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Location: UK
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 247
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The worrying thing with stories like this (and it's by no means just the Daily Mail, although they are a usual suspect) is a trend in reporting to sensationalise and mislead. It should be of concern to anyone but particularly dog owners as we have a lot to lose via poor public perception of pet dogs and the newspapers revel in a dog attack as much as a fox attack.
The title is designed to mislead for a start 'Is this proof that foxes are getting bigger?' Well no, it's not proof at all, 2/3 through the article you find a quote from an expert which says, 'no, it is an exception rather than a rule'. But the damage is still done - compare with 'Is this proof that large dogs make dangerous pets'.
Then you have the imbecile comment 'if it went for a cat it might go for a child'. Absolutely no logic behind this but it will get people nodding along as though it was a likely follow on, yup, first a chicken, then a cat, then a child. Compare with 'your dog growled and snapped at my dog, it is clearly aggressive, what if it got loose and attacked a child?'
Bad taste in the mouth too seeing photos of dead animals next to kids displayed as a kind of trophy. Doesn't give the right impression IMO - I could accept that in certain cases culling a wild animal may be necessary but this turns from necessity into glorying in destruction.
The idea too that an 'eye for an eye' is acceptable, (if we're talking wild animals). It killed my cat so I will kill it back, oh and take out another one too for good measure. I'm aware that many people disapprove of cat ownership due to their effect on bird populations (although many people who own cats are also the ones that bother feeding the birds through the winter and help sustain populations). I wonder how this guy would feel if his neighbour saw the cat kill a bird and so decided to take it out with an air-rifle?
You know, as a cat owner the greatest perceived threat to my cat is the road outside my house. Perhaps if, god forbid, my cat was run over I should waylay the next two cars I found going down the road, lay into them with a hammer, and then take a photo with next door's 7 yr old 'Look how big this SUV looks next to a child'. 'In fact this SUV could kill a child' (no lie this one and more likely than a fox going for it). How long would I last before being carried off to the Looney Bin do yah think?