I'm sorry to hear you have had such a traumatic experience. It surely had to be frightening.

This is, quite clearly, prey drive. Princess saw a small furry object, ran to it, caught it, and shook it. I doubt she even had much sense that it was a dog. It was just a small, fast moving furry object, which triggered prey drive.

This is very different than dog aggression. She treated like she would any small animal: a rabbit, a squirrel, etc. Look at this way, if she had done the same to a squirrel would you consider putting her down? I doubt it.

I think some major rules have to change. Princess cannot be off leash (or not on a tie out when outside). She may be good about not running off (which is surprising for this breed), but she clearly has prey drive and that alone means she needs to be contained better.

I also would keep her away from small dogs and cats. You can seek training, but I still won't trust her around them. That prey drive kicks in and she "loses her mind" in a way. This does not make her a bad dog or a dog aggressive dog. And it certainly doesn't mean she has to be put down.

I see this "argument" quite often -- my dog attacked a dog/cat...what if it had been a toddler/baby? But that's just not applicable. If it had been a toddler then there's a very good chance that nothing would have happened. Prey drive (chasing small furry animals) is not the same thing as human/child aggression.

absolutely

princess could get hit by a car as well if she dashes across the road to get a small furry

Sorry to read about the awful circumstances.

I suspect the problem was indeed predatory instinct, but very much compounded by territorial instinct too. Many dogs appear just fine when out in their front garden, but will race to "chase off" a dog who walks quite innocently by.

In your case, sadly Princess also instinctively grabbed the little dog and killed her

I agree it was instinct, not anything wrong as such with Princess. However, you MUST take this incident very seriously, as I know from your posts you will be {{hug}} and ensure it cannot happen again.

Wys
x

I am surprised you beleive in that thinking, that if a dog is aggressive to another dog , it could attack a toddler next time

A very sad case for all, I can understand your feeling for not wanting to keep her, but I would wait a while , let the dust settle and see how you feel in a few days or so.

The first thing you need to do it get your daughter to take some responsiblity for her dog!!

If you cant keep her, and you cant find a new home for her, if you feel the only option is to have her PTS (I dont , by the way) then pass that pleasure over to your daughter, it may make her realise for the next time she decides to get a dog , that its her responsibility and commitment for a dog is a little longer than a whim, if she sees the reality of buying a breed not suitable for the home, and she loses interest in it... having to have one PTS, may make her be a bit more responsible for the future!!

Hi Linda

So sorry to hear what has happened, it is a very upsetting situation for everyone concerned.

I would also delay having Princess pts. It sounds very much like prey drive rather than dog agression as such. By your own admisson, as soon as you yelled at her, she released the dog. A dog that had been intent on mauling the other dog probably would not have.

I can only echo what everyone else has said, namely that Princess must never be off leash again in the front yard. Given that your other daughter is 8, I would also ensure that it is you or another adult you trust that has responsibility of holding her leash. She is far too big and strong for your young daughter to control if she wanted to take off after another animal.

I would ring the vets you went to. I don't think they will give you the lady's details but you could ask the vets to contact her and say you would like to pay for the treatment, if she had the dog cremated etc.

I know that you have been left with Princess because your older daughter no longer wants her and that you have tried to find her a home with no success, so I do respect you very much for taking Princess on rather than having her pts when your daughter left her. That said, the incident could so easily have been avoided and a little dog has lost its life. It sounds as if you have taken good care of Princess and looked after her well. Please do learn from this and I wish you every success with her in the future.

There are some very knowledgable people on Dogsey, both on Huskies and on dog behaviour so please do stick with her and let us know if there is anything people on Dogsey can help with.

I am sorry for all parties involved. I would not have your dog pts, it sounds like she thought the little dog was a rabbbit or something like that. How does that put her in a league where she may attack a child? There is not enough evidence, IMO to assumme that.

Of course do not excercise her off lead in an unenclosed area.

If you do not want your dog, why don't you look for a breed club near you? They may be able to help with rehoming her.

how sad

stumpywop im supprised u even said that regarding the toddlers absoloutley not the same thing at all!!

was a sibe being a sibe.. and not even being da

if she had been on her lead or on a 'stakeout' it wouldnt of happened,another case of no research on my beloved breed.

i know its scary but im sure she didnt mean it..why should she die for your error?

maybe a home with a experienced sibe owner is better for you both..a home that will understand her for what she is

sorry if it sounds harsh

I agree, this dog has done nothing wrong except be herself, I appreciate you were 'left' with the dog, but still, you should have done some research into the breed when that happened.

But now what is done is done, it's no use saying 'this wouldn't have happened if' and 'if only', you can not change what has passed.

If you love Princess I would advise you start right now and do a lot of research into her breed, when you do this you will realise where you went wrong and how this can be prevented in the future, she should always be kept on a lead/long line unless in a safe, enclosed space. There are many breeds this is recommended for, sibes being one of the more notorious. You should also invest in a muzzle for her whilst on walks.

Do not think because she killed this poor dog that she will attack a child or a human, that's crap, she attacked the small dog because that's her instinct to do so, a small dog is not comparable to a human.

She does not deserve to die, but she does deserve an owner who understands her, so either learn more about her or find her a home that does. If you truly care for her you will research into her breed and be able to offer her what she needs and deserves.

I just wanted to say that if you ever get another dog will you please train, socialise and control her. I recommend you read a book called The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson which gives you good clear instructions on how to do it.
If you decide to keep this dog, I suggest you go to a good trainer and learn how to train her.
I`m sorry if I`m not sounding too sympathetic, but I`ve had a dog attacked and nearly killed in a similar situation.