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I agree with Keystonepaul here, on everything he said.
I think sometimes we forget that dogs are animals, not babies. I have a toy poodle and to my embarassment, I must admit he is babied and coddled. As much as I care for him, and wouldn't want anything to hurt him, he is an animal not a person. If my 'job' is to feed him and see that his vaccinations are up to date, his is to provide companionship. He barks when someone comes to the door, thus providing me notification if someone is around. If he were a terrior, I would expect that he would 'go to ground' when needed. If I had a collie, I would expect herding behaviours. When we don't know the breed we have, we are often looking for trouble. I have had acquaintances who've had JRTs who couldn't handle them and the poor dogs had to be re-homed after a year or so...bad owner! I've known friends who had a corgi who 'nipped' at people in the yard; again, a herding behaviour that was 'bred' into the dog but was unacceptable in a suburban yard. Again these people gave the dog away after it 'nipped' a child's leg....again BAD owner. Dogs are suppose to work, and if we take that away from them, they become frustrated and often the characteristics of the breed will come out when we least expect it. This is not the fault of the dog, rather lack of training by the person. When humankind chose to have dogs as companions, it was out of a mutual need...theirs and ours. It behooves us to remember that.
I do not like 'senseless' killing, but this was not senseless nor random. It was a dog doing (well) what it was supposed to do. The original poster's dog is today a happier dog, doing what he knows he was made for. If the interloper had been a man with a gun intent on murder, would it have been viewed any differently?
As for the owner 'cheering on' her dog, well done for letting him know he was doing the right thing by his owners.
I don't want to engage in an argument here, but I read the title and had an idea of the thread before I chose to read it. Even in a chicken forum, there is talk of killing (doesn't anyone eat their chickens?). Is it because this killing was unplanned and 'natural' that some object? If the OP had called her dog off, does anyone think the raccoon would have thought "gee, I'm glad that dog left me alone, I should run away now"...NOT! That 'coon would have killed the dog in an instant if given a chance, THEN gone for anything else it could have.
I am not a country girl with a 'good ole boy' attitude toward killing, and I was a vegetarian for many years before returning to a life of an omnivore, so I don't believe I have an unrealistic view of killing. I see this as an 'either/or' situation...it was not a romp through the woods looking for something to kill, it was a reaction to an intruder.
Well done to dog and owner. Btw, I think my 4lb poodle would have attacked as well, and probably not have had quite a good outcome...
I agree with Keystonepaul here, on everything he said.
I think sometimes we forget that dogs are animals, not babies. I have a toy poodle and to my embarassment, I must admit he is babied and coddled. As much as I care for him, and wouldn't want anything to hurt him, he is an animal not a person. If my 'job' is to feed him and see that his vaccinations are up to date, his is to provide companionship. He barks when someone comes to the door, thus providing me notification if someone is around. If he were a terrior, I would expect that he would 'go to ground' when needed. If I had a collie, I would expect herding behaviours. When we don't know the breed we have, we are often looking for trouble. I have had acquaintances who've had JRTs who couldn't handle them and the poor dogs had to be re-homed after a year or so...bad owner! I've known friends who had a corgi who 'nipped' at people in the yard; again, a herding behaviour that was 'bred' into the dog but was unacceptable in a suburban yard. Again these people gave the dog away after it 'nipped' a child's leg....again BAD owner. Dogs are suppose to work, and if we take that away from them, they become frustrated and often the characteristics of the breed will come out when we least expect it. This is not the fault of the dog, rather lack of training by the person. When humankind chose to have dogs as companions, it was out of a mutual need...theirs and ours. It behooves us to remember that.
I do not like 'senseless' killing, but this was not senseless nor random. It was a dog doing (well) what it was supposed to do. The original poster's dog is today a happier dog, doing what he knows he was made for. If the interloper had been a man with a gun intent on murder, would it have been viewed any differently?
As for the owner 'cheering on' her dog, well done for letting him know he was doing the right thing by his owners.
I don't want to engage in an argument here, but I read the title and had an idea of the thread before I chose to read it. Even in a chicken forum, there is talk of killing (doesn't anyone eat their chickens?). Is it because this killing was unplanned and 'natural' that some object? If the OP had called her dog off, does anyone think the raccoon would have thought "gee, I'm glad that dog left me alone, I should run away now"...NOT! That 'coon would have killed the dog in an instant if given a chance, THEN gone for anything else it could have.
I am not a country girl with a 'good ole boy' attitude toward killing, and I was a vegetarian for many years before returning to a life of an omnivore, so I don't believe I have an unrealistic view of killing. I see this as an 'either/or' situation...it was not a romp through the woods looking for something to kill, it was a reaction to an intruder.
Well done to dog and owner. Btw, I think my 4lb poodle would have attacked as well, and probably not have had quite a good outcome...

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