I Love Animals but This One Needs to Be Put Down

Once an animal kills another animal, especially a pet - yes, the animal needs to be euthanized. I love animals too... and I feel the same way about humans - once a human intentionally harms another living creature - they too should be put down. Sadly, that isn't what most people feel tho.

You need to call animal services and why were they not informed of the first chihuahua's death? Why did the vet who saw the two mauled dogs not call the animal service for you - I think that is part of their job.

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I've watched enough Judge Judy to know that at the very least, the neighbors should pay for 100% of the vet costs, plus possible pain and suffering that this has caused. If they're serious, your in-laws should take their neighbors to court.

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I think you (or they) need a new fence and the dogs need to be reported if they weren't previously.

I would also go over there with the bill and talk to them about repayment. It won't bring back the dog, but this is 2x now and they need to do something on their side of the fence to prevent their dog from attacking again. When our dog was attacked on a walk (not killed), the neighbor whose dog it was paid for everything related to his bills.

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I would agree with others that have said that the neighbors need to be reported to the police or animal control, and a complaint made against a dangerous dog. What if next time it is a child?

I'm very sorry for your family's loss...

EDITED TO ADD: If it appears that the dogs are not being cared for properly (no water, etc.) than that is another reason to call animal control - the owners can be cited for animal cruelty/neglect.

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The neighbors need to be reported to the police...their dog needs to be put down. PERIOD...no if and's or buts about it...

I'm sorry for their double loss... the neighbors should've put the dog down after the first attack...that is NOT responsible dog ownership....

Again, I'm REALLY sorry!!

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I think you need a new fence! :(

Seriously we don't know the laws down in Texas but here the owner of the fence is required to maintain it. My old neighbors had pit bulls and I knew the fence would not hold if they really wanted through. By law I could not hold them responsible for anything but the damage to the fence if they did. These are Missouri laws mind you. Also if they broke through and I replaced the fence with the same type of fence I wouldn't even be able to go after them for the damages if they did it again.

Since laws tend to follow the same course as a rule it is very likely that if nothing was done to modify the fence they are not responsible for the harm to the second dog because you already knew the dogs could get under the fence and did nothing to protect your dog.

Good luck with all this.

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The owner's need to take some responsibility here. They need to install a new fence that has a cynderblock base that goes down a few feet for digging and up a few feet for climbing, they can put whatever they like at the top half if no one wants a 100% cyderblock wall between houses. I have seen beautiful wall crawling plants grow over these to help with the "eye sore" of it all. I would also be billing them for the vet fees and any other fees directly related to their dog's damage. Yes, some civil court fees may end up happening but it would drive home the point. Your parents "can not" be responsible pet owners due to a neighbor's lack of responsibility? Were it my dog killing or gravely injuring other dogs or family pets (or strays) I would have to seriously consider putting him down personally.

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Some dogs are aggressive to only other dogs.
I have a dog that loves me and only me. Only myself and my uncle's mother can feed him. Hes 11 years old, and had a very bad past. But he is jsut the sweetest dog to me and I know hes killed some of the local cats (can't call them neighborhood cats, he lives on a huge farm out from the city, the cats just go in to gate) and hes fought with dogs. Even so, if someone had him put down, I'd be so sad. He's aggressive towards men especially because he was abused by one.
But by all means, if they are aggressive towards people though, shoot it.

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Did you all get restitution from those neighbors the first time they killed your dog? You should take them to small claims court over this. I know that doesn't bring your pets back, but they haven't done anything to prevent their dog from killing again.

So sorry you went through this,
D.

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i love animals, too. next time, however, it might be the kids they do this to. i would say next time they come in the yard shoot them.

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Yes, these attacks need to and should have been reported. A dog can be put down if there is documentation that it is aggressive. Whoever the victims were, need to make a report to the police. When a dog is deemed aggressive there are requirements that need to be made, for the first offense and I think thereafter the dog is put down. so yes, this is horrible and authorities need to be contacted about it. People really need to report these actions because as others have said, if that was a child.......

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I have a husky and unfortunately, yes, they are predator dogs. The thing is I know this, so I make sure that if the dog is in the yard I check on her quite often to make sure she is where she is supposed to be. I don't leave her outside when we are not here. That is what these people need to be doing. My dog is wonderful with people, but not cats or even other small dogs.

That being said, a few years ago my husband was walking our dogs. A boxer got loose and came and picked up our Shiba by his back leg and shook him. My husband had to tackle the dog and pry his mouth open to get our dogs leg out of it's mouth. We took him to the vet, luckily the Boxer didn't break skin, but it tear the muscle in my dogs leg. The vet said we were pretty lucky and put him on some pain meds. That night I marched myself over to the peoples house with the vet bill in hand. The guy answered the door and I handed him the bill, he promptly went in got his checkbook and paid us. I suggest your in laws do the same thing, since the dog passed I also suggest if they can get a receipt from wherever they purchased/adopted the dog and get reimbursed for that as well.

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Take the vet bill over to them. I am guessing they did not pay the first time. I would also find my receipt for the purchase and Cookie and recoup that cost as Cookie would not have been purchased if Tyson had not been mauled. I would also have the vet write a letter regarding both dogs if it is the same doctor to attach to the police report that needs to be filed. If the dog will attack small animals it will also attack small humans. Good luck.

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Unfortunately, the fault is NOT the malamutes but the chihuahua's. You have no legal recourse when your dog gets out. The other dog was defending it's territory and that is how any law body will see it. Your MIL dog was in their yard. If their dog was in your MIL yard, that would be a completely different story.
I am very sorry this happened to a beloved animal, but there is nothing you can do about it except to fortify the fence so any future dogs are not able to dig under it.

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I am so sorry for your loss. Let me first say that these owners are irresponsible and are required to keep their dog in their own yard. However that doesn't mean that they will. Is there any way that you could secure the fence from your side. Or maybe even if they got another dog to not put it in the yard unsupervised since they know that the neighbors are irresponsible. I am not saying it is their fault just that they need to be responsible for their dog since the neighbors aren't. I also know that chihuahuas can bark a lot and it might make their dogs good targets for this powerful animal.

That being said dog on dog aggression is not the same thing as dog on people aggression. I own pit bulls which tend to be dog aggressive. I have a 6 foot wooden fence around my yard and my dogs are only let outside for short supervised times to do their business. I also walk my dogs on short strong leashes. I would not want a strange dog running up to me and mydogs uninvited. However any person child infant in the world could do anything they wanted to these dogs. My son frequently tries to ride them like horses, run toys into them, pull their ears etc. and they have never shown aggression to people. I have also read many books about animal behavior in an attempt to be the best advocate for my dogs that I can be. The areas of the brain that control animal aggression are different than those that control aggression in general.
I am not saying that this dog is not human aggressive just that it is not a given. Unfortunately the laws are such that in most states dogs are not considered aggressive unless they bite a person. I tend to agree. Dogs are not human as much as we love them and want them to be members of our family they go by a different set of rules than we do. Was anyone outside to witness the attack. The husky may have felt that she needed to dominate the chihuahua. I know that sounds crazy to humans because of course the chihuahua is 5 pounds and the husky 100. However we are thinking of this from a human perspective. Animals don't rationalize they go based on instinct. I am sorry if this is not easy for you to hear.

Once again I want to emphasize that the neighbors are irresponsible. Anyone with a dog whatever the breed is responsible to keep their dog restrained in a yard or on a leash however we know that this does not always happen. I also think that your family has the right to let your dog in your own yard. However if the fence is shared is it really secure? I would advise that you get a fence at least along the line where the huskies are that is not connected.

I do believe that the neighbors are responsible for your vet bills and the cost of the dog or a replacement. I know that nothing can ever replace the loss of your dog and I am so sorry that you have had to go through this. I would go talk to the neighbors and see what solutions they have for keeping their dogs contained. Maybe you could even bring along a copy of the leash law in your area.
I wish you all the best
A.

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From what I know about laws regarding aggressive dogs in Texas you may find yourself disappointed with the results. Most laws regarding aggressive dogs deals with aggressiveness toward humans not other animals. You may find that as long as the dog has not outwardly attacked another human being the city may require that the owners just fix the fence to adequately contain the dog. They can be fined because the law usually states that an aggressive dog but be kept in a reasonable enclosure to limit it's access to people. There are some dogs that are strictly other dog aggressive and being a chihuahua makes easy prey in the light of this aggressive dog. I hate that most laws do not take other dogs into account when it comes to aggressive behavior.

Definitely follow through and contact the local authorities to help resolve this. The owners definitely should step up here and take responsibility for the actions of their animal but I think that you may not get the results you are looking for. I hope that the owners at least have taken responsibility for the pets and have provided support with the vet bills as well. I'm so sorry this has happened twice to your family and I hope everything works out.

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Jennifer T., where does it say that the in-law's dogs were in the neighbor's yard. I guess one of us is not reading this correctly. This is what I read, and I cut and pasted it from Sammi'sMommy's original request for responses:
"The mom is very aggressive and 3 yes ago killed my in laws beloved chihuahua Tyson. Got under the fence and killed her so a yr later they got a new chihuahua cookie and just today the dogs got under the fence again and atacked cookie..." I think the in-laws have every right to ask for the dog(s) to be put down. It sounds like the momma is the one doing most of the vicious attacks. Document. Document. Document. So sorry you are having to deal with this.

The neighbors need to be held responsible for both the little dogs' deaths! It was their dog that did it & you need to bring the authorities in on this if you can't get the neighbors to pay for the vet bills & to do something about the dog. Everyone seems to harp so badly on Pit Bulls being so 'vicious' when really ANY dog can be vicious. People soon forget that when they're so focused on one breed. Definitly do something legally, that's probably the only way something will be done & DEFINITLY get the neighbors to pay for the vet bills & for compensation of losing both dogs & I would even try making them replace the little dog or even both dogs but I would not let this go, the inlaws are paying the price for someone else's responsibility. We knew some neighbors from down the road when we were kids that had a Malamute & they had a 10' high fence & that dog was aggressive as well & we were told do not go anywhere near the dog so I think it's also one of those breeds that needs closer inspection. Good luck!

I'm so sorry about this! Have your inlaws notified the police or animal control about this? Those dogs sound very dangerous, particularly with small children around. What do the owners say? Have they offered to pay vet bills or for a new dog...or a new fence?
You definitely need to get the law involved in this.

I thought that dog attacks had to be reported. Do you know if the vets office reported it? If not I would file a police report, definitely. They keep track of animal attacks and if there are too many incidents they will step in and take the dangerous animals away. Laws vary from place to place, but I think animal control will step in if needed. Your in laws can also have their neighbor pay for any vet costs. If you think the animals are being neglected you can file a complaint with the ASPCA, they will investigate it. Poor dogs, it's too hot to have that breed in TX! I love Huskies and Malamutes but it's too hot here!

you should ask your vet about how to handle the other dog. you should also consider building a fence of some kind under ground so if the dogs dig they cannot get to your dog.

when i first read this i thought your mom killed Tyson!! sorry your so very upset. hope you can fix the issue before another dog is attacked.