My thoughts excatly!

I'm astounded that this dog has managed to kill EIGHT cats in its own back garden. And, if they were cats belonging to neighbours - I am surprised that the dog hasn't had poison chucked to it or some other horrible 'retribution' committed.

I've owned a dog that HATED cats and it did kill one cat when out on the field one time. But cats never came anywhere near our back garden when I had dogs that were given free reign out there. My door would be open almost all the time unless the rain was driving hard inside the house. I used to say that the best cat deterrent was 'get a dog'.

Just gobsmacked that this dog has had eight different cats come into its garden and it be able to catch and kill them.

I agree with that, our cats are quite capable of getting away from most perilous situations.

Is it an issue with cats or is it the intrusion into the territory? If its the latter I would also be concerned about the vague possibility that a child could kick a ball into the garden and seek to retrieve it themselves.

I agree, I do scan the garden before letting Jake out, but there are very few places in my garden for a cat to hide and I can check the garden from the door The cats tend to stay out the garden though, and the occasions they are there, when they hear the door opening they will scarper.

It is a vague possibility that I might win the lottery, thus I do not spend much of my daily life concerned with it.

It is up to us to ensure our animals are as safe as possible so that others are as safe as possible.

If a child kicks a ball into a garden, tough luck.

If a child seeks to retrieve it themselves, then one has to ask "where is the parental supervision".

Good grief, I have a vision of people enclosing their gardens to prevent ingress by cats, balls, children and never being able to sit down with a cup of coffee and reading the paper on a sunny day without constantly checking the whereabouts of the dog...............

Perhaps perimeter alarms, movement sensitive alarms and CCTV should be installed?

I thought dog owning was supposed to ENHANCE relaxation?

Some of the posts on this thread make dog owning sound akin to owning a wild animal!

I'll be honest, if kids came over my six foot fence or over the locked six foot gate to retrieve a ball, or anything else, it wouldn't be my dog they would have to fear!

Yes, I am of the "never mind the dog, beware of the owner" brigade..............

Or a burglar might break into my house and get bitten by my dogs, so I suppose I should muzzle them at all times in the house too!
The dog and its owner aren't in the wrong here - they are in their own garden, their own private land, which has been made secure enough to contain their dog. They have fulfilled their obligation as dog owner.
If someone decides not to contain their cats, especially knowing that this dog will kill any that wander into the garden, that is them not fulfilling their obligation as owner of the cat. If a child wanders in, then it is the child's choice (and the parents obligation to keep the child safe and/or teach it not to trespass on private property).
I can't believe some people are suggesting that everyone with a high prey (or guarding breed) keep their dog on lead & muzzled in the garden, or confined to a small kennel/run and let the rest of their garden go to waste because a cat might wander in, a child might climb over the fence. A lot of the time, a garden is the only place these kinds of dogs get freedom, because responsible owners won't let them off-lead in public places where they may chase rabbits out onto roads, etc. - I am certainly not restricting my two's garden exercise in my own, private garden when they're already limited in many places because of my consideration for the general public.

I second that (waiting by the window because of the vague possibility of seeing Johnny Depp pass by).

But yes I have to agree, it is definitely not the dog owner's responsibility to protect someone elses pet, other than a quick look out of the door as a matter of course to check the coast is clear. Obviously deliberately setting your dog onto cats is deplorable, but as I said in the other thread about cats in people's backyards, it wouldn't be my responsibility if my dog got hold of one and while it would upset me, it's neither mine nor my dog's fault if it happens.