often when they get older that their TRUE nature surfaces.

Years ago, my ex screamed for me when our 3yr old (to that time) calm shep/husky was baring his teeth and snarling at her. We also had two other dogs and a cat. I tackled him, and it was all I could do to keep him from biting. I ended up choking him to submission, loading him into the car and had him put down. All I can say is that sometimes you can't predict what you get when you interbreed, especially when you mix the herding instinct of the shep with the wildness and focused mindset of a husky.

Grant

 

[805moparkid]

First off, I am sorry for your loss, and the pain and confusion you are feeling at the moment. In a previous post, it has been mentioned that it is irresponsible to not know your breed and it's tendencies. I have to disagree, since in the first post you stated that it is a shep/husky. It is impossible to determine which traits and tendencies it will have. Mutts can be the gentlest of dogs, but just as easily can inherit all of the negative traits of their breeds. I love and have owned both purebred sheps and huskies, and yes, many of their traits can be determined with tests when young, it is often when they get older that their TRUE nature surfaces.

Years ago, my ex screamed for me when our 3yr old (to that time) calm shep/husky was baring his teeth and snarling at her. We also had two other dogs and a cat. I tackled him, and it was all I could do to keep him from biting. I ended up choking him to submission, loading him into the car and had him put down. All I can say is that sometimes you can't predict what you get when you interbreed, especially when you mix the herding instinct of the shep with the wildness and focused mindset of a husky.

Grant

wow... well he is just over 1yr old or so

 

[Johnny Dart]

Even knowing 10% of this breeds tendancies would have saved this goat. Know your dog, thats why they have books. In this case get 2 books (sheppard,husky).To not know the dogs tendecies,likes,dilikes, before you bring it into your house is like playing russian roulett. And that is iresponsible. Period.
Again...This is not the dogs fault. It is the owners fault for not keeping the dog safe, and the goat safe for that matter.

 

[Drache]

Every dog no matter the breed has at least a 1% chance of doing something violent such as attacking the owner or someone else. By saying that you can remove all chances by reading books is sort of silly.

Yes some breeds are more prone to instincts but those instincts are in every breed no matter how much training or breeding, you can only reduce the chances not remove them.

One of those, a Pomeranian, killed a 4 month old baby which was asleep in her crib. The dog jumped up into the crib and mauled the baby to death. A dog which never showed any signs of aggression before.


More than a third of the bites involved the family dog; 35 per cent involved a known dog belonging to a friend or neighbour; and 12 per cent involved a stray dog. In slightly more than 20 per cent, the dog was unknown.

In almost 30 per cent of the dog bite incidents, there had been no interaction with the dog at the time of the attack. This category, however, also includes delivery people, mail carriers, kids on skateboards, and other activities that could trigger a dog’s protective or predatory drives.

 

[EL5DEMON340]

are there any young kids in the area, if the dog harms one you will have a big mess lasting years on your hands. Talk to an expert about this would be my advice

 

[indie_cg]

I would have done the same.

 

[scuba0331]

Shamu wasn't put down after he ate his trainer.

I had a boxer that killed a rabbit and she set it down right next to me. Then she laid down. I didn't put her down for that. She never killed another thing after that.

There is no right answer in this situation. Its up to you. Husky's, pit bulls and the like have a high prey drive.

 

[805moparkid]

Even knowing 10% of this breeds tendancies would have saved this goat. Know your dog, thats why they have books. In this case get 2 books (sheppard,husky).To not know the dogs tendecies,likes,dilikes, before you bring it into your house is like playing russian roulett. And that is iresponsible. Period.
Again...This is not the dogs fault. It is the owners fault for not keeping the dog safe, and the goat safe for that matter.

again its not my dog but she knows, and tells me they have a high prey drive... he is always hunting mice and lizards but what dog dosen't...

also the goat was in a pen and either the dog got it or it got out...

Shamu wasn't put down after he ate his trainer.

I had a boxer that killed a rabbit and she set it down right next to me. Then she laid down. I didn't put her down for that. She never killed another thing after that.

There is no right answer in this situation. Its up to you. Husky's, pit bulls and the like have a high prey drive.

luckily there are no kids around but i told her if it even gets aggressive to us,the cats, or the horses, the dog is gone... she agreed...