But how was the dog not under control when it was in its own garden ????? the cat wasn't under control it was on the dogs property !!!

The issue is cats, not dogs. If your dog somehow got into my garden it would be met by two very friendy dogs who haven't an ounce of nastiness between them

Do your dogs live with cats ? they may be ok with the cats they live with but generally they are not with other cats they may encounter

I dont make the rules & regulations, i.e the law

All 3 of my dogs have killed wild animals. Jessie has killed a rabbit and voles, Jed has a caught a couple of rabbits and a poult whereas Flynn's list is long and includes squirrels, rats, pheasants, rabbits, hares, chickens, waterfowl, voles, and pigeons. He's also attacked a swan and a Canada goose but I was able to stop those attacks and both were unharmed.

Yes, i'll hold my hands up and say I encourage my dogs to hunt and kill wild animals but not for bloodlust, for their food. However, some people may argue that dogs who kill prey regularly will chase and attack anything, with my dogs this isnt true.

I decide what they are allowed to chase which is differentiated by whether I encourage them or make it clear it's out of bounds. My dogs do not chase deer, they do not chase livestock and waterfowl are out of bounds (although some interest may be shown which is were my reinforcement comes in). In fact, they ignore deer and livestock totally and we come across both regularly. I'm sure they'd chase everything if I allowed them but it comes down to training.

Dogs have incredible noses and their eyesight is keen on movement, being able to differentiate between species by how they move (still objects are a different matter) so I dont buy the argument that little dogs running can be seen as prey without the other dog knowing it's a dog. Yes, instincts may take over and the movement triggers the prey drive but once that dog has caught the other or got close enough, it knows it's another bloomin dog!

This is why I find it hard to accept it when one dog kills another. Yes, it could be classed as instinct but i'd like to think that owners would make it clear to the dogs thats one particular instinct they cannot act upon. It's instinct for my dogs to chase sheep (especially the collies and especially with the high prey drive all my dogs have) but I would never tolerate them doing it and have reaffirmed to them constantly sheep are out of bounds so they ignore them.

There are many 'buts' and 'ifs' that people could throw at me such as "but what if you wasnt there" etc, we cannot control something if we do not know it's happening. I guess this is where managment comes in.

Jessie could be a potential problem for me. She attacks Jed more frequently than i'd prefer and in the past i've left them (within the small confines of the car where the conflict cannot be defused) and i've gone back to find the rear of the car bloody. When she goes for Jed I always find saliva on his neck which pinpoints the area she targets. Fortunately he has a thick ruff so she just gets a gobful of fur. Flynn never ever joins in, in fact he removes himself from the situation. I've been with them when she's turned on him and he's always just been minding his own business from what i've seen.

I fully accept that there are going to be times when altercations occur and not every dog will like all others, even the ones they live with but managment, my own behaviour and training should make it clear to my dogs that I expect them to live alongside each other with the minimal of fuss. If one attacked and killed, or even seriously injured another then, although I could understand that there may have been a canine reason, my human mind could not look at that dog in the same way. I'm not saying I would have the dog PTS but I would have to seriously review the levels of trust I bestowed upon that dog, whether I could let it remain within the household. I could perhaps forgive but I could never forget and i'd have to face that dog each day knowing what it did.

It may not have acted out of malice or through evil but the fact that it happened at all would be enough for me. People are saying that the killer dog should be classed as innocent, it knows no moral ground and it's a loved member of the family but for me, that love would be seriously tainted.

I'm trying to remember all the points I wanted to address but i've been interrupted and lost my train of thought. I dont actually know what this thread is getting at because the title is vague. Are we being asked whether ours has killed other animals, what we think of dogs who do it, whether that has any bearing on other humans/canines....? Thats my excuse for rambling anyway

I never asked about the law i'm asking a general question ! i am aware of the law and a cat is classed as a wild animal, i can't be prosecuted if a cat comes in my garden and my dog kills its, its my property and the cat shouldn't be in it. If my dog got in someones garden and killed it than would be different because as you say the dog would be out of control.

Yes like most of us, we would find it an awful experience if a dog you owned killed another domestic pet

What makes you think cats are dumb?

what do u mean by that?

btw i have always lived with cats,this is the first time i havnt and i miss it

See my other post re the terrier that killed a cat