A big hound dog killed BBB's little Dolly dog today

I don't understand this part, BBB: you mean your neighbor retrieved the dead dog only after she took off the collar and tags? Why would she do that?

In any event you have an obligation to let the neighbors know their hound isn't to blame for acting as nature made him, plus that you have taken steps to ensure such an accident doesn't happen again.

Hugs!

oh, you're welcome, BBB. Glad to help.

How's your new Dolly doing?

Dogs know what dogs smell like.

To suggest that the hound 'thought' it was a mink or a fox is disingenous. Likewise I don't think it ever 'realised it's error', if you read how BBB and her neighbour retrieved Dolly.

Even if it is a hunting dog how pointless is it to have it in a suburban backyard?

I think BBBs opinion and feelings are much more important than yours or mine.

Think, High Seas. You seem to be engaging in the usual "blame the victim" mentality. I did every thing I was capable of doing, given that I'm 79 years old and disabled, with limited ability to perform tasks low to the ground. I installed preventative barriers that I could manage to do. I love my dogs and would never put them in dangerous situations. Dolly's digging was a new thing she had begone and I tried to prevent it.

I had to hire a man to spend three hours putting in a new barrier that my dogs could not dig around, but too late to save Dolly. I could not physicially have installed it myself.

You don't need to blame me for Dolly's death. I already blame myself because I was unable to protect her.

Dolly's collar and tags were not on her body when we discovered her. The hound must have pulled them off her when he grabbed her because her throat was crushed and she suffocated. The hound may have pulled her out of the hole by her collar as she was digging under the fence.

I don't have any obligation to the neighbor, nor their dog, They've already been told that I realize that Dolly got into their dog's territory.

BBB

JPB, I was appalled at the conditions of Dolly 2's breeders when I arrived. An old couple lived in a small house trailer. There must have been about 30 dogs on their property. There barely was room for the man and woman to live in. There was a large fenced yard for the adult dogs to run in, but most of the dogs were inside the trailer, some loose and some in cages. I had to get our puppy out of that situation.

I took Dolly 2 to the vet before I brought her home. We discovered Dolly 2 was infected with the giardia parasite and immediately started medical treatment. Two evenings ago, Dolly 2 started coughing and gagging. I took her and Maddy to the vet. We discovered that the giardia parasite had been cured, but she also infected with coccidia parasite and she's being treated medically for that. Dolly 2's coughing turned out to be Kennel Cough. She is getting medicine to treat that. I have to watch for signs of the cough in Maddy. Taking Dolly 2 out of the situation in which I found her may have saved her life.

I terribly miss my Dolly 1, but my 2's adore each other and are a delight to me and I love them dearly.

BBB

By no stretch of the imagination could anything I said be construed as blaming anybody, man or dog, BBB; I clearly stated I thought it was an accident.

I did live through a similar tragedy once before, when my aunt's little dog ran out of their property in Mahopac (an hour north of NY) when someone drove in forgetting to close the gate: her dog (also a toy breed weighing 6 or 7 pounds) ran out to go and play with the dogs next door - large Norwegian Elk hounds weighing about 75 pounds each - and that's the last time anyone ever saw the poor little animal alive.

My aunt had to be driven to the emergency room and kept for observation overnight. That's when I found out (from the veterinary experts) what I just posted. It's a horrible accident, no question about it, but it's an accident, not negligence or malice on your part, the neighbors', the toy breeds, or the hounds. Nobody can be held responsible for the ways of nature, and you definitely shouldn't blame yourself.

Certainly BBB's opinion and feelings are the most important in this case, and if you bother to read her posts you'll see she never blamed the hound or though it demented, as you did.

If you think you're helping BBB in any way by painting the neighbors' dog as a dangerous monster, please take the time to explain to me how that helps and what's your basis for thinking it.

As to your idea that hounds should recognize toy breeds by smell, fine, but all the veterinary experts consulted in my aunt's case were of a different opinion, as was legal counsel, whom she also consulted, and who presumably knew applicable law and jurisprudence.

Final note in case it's relevant: dogs who live in the same house with cats would never hurt the cats inside the house, but may run them down and kill them if they all find themselves out in an open field or in woods. So the general location seems to matter as well, not just ownership of territory.

High Seas, you are correct about location.

When my children were growing up, we had lots of animal pets on a 1/4 acre and home in the suburbs. We had lots of dogs and cats, dutch rabits, and a flock of bantam chickens. Our best friends lived next door and also had lots of pets, including two geese. Our children had two homes as a result like we were extended families.

The neighbor's geese laid eggs and hatched five little ones. They would come to our back yard to play with all of our pets, including the cats. One day, my children let the baby geese into our house. They were running around the house and everything was fine---until my Siamese cat saw them and killed one of the babies. This is something she never would have done outside where she played with the baby geese and where their interaction was normal. Inside the house was not normal. It was a sad lesson we all learned.

In Dolly 1's case, everywhere I took her, people who saw her wanted to play with her. She was so cute and so friendly that people were attracted to her and she thought everyone in the world wanted to play with her. She tried to play with the hound in the wrong place.

BBB

Dear BBB - the house you just described brought to mind one of my all-time favorite cartoons; I hope it makes you smile. Have a very good weekend.

That cartoon is so subtly funny.

My two favorite cartoons:
http://hometown.aol.com/bumblebee004/BumblebeeGallery.html

Diane asked me today if I had reported the Breeders to the Humane Society. I told her I had reported to my vet about the breeder's conditions and I felt they should be reported. She said a lot of the breeders in NM have the same conditions, some even worse, and she sees it all the time.. I wonder if the ABQ vets don't report them because they get the business for treating the sick dogs? This breeder has constant ads in the paper for their dogs. They are an old couple who live on their income from the puppies. As much as I understand their situation, I abhor the conditions, which I think is because of their age and their inability to do the kind of work it takes to keep the place clean and safe. However, I have already decided to report them to the Humane society, but I wonder if they will do anything about it. I called the Humane Society but their office is closed on weekends, so I will call them after the holiday.

Dolly is very good at taking her meds and is getting better. No sign of anything in Maddy---yet.

BBB

I took both Dolly and Maddy to the vet today. Maddy is showing signs of having contracted the Kennel Cough from Dolly 2. Now both dogs are on medications. So far, I have spent nearly $500 in medical treatments and exams due to the breeeders selling sick dogs. It's worth the expense, but it shouldn't happen.

I told the Vet I was having trouble finding someone who will investigate the breeder's conditions. The Humane Society said they don't have jurisdiction. The Animal Protection group never returned my call with all of the information. The Vet advised me to contact Animal Control in Moriarty (50 miles from my home). They will investigate and give the breeders an opportunity to correct their conditions before they are shut down. I will call them today and see what happens.

Dolly and Maddy are so much fun to watch as they play. What a pair they make!

BBB

BBB - don't you know any lawyers, especially in large firms, as they usually take a few cases pro bono? There's definitely laws against animal abuse; ask your local chapters of ASPCA, HS US, whatever - then write a letter. The written part is important - nobody can act based on phone calls (unless it's an emergency, and the downside there is that if it turns out no emergency was involved then the caller is liable).

You're doing the right thing; those breeders may be able to clean up their operation at some reasonable cost. Definitely call those folks at Moriarty, they may know of funding sources from general public health funds and animal charities. I'll be overseas for a while and not posting but will be reading news of doggies

I would separate kennel cough - to some extent, meaning don't mention it first - because dogs do get it in kennels good or bad, though statistics may show more often in bad. It may be part of a pattern of abuse but I doubt it can stand alone, not that you said it did, BBB. Your veterinarian may be able to say what issues to emphasize in your complaint (or may disagree with me on kennel cough in that situation).

I got the Pacc from the humane society in what was, visibly over a few visits, a well run facility, and he had it, and got better quickly with the treatment. Of course, they weren't a breeding facility, quite the opposite, and took dogs presented from varying conditions.

Let us know how the complaint goes..

writing from airport, sorry bad syntax/grammar:

wasn't even thinking of actual complaint, more of an inquiry about improving situation at the kennel in question - infections aren't the same as abuse, and kennel cough is common even at cleanest breeders' locations.

more research is needed, was what i was trying to convey - tks.

I was really directing that to BBB, High Seas, re her complaint to (wherever she mentioned earlier in the thread) and the Humane Society, not meant as an argument with anything you said. I should have been more clear.

sorry about that, good luck to all posters here - efforts are for an excellent cause....

will be back in a few weeks, but Thomas, Lola, George OB, Bernie and others know my professional e-mail address if there's a call for monetary contributions for the veterinary expenses; thanks, bye.

I received a telephone call this morning from the county sheriff and gave him all the details of my experience with the breeder of Dolly. He said there had been another report about them and the 32 dogs in the house trailer.

It seems the breeders have been selling illegally without a state-county license and had been warned they need to comply. Their license hearing last week was postponed due to a lack of Board quorum. Lucky for me that it will be on October 2nd. The sheriff asked me to have my vet FAX all of the detail records on Dolly's treatment as well as Maddy's kennel cough. He also asked for copies of my dog treatment bills. He said he may also require an affidavit from me to strengthen his case, which I will be happy to provide.

He thinks the breeders should cover all of my expenses. I told him I hadn't asked for a refund because my goal was to get my puppy out of that place and to protect the other dogs.

The sheriff will visit the breeders today and tell them to clean up their act---and that he will recommend to the Board that their license application be denied.

He also told me he has no budget for helping to clean up elderly breeder's facilities and there are no local organizations able to do it.

He told me the breeders are building a new large home for them to move into. Apparently, selling sick dogs are financing it.