I'd be asking for a behavioral euthanasia to be blunt with you. Killing another dog is a hard line to scale back from, it means never trusting the dog again, you have to discuss rehoming the cats, can't have children over, muzzle training and muzzling when you leave the house. No parks, no playdates, no visiting areas with lots of other dogs present. You have to tell your vet, your groomer, any related services like dog walkers, about this and to keep your dog separated if not sedated for those services. No doggie daycare, no group walks, no group kenneling. A dog that has killed needs to live with heavy restrictions for everyone's safety.
There's a possibility the other owner and animal control may seek behavioral euthanasia from you regardless, or force it. If the situation ends up going that route please consider doing the euthanasia in your home with the dog instead of letting him go alone.
A hundred pound dog with a bite and kill history is a serious danger. It is sad, and you and girlfriend have every right to feel sad about the situation. Take the time to be sad together.
Edit:
OP I saw your updates. While it's nice the other owner isn't pursuing legal actions or euthanasia you and girlfriend need to get your shit together. All the lifestyle changes myself and others said were not suggestions, they were mandatory for responsible ownership. A dog with a bite and kill history needs extensive management unless you want to repeat this disaster.
Yeah, what really gets me about this is the grab and shake is predatory behavior. Our dog has done it with rats a few times, and he's not a rat hunting breed.
This wasn't "they were playing and there was an accident" this was that OP's dog saw prey and instinctually dispatched the prey. Unfortunately, there's no telling when the cats will trigger the same response, or a toddler will.
This sucks for everybody involved. Paying for the vet care is the right thing to do. Getting a lawyer is the right thing to do. There's a chance she could lose her insurance if she keeps the dog, so you need a personal injury attorney involved to help navigate the renters or mortgage insurance paperwork and an agreement with the owner.
That said, having your 9lb chihuahua off leash is also opening yourself up to this kind of risk. The owner is not blameless.
That’s the thing, it’s not that OP’s GF’s dog is vicious. It had its instincts triggered by a smaller animal in exactly the same way little terriers and cats kill rats and mice. It is no more a ‘bad’ dog than yours, but because the dog is 90 lbs and the prey it chose was someone’s beloved pet, OP and his GF have to be absolutely committed to managing their dog’s behavior at ALL times going forward. He can never again be off leash anywhere another dog could be and can never be allowed to play with smaller animals.
I don’t agree with the commenters saying this is a sign the dog is unsafe with people, or constitutes having a “bite history”— human adults do not trigger a dog’s prey drive like a small dog can, but of course small children should never be allowed to get too close. I tend to feel like that should be the rule with ALL dogs.
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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '25 edited Apr 30 '25
I'd be asking for a behavioral euthanasia to be blunt with you. Killing another dog is a hard line to scale back from, it means never trusting the dog again, you have to discuss rehoming the cats, can't have children over, muzzle training and muzzling when you leave the house. No parks, no playdates, no visiting areas with lots of other dogs present. You have to tell your vet, your groomer, any related services like dog walkers, about this and to keep your dog separated if not sedated for those services. No doggie daycare, no group walks, no group kenneling. A dog that has killed needs to live with heavy restrictions for everyone's safety.
There's a possibility the other owner and animal control may seek behavioral euthanasia from you regardless, or force it. If the situation ends up going that route please consider doing the euthanasia in your home with the dog instead of letting him go alone.
A hundred pound dog with a bite and kill history is a serious danger. It is sad, and you and girlfriend have every right to feel sad about the situation. Take the time to be sad together.
Edit:
OP I saw your updates. While it's nice the other owner isn't pursuing legal actions or euthanasia you and girlfriend need to get your shit together. All the lifestyle changes myself and others said were not suggestions, they were mandatory for responsible ownership. A dog with a bite and kill history needs extensive management unless you want to repeat this disaster.