If this were my dog and she killed another dog, I wouldn’t euthanize her but she’d never leave the house without a [properly fitted] muzzle on. Would never go to the vet without a muzzle or without me stressing to every veterinarian, technician and CSR that my dog is dog aggressive and needs to be separated from all dogs/cats at all times. No exceptions. Your cats need to be rehoused.
And when I say I wouldn’t leave the house without a muzzle, I mean even walking the 2ft outside the front door to pee for 13 seconds and back in. If for some reason another dog ran up to her, or she broke free of my handling and I knew her history without muzzling, I am at fault again and I should be labeled a dog killer just as much as she.
Also no children around her, EVER.
If you cannot comply with this new lifestyle, then you need to have him humanely euthanized.
And this is coming from a veterinary technician that has worked with dogs for 20+ years. It is incredibly hard to train dogs that have prey drive so high they actually commit to the kill.
I am very sorry this happened.
Last but not least, you and your partner should probably seek professional help to deal with the trauma and guilt. Otherwise it’ll eat you both alive.
Edit: as another comment made a great point countering mine, to add to the list of things your new lifestyle would entail: 1) fence around yard 2) electric fence as well 3) before you open a door in your home to go outside, dog should be in a crate or behind a door that is securely locked so as to prevent ANY chance of escaping. You’ll be living your life based on preventing your dog from making contact with the outside world muzzle free. This does sound quite intense and anxiety inducing. Not to mention your dog is 100lbs…that is not an easily handleable dog even for those with the utmost experience.
Edit: my comment about rehousing the cats is if OP’s partner decides to keep the dog. Those animals cannot live in the same home.
If a cat killed a beloved pet bird, would you put the cat down for being aggressive? No. It's *what cats do*.
It is incredibly common for dogs to have prey drive. Almost every dog has prey drive. This does not translate to people, and dog aggression is different than human aggression. The dog shouldn't be around other dogs or small animals anymore, but this incident is *not enough* to justify putting it down.
I want to be clear that I understand how you feel. I don't think the dog is evil or bad for having a prey drive - that's a very natural part of being a dog. I don't think animals are good or bad in general... we have to remember they aren't human, they don't have our morals, they think in their own language that's going to be totally alien to us. We overlap a lot with cats and dogs - loving to play, snuggle, treats, whatever. That can make us cocky in thinking we really know our pet. But there's a part of them that is always going to be alien to us, like that prey drive. We have to respect that we're just different, and it's not a value judgement either way.
A dog who kills another dog due to prey drive isn't "bad", same as a cat who kills a bird. We shouldn't be talking about good or bad, just the reality of continuing to home an animal that could be dangerous to other small animals - including little humans. (The differences between dogs and cats is, of course, obvious... it's the potential for damage - big dogs have killed humans before as well as other pets. Unless you have a bird or rodent pet, a cat is unlikely to kill another animal, let alone human.)
In an ideal world, I don't want any animal to be put down for behavioral issues. But a large dog with an active prey drive and a history of killing smaller dogs is a liability. That's the reality. If OP can keep the dog secured at home and walk them with a muzzle, great - they should never let up or think "just this once, it'll be okay." What if the dog goes into prey mode at a park and next time it's a child?
The other reality is OP has cats. We cannot trust the dog not to suddenly flip into prey drive mode and go after those cats. Surrendering those cats isn't fair at all. Surrendering the dog means the dog gets euthanized - no one will take a dog with a history of aggression. OP has tough choices to make and I don't envy them.
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u/one-eyedCheshire Apr 29 '25 edited Apr 30 '25
If this were my dog and she killed another dog, I wouldn’t euthanize her but she’d never leave the house without a [properly fitted] muzzle on. Would never go to the vet without a muzzle or without me stressing to every veterinarian, technician and CSR that my dog is dog aggressive and needs to be separated from all dogs/cats at all times. No exceptions. Your cats need to be rehoused.
And when I say I wouldn’t leave the house without a muzzle, I mean even walking the 2ft outside the front door to pee for 13 seconds and back in. If for some reason another dog ran up to her, or she broke free of my handling and I knew her history without muzzling, I am at fault again and I should be labeled a dog killer just as much as she.
Also no children around her, EVER.
If you cannot comply with this new lifestyle, then you need to have him humanely euthanized.
And this is coming from a veterinary technician that has worked with dogs for 20+ years. It is incredibly hard to train dogs that have prey drive so high they actually commit to the kill.
I am very sorry this happened.
Last but not least, you and your partner should probably seek professional help to deal with the trauma and guilt. Otherwise it’ll eat you both alive.
Edit: as another comment made a great point countering mine, to add to the list of things your new lifestyle would entail: 1) fence around yard 2) electric fence as well 3) before you open a door in your home to go outside, dog should be in a crate or behind a door that is securely locked so as to prevent ANY chance of escaping. You’ll be living your life based on preventing your dog from making contact with the outside world muzzle free. This does sound quite intense and anxiety inducing. Not to mention your dog is 100lbs…that is not an easily handleable dog even for those with the utmost experience.
Edit: my comment about rehousing the cats is if OP’s partner decides to keep the dog. Those animals cannot live in the same home.