Bad dogs…kettle, black

Several months back, I wrote about a pack of stray dogs that killed our cat Pearl. Well, we’ve lost another cat, Tom, to another pack of dogs…only this time it was our own.

Horrified and mortified doesn’t even begin to express how we feel. We’ve always been cat people. In my life, I’ve had one dog, but easily over a dozen cats. And the one dog was an apricot poodle, fatefully named Trouble who could pee while doing a handstand so I don’t know if that really counts. Aside from fish, John has had 2 cats who we still live with us. At this point in our lives, we are happy to have enough space to have lots of types of animals, who we thought were living together in at least begrudging harmony. Apparently, we were wrong.

I blame myself more than I blame the dogs. We’ve been letting our dogs run wild and it shows. They are a pack of 3, each with their own role. Daisy is the instigator. Junior is the eager participant. Buster is big dog. I’m not quite sure where us 3 humans fit into this pack or if we do. So here’ what went down:

I let the dogs out and went inside. About 30 minutes later I heard scuffling and cat yowls. Knowing the dogs were harassing one of the cats, I went outside to intervene. All 3 dogs were nipping at Tom, one of the many cats who “came with the house”. I yelled No! Daisy was the first to stop. Little Miss Innocent. Although I know she was the one who nosed the poor cat out and got the frenzy going. After the 2nd No! Junior, again no innocent, having shown disdain and disregard for all cats since day 1, at least had the understanding to look appropriately ashamed and skulk away. Buster was another matter.

Since he was a puppy, Buster has always had a defiant streak. You can see it in his eyes: Fierce one-mindedness and determination as he does exactly what you’ve told him not to. This is what I faced in my 100 pound, wolf-looking dog. Only it wasn’t directed at me, but at the cat. Without going into gory detail, he would not stop until the poor cat was dead despite my yells, kicks and a stick to the head.

Yes, I know he is an animal, but I am amazed at Buster’s animal blood-thirst. Not fearful, because I don’t think he would turn it on me. But I am scared of my lack of control over my animal. If he will attack our own cat in our own yard with no regard for my commands, I don’t want to imagine what else he is capable of. It is a struggle for me to accept his base animal instincts although I’ve seen them in action.  It started with squirrels, then blue jays, then chickens,  now a cat.  My wariness comes from where/when does it stop?  I would not hesitate to be rid of a dog that was aggressive toward anyone in our human family.

While we work through this to come to a determination of Buster’s fate, the dogs are grounded. All excursions are supervised with Buster on a leash. Then it’s back to the kennel. Buster is no longer accorded big dog status, at least by us humans (simple things like getting food & attention last and after responding to a command). A fence is being completed which will keep the dogs in the back, giving the cats a safe zone. And since he’s a working dog, Buster will be given a duty (carrying a pack, making the rounds with the animals, etc) to keep his mind focused on less violent activity.

Right now, I will chalk it up to boredom, lack of structure and supervision, and basic animal instinct. I hope we are right.

Angeka’s Note: I wrote this more than 2 weeks before I posted it.  I’ve been hesitating to put it out “there”.  It’s scary and kind of embarrassing to admit this happened to myself, let alone everyone else with their varied opinions and concerns.  I haven’t changed anything since I originally wrote it, except for this notation.  Since then, I’ve read a zillion books, watched a zillion videos and found out FAIL – we were doing it all wrong when it comes to the dogs, especially this dog in particular!  Big surprise.  Buster’s Australian Shepherd background has been noted as one of the most needy and obsessive breeds when it comes to attention, time and discipline.

A big concern now: we’ve raised a dog that may be the right dog for this environment, but not for our lifestyle.  It’s been even more glaring since the addition of Junior who may not be the right dog for this environment considering his skin allergies, but is definitely more suited to our lives.  However, we’re being pro-active now with all.  I now understand who is big dog.  Yep, me.  We’ve been working with the dogs more.  We’ve got the fence up which keeps the dogs from running wild and gives the cats a safety zone.  And we’re taking it day by day.