Anyone have any experience with having dangerous animal impounded?

[tgill]

So tonight my 12 year old cat was attacked for the second time in one year, the skin on his abdomen completely torn off from left to right, by a out of control pit bull. Really shitty because the cat had just begun feeling comfortable going outside again.

My mother and a few other neighbors witnessed the attack, my cat was next door on the lawn, and the pit came down the block and cross the street to attack the cat.

For some reason my cat seemed to have done nothing, last time he came home and hid, this time he jumped on a fence post and froze. I just want to mention I have nothing against the breed (my next door neighbor has a very friendly pit).

Anyways I have pretty good reason to suspect this is the same dog that nearly killed my cat last time (caught the silhouette last time in the dark). My neighbors cat was also attacked about 1.5 years ago, right on its front porch, by the same dog. That neighbor was told to f-off, although I have no idea why he didn't pursue it further.

The owner came chasing after the dog, grabbed the dog and then hid inside his home. I rushed the cat to the vet, and later found out a neighbor who witnessed the attack called the RCMP, and they advised to contact the BCSPA.

This dog is frequently jumping his back fence, as well as roams the streets un-muzzled and out of control. Its clearly extremely aggressive, and as I understand it Burnaby has strict by-laws for pit bulls. This is certainly not the first time I have heard complaints from numerous neighbors of an aggressive pit bull roaming the area.

I left a message, as well as emailed the Burnaby and Provincial HQ of BCSPCA. Anyways anyone have any experience with having aggressive animals like this one impounded by animal control?

[babycake]

I'm sorry to hear your cat was attacked. I hope he will be okay.

To be honest, the dog is just doing what comes natural to most dogs - he sees small animals, including cats, as prey. The same idea as cats seeing rodents as prey. Although the right thing for the owner to do would have been to at least check/ask if your cat was okay, a dog is also not deemed "aggressive" for chasing and attacking cats. Unless, of course, the dog attacks people.

The dog owner should take measures to ensure his dog is not able to jump over the fence and roam around the streets, but at the same time, the same can be said of cats. In some places, owners who allow their cats to roam can be fined.

I have a dog and a cat and I never let my cat out unsupervised or without a leash. Aside from dogs, there are also coyotes, raccoons, cars, and many other dangers. It is way too risky. A cat rescue I sometimes foster for has heard stories of coyote dens being found to contain more than 50 pet collars.

Also see this recent news story of a cat being dragged away by raccoons in Richmond: CBC.ca Player

I hope that by having animal control speak to the dog owner, he/she will stop letting his dog roam freely around the streets, but again, the dog isn't "aggressive" for having natural instincts. So...we can't control what other people do with their pets, but we *can* take measures to protect our own.

[seakrait]

Pit bull euthanized after killing Nanaimo neighbour's pet kitty

Pit bull euthanized after killing Nanaimo neighbour's pet kitty

NANAIMO - A death sentence was meted out to a pit bull terrier that burst into a neighbour's home and killed a family pet.

Nanaimo animal control officers euthanized Max, a two-yearold pit bull, on Tuesday.

Max was in the care of Aaron and Jody Payne when it escaped and ran through a neighbour's open sliding glass door, to attack and kill Niki, a 17-year-old house cat sleeping next to the window.

The Paynes said they rescued Max through an employee from a Nanaimo veterinarian hospital.

The dog is believed to be from Victoria. Details are sketchy, despite an investigation launched into the facts of the case, including the past history of the dog, which is now said to be checkered.

Niki's owner has mixed feelings about news of the death of a dog that killed a cat that had been in the family since their first son was born.

"I'm certainly glad it's not going to hurt anyone else," said Don Izon. "But I'm also a little bit sad because if the dog had a proper place to live, with a fenced yard, this wouldn't have happened."

The Paynes were remorseful, after realizing Max had killed a neighbour's pet after someone left a door open. The dog lived with five cats in their home.

The decision to euthanize the dog was based on concerns about public safety.

"Dog kills cat, dog gets put down," said Sue Hughes, operator of the Nanaimo city pound.

"It's the kind of thing, if we were to adopt it out to the community, it's a liability we're not willing to take."

The Paynes could not be reached for comment, but said earlier this week they found out from investigators the dog had a "past history," only after the fact. They asked animal control officers for details but were denied access to information collected in the investigation.

"Now we find out that he has a past history (and) we're going: 'What is that?' We should have been informed," Jody said.

Niki's owner was angry when he saw his cat killed in front of him, but he's now ready to put it behind him.

"I don't have any hard feelings toward them, it's just an unfortunate accident," Izon said

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun


Read more: Pit bull euthanized after killing Nanaimo neighbour's pet kitty

as you can see, it's not uncommon. also, the owners can be held responsible depending on the animal bylaws of the city. i know in vancouver we have animal control that aggressively goes after owners of aggressive pitbulls when the dogs start becoming dangerous (attacking people and other pets).

if you see the animal and/or owners again, do call the police for attendance. at least so that their names are recorded for further follow up by your city's animal control bylaw officers.

[2002_WRX]

That news story is sad, for both parties. That pit bull was only 2, still just a puppy. Lots of time to train it not to go into another person's home and kill their pet.

If Michael Vick's dogs can be rehabilitated, then so can that 2 yr old pit bull. Shame on the Nanaimo pound.

[Matlock]

Sorry to hear your unfortunate news.

This is one reason I always supervise my cat on a leash when letting her out. She's stupid and would probably just lay there if anything were to attack her.

I also wouldn't trust her to be smart enough to avoid traffic, plus there are some drivers out there that purposely try to run over small animals whenever they can.
Posted via RS Mobile

[Nlkko]

Wow, that's horrific. I hope your cat will get well. It will definitely leave a mental scar so be as supportive as you can. Maybe get him outside under your watch?

And I fucking hate pet owners like those people. Piece of shit scumbags that doesn't deserve to own a pet. The breed has nothing to do with it. It's always the scumbags that think: "Oh, it's just the breed, they're aggressive, they bark a lot, they don't like this, they don't like that" and all that BS. I have no doubt even some owners on Revscene here share the same stupid mentality. Yet these people are able to "rescue" dogs from the pound because they have money and a god damn fenced yard because somehow the fenced yard is a good form of exercise for the dog.

They should start giving out hefty fines to dog owners who can't properly train their pets. The more I go to the dog park or beaches, the more I'm baffled by the amount of retarded owners out there.

And you can't blame the pound really. It's a standard practice anywhere else in the world. Strike one and you're out. And the pound is always full anyways.

If you know there's a terror pet in your neighborhood, start bringing a weapon like a walking stick when you walk your pet. They'll thank you.

[Lil Bastrd]

There has to be three incidents of a dog attacking another animal before it is impounded, or required to be locked in a run with a roof when outside/muzzled on leash for walks.

Unfortunately unless the other neighbours reported the incident or someone else has reported, yours may be the first. I would report though this way if there are others in the future something will be done.

[Keiichi]

Make sure you report it and follow through to the end. (meaning hopefully the dog is taken away from the owner) Allowing an aggressive dog roam free, and obviously not having it under control shows to me the owner is not fit to own that breed of dog.

I feel bad for ur cat. Worries me that maybe next time it'll be someone's little kid with a torn off face.