First, please please don't blame yourself and while I understand your comment we can never know what our dogs are 'thinking' so I don't think you (or anyone) can be totaly responsible for our dogs.

Your dog may well have just wanted to chase the other around and have some rough play. He couldn't possibly know it was 13 years old, he couldn't possibly know it's heart was weak.

At the risk of boring you, consider this (true) story. John was a big strong Police officer, late one night he saw someone robbing a shop. He shouted to the man to stop, but he ran out the back and down to the beach, John ran after him, after a long way down the beach the man collapsed, John caught up with him but he latter died in hospital.

What has this to do with you Well like your dog, how could John know the man had a weak heart Like your dog, what was he to do After all he was programmed to catch criminals just like your dog is programmed to play / chase other dogs.

Our Bara jumped out the window while I was driving one day (only doing about 15 clicks) and ever since we've hooked her lead to my headrest.

By observing our dogs behaviour and visible signs (tail wagging, hackles raised etc.) we can know what it's feeling but hardly ever what it's thinking.

So, please don't beat yourself over this, and please come back and tell us how you are getting along with your dogs.

So many good things have alreadt been said. I'm so sorry to hear what happened. I think you are doing al the right things and don't see how you could do more.
Have a heart to heart with your vet, your trainer and your husband and a serious think about your boy before you make any decisions.
Big hugs.

First of all welcome to Dogsey!!:smt039 Secondly please do not blame yourself for this tragedy... I also cant really blame your dog, as he didn't literally kill the wee thing either... the little dog was elderly and probably died of the shock of it, definately not your fault, after all how could you predict that Bond was going to jump out the window? Also I would continue with training Bond, poor thing, if he is anything like my big dopey setter, than he probably thinks everything wants to play with him and my boy wants to play with my bunnies It is up to you, but I feel, if you give up on your boy that is two lives lost!

I don't have anymore advice to give, so much good has been given already.

What an awful experience for everyone involved -I really hope you can get over this, sending you my best healing thoughts for you and Bond.

As others have already said, please don't blame yourself-you really couldn't have predicted what happened and I think that you have done everything possible under the circumstances.

How awful for you. Im so sorry to read your sad news my heartfelt sympathy for you and the owners. Funny earlier I was saying to someone else that we considered homing a X bred, but on a perfectly nice walk with my dogs he suddenly lunged at Skye and it was horrific( and Ive worked with dogs for 21 yrs) guess the X yep it was Bull mastiff. Yet afterwards the dog was perfectly ok again. Sorry to say we didn't feel he'd be suitable. So I read your letter with interest. Is this a trait?

OMG I do hope no one on Dogsey would consider having Bond PTS over this, that would make me really angry and upset.

That would be human behavior of the worst kind. Just like humans drummed John out of the Police 'cos he walked down that street, 'cos he didn't use his X-ray eyes to see the guys heart was weak, 'cos he ran too fast.

Hi Youngstevie-- I understand why you reconsidered. Bond, however, never showed any aggression with our dogs. Nor they with him. They were best of friends instantly. But, not knowing his history or really what X he is, we've always been careful. He does get his hackles up on leash sometimes, but always calms quickly on command and is fine when meeting other dogs on queue. As far as being inherent in the bull mastiff breed, I don't know. We don't even know if he is for sure part mastiff. That was our vet's best guess - mastiff/boxer. My grandmother grew up with bull mastiffs and they were lazy, dopey, friendly dogs. I actually think the boxer is more worrisome. We do have the sense that Bond may have been abused; he cowered one time when my husband took off his belt, making us wonder if he'd been beaten. When he showed up at our door, he smelled awful, as if he'd been locked up in a kennel or living on the streets. He also wasn't neutered, something we did immediately. Someone had docked his tail though. We just don't know.

You can see his photo on my website; my friend and I make and sell a dog product. Anyway, my dogs are the ones in front of the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower and in Switzerland . . . Bond is the one w/ the bag in the Swiss alps:

That's a BIG NO-NO!!!!!!!!!! Please don't even consider that Doglvr will you!!!!!!

Once he had jumped out of the window and gone up to this dog, he ended up just sitting there didn't he!!!!! He only wanted to play, if he had meant any harm he would have certainly finished the job off imo!!! Especially a dog of his size, I'm sure of it. He bears no malice, he could easily have had that little dog for breakfast if he had any malice, so don't go there will you!!!! Please!!!

You're doing all the right things, this was just one of those tragic, awful, totally unforseen happenings, not your fault, not the dog's fault either, and if that other little dog had not have been the age it was, then you wouldn't even have written up this thread. You can't change anything, it happened, it was Godawful, tragic, you feel the most awful person in the World right now I know you do, but I'm hoping, in time you might, just might, get over it, you'll never forget it, you've certainly taught me something I didn't know, and you've now learned that dogs are unpredictable aren't they!
You did something that I have done all my life with all of my big dogs (all gsd's). I always, always had the back windows down about 1/3rd, one head out of each window, be it only for 5 mins to get to our morning run. This was a total freak occurrence, you never imagined he would get through that window did you, and nor would any sane person think so either, it just happened.

I really feel for you, I can imagine how sick you feel.

Hi Losos - I feel the same way. I don't want to put him to sleep. But, it's certainly been mentioned to me by various parties (not on this board). My husband even had that first reaction. We've had a few days to digest it all though and can't fathom losing our Bond. But, in the states, the county has jurisdiction, and we don't know what they're going to say. There have been so many reports on tv lately about aggressive dogs, that you just don't know how people will react. We're praying that they either don't find out about it or that if they do, they are sympathetic. We also don't know if the people will eventually decide to take some action; you know how sue-happy our country is. We'll pray for the best.

I'm so sorry to hear this news, was halfway through posting earlier but had to see to my motley crew.

I know you will be blaming yourself now and that is just human nature hun. Same as I blamed myself when my cat got ran over and killed, and I still feel guilty but you do come to terms with it and it's will get easier.

As for Bond and the poor wee mite that died, it is just very very unlucky that they were passing at that moment, be it a younger fitter dog and it would have probably went home and been fine with so little as a sticking plaster. But a dog as old as this one, it was probably the shock that caused his death not the actual attack.

All I can suggest is you keep him muzzled from now on when he is on public and keep doing all you can regards to his behaviour, but I certainly wouldn't dream of having him PTS if he were mine and this happened. It is just very unfortunate for you and the people concerned.

Take care xXx