# Training dogs to attack cats?



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Some neighbors came to my feeding station as the cats were eating their daily meal, and said they'd come with the specific purpose of training their dogs to attack cats, as part of the dogs' training session for today. I stood between the dogs and the cats and asked them to leave, to which they tried to scare me into compliance. I screamed and made so much noise that when they threatened to attack me, I said "Do so, you have tens of witnesses around you looking over here now." so they yelled and scorned me for a while and at last left. I don't understand why we're so pressured to TNR when the same gov't orgs that pressure us to TNR won't do a thing when those poor cats, after going through the trauma of TNR, are left to be killed by any neighbor at their wish. It's my belief that if we neuter them, we owe them at the very least some respect to continue being alive. Yet if I call the police, the police laugh in my face.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

This is so sad. I find it appalling how people treat cats as if their lives were nothing. I'm so sorry you had to go through defending them. Your neighbors are so @#^@#$#.


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## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

This is not good. Why do they want the dogs to attack the cats?

You could retaliate by feeding the dogs doctored food. Nothing fatal, perhaps something to give them diarrhea.

Another tack. Can you get pictures of the dogs. Go to the media with them. Perhaps see if you can interest the Mail Online. They do international stories and have a large animal loving readership. Your country may not like the bad publicity it would bring.

Anybody have ideas as to where Straysmommy might get more publicity?


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

jusjim, that's an excellent idea.  I'm going to gather more stories like this one and instead of the local publications, I'll send it to the US. This is what hurts them the most here.

In the meantime, I translated my first post here and sent it to the Head Vet at the municipality. I added that they're losing a lot of money in fines they don't give to dog-owners walking unleashed dogs here in my neighborhood.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I would start carrying a tazer with me if I were you. Any human or dog being encouraged by the human to attack my kitties wouldn't be doing it again. :wink


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## Natalie Jayne (Apr 21, 2011)

what a terrible thing to happen!!!! Can you get an avo against your neighbours since they have threatened to attack you? Maybe it is worth calling the police, so if they try it again, there is record of previous harassment.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

All stray cat caregivers need a shocker (Tazer) but they're not allowed by the police. 

In turn, the police does nothing when threats are reported. Several times I've pretended to call the police and say it was an Arab attacking the neighborhood, that way I was left in peace by the attacker. Otherwise the attackers (who are often groups of children) know the police won't pay attention to you, so they laugh in your face as you dial.


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## tarah44 (Jul 18, 2011)

jusjim said:


> This is not good. Why do they want the dogs to attack the cats?
> 
> You could retaliate by feeding the dogs doctored food. Nothing fatal, perhaps something to give them diarrhea.
> 
> Anybody have ideas as to where Straysmommy might get more publicity?


That not fair to the dogs? The human's are the guilty party here. Dogs are just doing what they are told. Diarrhea would sure be quite the mess for the humans to clean up after though...lol.


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## tarah44 (Jul 18, 2011)

Straysmommy said:


> Some neighbors came to my feeding station as the cats were eating their daily meal, and said they'd come with the specific purpose of training their dogs to attack cats, as part of the dogs' training session for today. I stood between the dogs and the cats and asked them to leave, to which they tried to scare me into compliance. I screamed and made so much noise that when they threatened to attack me, I said "Do so, you have tens of witnesses around you looking over here now." so they yelled and scorned me for a while and at last left. I don't understand why we're so pressured to TNR when the same gov't orgs that pressure us to TNR won't do a thing when those poor cats, after going through the trauma of TNR, are left to be killed by any neighbor at their wish. It's my belief that if we neuter them, we owe them at the very least some respect to continue being alive. Yet if I call the police, the police laugh in my face.


That is awful but BIG KUDOS to you for standing up for them You are my hero!


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

There's a law here that it's forbidden to set animals to fight between them, any animals. I think it'd be a wonderful law if they enforced it.


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

I agree. Media, media, media.


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## tarah44 (Jul 18, 2011)

Maybe if you placed a call or submitted the letter describing the event and how your concerned about how these people are training their dogs to attack smaller animals.Dogs that are trained to attack cats may be that one step closer to attacking small humans too. I'm not a dog owner so I hope I am not far reaching by saying that. Maybe if you put it into that perspective they may at least look at it.


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

Call PETA. They have a lot of beliefs that I don't agree with but they _do_ help the animal community.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Dog-owners in my neighborhood are terrorizing mothers and children too, in the public parks. They don't go to the children's parks anymore. I said this too in the letter. The problem with laws is that once I used to think that if something is against the law, then you're in trouble if you do it. Now I know that laws have enforcement seasons. Unleashed dogs laws were enforced 2 years ago, which means that now they can terrorize freely because this is a non-enforcement season. Now the law against driving without a driving permit is being enforced.


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## tarah44 (Jul 18, 2011)

What? That's crazy! That seems like the most counter productive law


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## praline (Jun 3, 2011)

Can you bring it to the attention of your SPCA? Sometimes they have the authority to be the law.

Very sick and twisted kids. Do you know where they live? I know in my neighborhood, I would march down to the parents' house and tell them. Its amazing what parents find out their kids are doing :wink


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

These of today and most dog-owners are kids in their thirties. 

However, in the case of small children, I'm sure it's the parents' that teach kids whether to respect or kill street cats. I've never met a street-cat hating kid whose parents loved or at least respected street cats. So even if I could discover a kids' parents by the kid's face, going to their houses would be like getting into the wolf's mouth itself.

We don't have an SPCA here. Animal protection (or actually lack thereof) is carried out by the municipalities.


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## praline (Jun 3, 2011)

You would be very surprised about kids and parents.

A good example would be the 10 year old freak of a kid that lives at the end of our street. He actually tried to shoot Savannah with a BB gun!!!

I marched down to their house full of mommy bear anger, ready to rip heads off. I mean really ... who lets their kid run the neighborhood with a BB gun?! OHHHH I was steaming!

Come to find out, it was the dad's BB gun from when he was a kid. He had it put up in his closet and took his son once to the firing range to try it out. He put it back in the closet and it seemed the kid figured that meant it was his to play with. He was sneaking it out the back door of their house :?

OHHH yeah his rear was in some MAJOR trouble.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

praline said:


> You would be very surprised about kids and parents.


If I lived in your continent, maybe.


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## toll_booth (Jan 31, 2010)

Straysmommy said:


> Some neighbors came to my feeding station as the cats were eating their daily meal, and said they'd come with the specific purpose of training their dogs to attack cats, as part of the dogs' training session for today. I stood between the dogs and the cats and asked them to leave, to which they tried to scare me into compliance. I screamed and made so much noise that when they threatened to attack me, I said "Do so, you have tens of witnesses around you looking over here now." so they yelled and scorned me for a while and at last left. I don't understand why we're so pressured to TNR when the same gov't orgs that pressure us to TNR won't do a thing when those poor cats, after going through the trauma of TNR, are left to be killed by any neighbor at their wish. It's my belief that if we neuter them, we owe them at the very least some respect to continue being alive. Yet if I call the police, the police laugh in my face.


Sometimes I wonder whether neutering should be limited to dogs and cats.


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

toll_booth said:


> Sometimes I wonder whether neutering should be limited to dogs and cats.


This!


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

LOL I'll use that line with the next!


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## praline (Jun 3, 2011)

I have been trying my best to train Bentley to attack cats.
It seems we need to work on it a bit more :?


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## tarah44 (Jul 18, 2011)

toll_booth said:


> Sometimes I wonder whether neutering should be limited to dogs and cats.


Ha ha that's awesome. No kidding hey


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I'd have to stand between Bentley and my stray cats - to protect Bentley.


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## tarah44 (Jul 18, 2011)

Straysmommy said:


> These of today and most dog-owners are kids in their thirties.
> 
> However, in the case of small children, I'm sure it's the parents' that teach kids whether to respect or kill street cats. I've never met a street-cat hating kid whose parents loved or at least respected street cats. So even if I could discover a kids' parents by the kid's face, going to their houses would be like getting into the wolf's mouth itself.
> 
> We don't have an SPCA here. Animal protection (or actually lack thereof) is carried out by the municipalities.


I have to agree with this. Although there are always exceptions to the rule most of the time it is the parents failure to teach kids to respect animals. Skye was always loving towards animals but as a young child she could get a little rough. It was my job to teach her to be gentle. I remember freaking on her once cuz she was frying ants with a magnifier. Some may think I was too harsh cuz it's just an ant, but to me all living creatures are equal to me. I then made her watch Honey I Shrunk the Kids and she never intentionally hurt and ant again. We don't kill bugs in our home, we trap and release or the cats eat them. I know it's just a bug but I choose to teach my daughter to have respect for all life. I personally think it's important that kids are raised with pets. Then they develop an understanding and respect for them through the bonds they make but that's just my opinion. 

As for exceptions, I think some people are just born rotten and stay rotten for life no matter what their upbringing was like.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

It wouldn't be necessary to teach kids respect for animals if there weren't so many animal abusers who teach the opposite (at home, at school, in the street, etc.). But ultimately, it's the parents' attitude towards animals that determines the kids' values.

Eg: A group of kids passed by a few months ago and yelled at me: "One doesn't feed street cats!" to which I responded: "You're very right. Street cats and children should not be fed. They must be left to die of hunger in the streets." So they started crying and saying "Children must not die of hunger!" then proceeded to torture my strays with their laser pens inside the eyes.


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## Olivers-Slave (Jul 25, 2010)

-.- makes me want to enact spanking kids that arnt you own....


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