Attack by Greyhound.

[pussnboots]

My daughter has just phoned me about a very distressing thing that has just happened in her garden and witnessed by her 5 year old daughter. Her neighbour has a rescue greyhound which was in its own garden tonight, this dog saw a cat on the dividing wall which jumped into my daughters garden, the dog jumped over the wall and attacked the cat and her words "ripped the cat to pieces", she tried to get the dog off but couldn't, the cat died. Does anyone know why this could happen, aren't greyhound supposed to be placid, also what should my daughter do, should she report it to the police or the RSPCA. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Bellringer]

A Greyhound is a hunting dog and bred for the chase so it was only doing what it was bred for. If something runs it will chase it, as will most other dogs. When they are racing, if they catch the 'hare' they will worry it. They are placid amongst people and most other dogs.If no one complains just bury the bits.

[happyjo]

But..

what if this dog sees the 5 yr old runnning....? is it going to chase and kill it too?

[B00]

This is what greyhounds do, or will do given the chance, as explained by the previous answer. Ever wondered why they want to chase the mechanised hare when racing?

Neither the police or RSPCA will do anything, the best course of action would be to dispose of the cat as soon as you can.

Is your grand-daughter very upset? I hope not :-(

[B00]

And in answer to happyjo, no it's not. Neither will most hunting dogs.

[leelapops]

Aw pussnboots what a shame your granddaughter had to see that.
Yes, greyhounds are lovely dogs but if ever you check out a greyhound rescue website for example, you will see that most dogs can't be re-homed with "small furries"-anything from cats to hamsters: this is, as has been said, due to their chase/hunt instinct.

A friend of mine's cat had the same thing happen to it, it was killed by a dog. It's a shame, but something that greyhound owners should really be vigilant about, given their background and breed.

Lisa x

[bensmum]

I am probably going to make myself very unpopular here but I'm afraid if a dog jumped into my garden and ripped a cat or another small pet to pieces I would have killed it, instinct or not. This is very hypocritical I know as I have cats who catch other small animals in turn but I would have been so very angry that someone cannot keep a dog under sufficient control. What did the neighbours say - perhaps you should have taken the pieces of the cat round to them

[Psychick]

I have a had a rescue greyhound myself, at the same time, two different friends each had them as well. My daughter was only three at the time. So in answer to happyjo, no, they will not chase a child. In fact, they can make a good companion for children.

Bensmum, if one of my cats came into your garden and caught a bird, would you kill my cat?
It doesnt sound like pussnboots daughter actually has an issue with her neighbour on this. Although it was a horrid thing for a child of any age to witness.
Hope she ok pussnboots.

[bensmum]

I said I was a hypocrite! I think the problem is that the cat was probably someone's pet and they would be devastated if they knew how it had died. I can't really see myself killing another animal either but as I say I would have been so angry.

[Psychick]

Bensmum, Im sure the cats owner will feel the same knowing what had happened. It has to be one of the worst ways for any animal to go!
pussnboots, does you daughter intend on finding out who the cat belongs to? There may be consequences for the dog and its owner even though it was be natural.

[pussnboots]

Thanks for all you thoughts on this matter. My daughter tells me that her neighbour was horrified when her dog killed the cat and she was terribley upset. My 5 year old granddaughter was hysterical. I haven't spoken to my daughter today yet, but I am going to phone her now. I will ley you know how things have progressed.

[happyjo]

Hi

I am pussnboots daughter... and ta mum for posting this.

It all seems a bit surreal now.. but last night it was really horrid. My 3 daughters are all shocked at what happened and me and hubby have tried to tell them about the reasons for the dogs behaviour.

My 5 yr old seems ok... but she is scared of being alone in our garden.

I understand that it is in the nature of these kind of dogs.. but on the other hand, I , and I am sure you are all aware of the attacks on kids, by normally friendly dogs.

How can I be sure that this dog ( who the kids have petted in the past) might ... see my children as bait one day. It really concerns me.

I have not spoken to my neighbour about the dog. She was in shock last night.. I had to remove the dead cat!! she could not do it!! ( a tad annoyed about that, but she is elderly and we do have a good relationship.. so I did the decent thing)

I am going to suggest that she muzzles her dog and keeps it on some sort of extendable fixed leash in future... what do you think.

The cat had no collar.. so I cannot inform any owner.. will keep my eye on the news agents windows for lost cats.

Thanks for all your views

Jo

[Psychick]

I understand your worries, protecting your children must be a first priority. But in my experiences of rescue greyhounds, they will not see a child as bait. INstead of restricting the dog so much in its own home, why dont you suggest to your neighbour about putting up some kind of netting on the dividing wall? That way, you can still see/chat/be friends with your neighbour, but you wont have to worry about the dog jumping in your garden again. Im sure she will understand and agree.

[lankeela]

Sadly it is instinct to chase anything small that runs, they even chase a plastic carrier bag as a lure at some of the tracks. There is no danger whatsover to a child, other than to a tiny crying baby which should not be left alone with any dog.

Make sure the fence is high enough so it cannot jump over and tell your neighbour to muzzle the dog when out, as they can easily grab a cat hiding under a hedge or a car, if she is not vigilant, andif she is elderly she may not be strong enough to hold it. They do make fabulous pets, provided you take the necessary precautions. I have rehomed greyhounds with people with cats but the cats are used to dogs and don't run away.

It is a very sad story, but unfortunately one of those things that has happened and cannot be altered.

I have small dogs, and if a cat got into my garden I am afraid they would do the same to it. My local cats stalk along the fence taking the p*ss out of them.

[pelican8000]

I have 3 greyhounds and they have killed cats in the past, which have ventured into "their" garden. There is little I can do about that. However, I think that the owner of the greyhound that ripped the cat apart after jumping over the boundary wall is negligent, and personally I think they should be reported to the RSPCA. In my view it is totally unacceptable, particularly if there are kids in the garden. I mostly agree with the others that say a greyhound would not attack a child, but as nobody can guarantee that 100% then adequate walling should be in place to prevent escape. I trust my greyhounds with my kids of 13 and 18, but young kids I would never ever leave alone with the dogs. Also, in my experience with my own dogs, they will sometimes work as a pack - and when that happens their primal instincts take over.

[pussnboots]

Thanks for that pelican8000, my daughter has spoken to her neighbour today and she says that she is going to put up high trelice on top of the wall, she also took the dead cat to a vet and had it scanned for a chip, but no luck.