Villagers lodge petition after dogs go on hen 'killing spree'

your thoughts?

http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/sco...8057-21772424/

why dont they just contact the dog warden or police?

i havent heard of a breed called japanese akita fighting dog

I think its very wrong of people to assume that because they have killed a few chickens they are a danger to children,

I notice words like 'accused' and 'alleged', so there's not actually proof that is these dogs!?

It could be foxes, or other wildlife, not neccesarily the dogs.

Could it be that the community are just assuming that the dogs are a danger and are trying to pin things on them, so they have to be got rid of!?

x

I think thats just standard legal protcol, but I do know people that live not a million miles from there, I have to say akitas are not a type of dog seen up that way, but I think the way they worded it, as akita fighting dog tells the real story,
I think there is a bit of stigma that goes with the breed, much the same as goes with other breeds including rotties, the locals may have heard the horror storys and be going on them,

I really dont think its over a few dead chickens, or a bit of sheep chasing, its a breed thing, I know where my pal lives, in Acharacle, people wouldnt get het up about the local collie, or JRT {the two breeds that seem pretty popular there} killing a few chickens,

Firstly my thought was

OK 50 signed....so did All 50 people have something killed, or is this a couple of people loosing chickens and then word of mouth started.

ie, they killed my chickens......

then someone else says.....I have been told they chase sheep

the someone else says........ they will chase children next !!!!

Secondly, The breeds, Akita & Husky is this the stigma of Breed

I have a friend in Inverness with 3 JRT's and they have as much interst in killing as alot of dogs do, her OH takes them out working, Im sure her's would be more than willing to kill a chicken or two.

Can I say IMO any breed is capable of chasing sheep, killing a child etc.,

I would be actually interested to know just how many on that petition Have witnessd these dogs doing it....and How many Have had something killed by them

Flip side of the coin.......... The owners (if true) should secure thier garden to prevent them escaping

It sounds like a case where the dogs owners are not doing enough to keep them secure. I wouldn't be happy if they killed my pet hens and it wasn't the first incidence, another case of breeds getting the blame when its down to the owners.

My dogs would kill hens given half a chance. A nice hefty fine should do the trick.

Sounds like a storm in a tea cup.
One small towns are notorious for rumour mongering and building a small issue into a huge one.
If they were truly worried get the warden and council involved. Take pics of there are chickens killed and immediately contact the warden.
If the owners of the dogs are not kept in a secure yard and can roam free then they are leaving their dogs open to suggestions of them being the culprits.

Ok, it could be that it is untrue about the dogs wandering about on their own causing mayhem.......but it could be true.....I don't want to pass judgement as we don't know. If it is true and people are genuinely frightened to let their children play out etc then that of course completely unacceptable and irresponsible dog ownership.
Out of curiosity , are Akitas only to be excercised on lead in public by law?

I think its difficult to say from the information provided (although the piece has certainly been written in an over-dramatic way).

If the dogs have escaped once or twice over a number of months/years and killed a few chickens while they were out, I would say that people were over-reacting.

If these dogs are constantly allowed to roam and are anti-social (e.g. barking at people while they are running free), I would have some sympathy for the villagers. The dogs are unlikely to be human aggressive, but they might well falsly give that impression to a non dog savvy person.

I'd like to know more of the facts, but gut feeling is that whist the villagers are over-reacting, the owners should have had better control over their dogs.