It has happened yet again.
An unmuzzled little girl greyhound being walked on a lead jerked it out of her owner's hand since it wasn't wrapped round her wrist. It then caught and killed someone else's cat.
The outcome was certain. The cat's owner reported the incident to the police and the dog warden.
A dog equivalent of an ASBO can be issued to the owner. This means that if the dog is SIMPLY SEEN OUTSIDE WITHOUT A MUZZLE OR LEAD IT CAN BE ORDERED TO BE PUT TO SLEEP. Also the dog is no longer allowed to be put into boarding kennels. Cheerio holidays.
The greyhound owner returned the dog to our kennels and if it receives an ASBO it will be given , as usual, to GRF.
The wee girl will probably spend the rest of her life in the kennels since she can have the ASBO for life. Another rescue spot is now taken out of circulation in our kennels.
This happened this week. Under other circumstances could it possibly have been your dog ? Everybody who rehomed a GRF dog signed a rehoming form which stated, high-lit in yellow, that you understood that the dog should be muzzled in a public place - i.e. where pet cats etc. may be found. Is it worth perhaps having your pet put to sleep under the worst case scenario ? Be under no illusion, it could happen to anyone under these circumstances.
Comment - if my dog is muzzled he can't defend.
Answer - if he's under control right beside you then you can defend him. You are the alpha, not him.
Footnote - - - - - the little girl is now in the kennels awaiting her fate.
The little girl is very friendly, spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and house trained. She is only three years old and very pretty. Is there anybody out there who'd be willing to give her a forever home, remembering the rules of the ASBO, which realistically are not difficult to keep ?

The dog in question here, Rita, as a beautiful little dog and I took some photos of her today.

Click here for a slideshow

Click here for a storyboard

I would just like to add my thoughts to Jimmy's post. Lots of dogs, whatever the breed, will chase a cat if they are given the opportunity. The difference with a Greyhound is that they are quick enough to actually catch the cat. It is up to all of us to keep our dogs safe, to be in full control of them and to be alert at all times. Some greys are very prey driven and will pull at the sniff of a cat, others are more laid back until an opportunity presents itself. Rita is a very sweet little dog, and very easy to walk on a lead. Your dog may be the same, but don't let that lull you into a false sense of security. A lead is only any good if it's secure at each end - i.e. clipped to the collar/harness AND held properly so the dog can't pull the lead out of your hands.

This is a tragic event that has cost a cat its life. The owner decided to give the dog up straight away leaving GRF to deal with inevitable Dog Control Notice, and to deal with a heartbroken dog who has lost her family home.

I'm so sad to read this post. I just can't understand why Rita's owner would give up on her. When Foxy had her incident, reported in the July newsletter, the only person I blamed was me and I am more protective of her than ever. I guess maybe this was a neighbour's cat and relations would have been strained going forward.
I can only say that I took on all my greyhounds and lurchers for life. The only thing that will part us is terminal illness/injury or death. Foxy is fine with her DCN and so am I, but I have a court case pending (seemingly indefinitely!) so I'm probably not eligible to take on another greyhound at the moment, particularly one with a DCN pending.
She really does deserve another chance of a happy home life.

I don't want to get into politics here, but if this had been one of mine I would hold my hands up, say I was to blame and take the consequences. My dogs are my "children" and I love them dearly - if a child committed a crime would the parents put he/she into an orphanage? An ASBO isn't the worst thing in the world and certainly a poor excuse to ban a dog to the kennels when the human could, reasonably, have avoided the situation in the first place. I'm sure the owner would feel as I would, guilty, embarrassed, ashamed, and in order to look as if amends are being made, got rid of the perpetrator. But this dog - and no different to any other breed that could have done this, is not to blame for natural instincts. I admit the good behaviour of our hounds in "normal" circumstances can lead to a false sense of security. We all need to take heed of yet another very sad tale.

I TOTALLY agree with you Isobel ... I can't think of ANYTHING that Bootsie could do that would make me return him to the Kennels ~ he is MY fur baby and I couldn't, and wouldn't, be without him by choice - as Marion said, only death will separate us. I would do absolutely anything, and everything, in my power to protect my boy. As you say, if your child / partner received an ASBO, would you instantly ban them from your house, or divorce them ?!?

It also has to be said that 'there but for the grace of God' ... greyhounds are strong dogs, and Bootsie has pulled Mo over on more than one occasion - she has, however, always managed to keep hold of his lead despite breaking her own bones!

The adoption agreement is there for a reason ... these are not dogs to be taken on without careful consideration, if you are not willing to put in the work, and take the advice of the experts (in this case, Jimmy & Celia). Also, we are told to keep them on their leads for a reason - it is for the good of the dog. Yes, accidents happen but we should do our utmost to ensure the safety of our dogs and their 'prey' because, make no mistake, the majority of greyhounds have a high prey instinct. It is our duty, to our dogs, to protect them.

It is tragic that the cat, in this incident, lost its life ... it is also tragic that Rita is now back in Kennels, wondering what she has done so wrong when all she did was follow her own, natural, instinct.

Susan.

At least she is back and safe in the kennels. Some people may have just taken the dog straight to the vets to be PTS, or put her on a free ads page. I will be taking her with me to Pets At Home in Linlithgow for fund raising and awareness tomorrow and Thursday or Friday, so at least she can get some love and attention. With a bit of luck she may even catch someone's eye.

I hope so Steve, I'm sure there are good people out there who would be willing to take on the responsibility, she is a beautiful girl. I would myself except my 3 (or at one of my 3 - and you know who I'm referring to) are enough to cope with for me or Christine when we are on our own with them. We can only hope the best for the wee girl now.

I have been reading your forum for several months and am very impressed with the website and with all that goes on with GRF. You all sound like a wonderful group of people who work together for the Greyhounds. My wife and I are involved in Greyhound rescue here in Arizona USA. We recently adopted a 3 year old female that had come from one of our foster homes where it had killed a cat that it seemed to be friends with for several months. The foster family was very attached to their cat as well as their other greyhounds and did not want to keep Ellie. We took her on as we have only dogs, three rescue Greyhounds and a rescue Husky/German Shepherd mix.

We have to watch her all of the time as she has a high prey drive. I agree with Celia and Jimmy, please watch them closely at all times. It takes less than a second for them to get away if your guard is down. If we lived near you we would take her, but I think we are a little to far away.

We are still celebrating the closing of the last greyhound race track last month here in Arizona. Unfortunately we now bring them in from Mexico where they are not treated well in my opinion, but at least they are sending us the ones they no longer want and not doing away with them.

Keep up the good work on behalf of the Greyhounds.

Incredibly disheartening to hear this has happened again, particularly after the very sobering description in the newsletter as to what happens as a result of an attack.
I love Mac n Maisie to bits but wouldn't trust either near another animal. They get fed in the back garden but still on their leads in case a pet should wander in the garden too. They both move so fast you have to predict what could happen and think ahead
I appreciate owners can be caught off balance etc and lose a lead but there's no excuse for a muzzle not to be on the greys when they are outside. That's what we signed up to
I appreciated Marion sharing her experience. I hold the four! (2 each) leads extra tightly since reading the newsletter. I am thoroughly disappointed this has happened again

Hi Jimmy & Celia,

What a terribly sad and upsetting thing to happen for everyone concerned.

After reading all the comments, I would like some advice/reassurance please.

I always have Lola on a short lead, walking at my side, she is a dream to walk, but I watch her body language closely and am always watchful when I see her becoming alert or adopting a stalking posture. I find myself scanning the surroundings for signs of cats as she is most definitely not cat safe!

The only time she is off the lead is when she is in the garden surrounded by a 6 foot plus high fence. I also advised my neighbours who have a cat and another with a white fluffy puppy that I have a greyhound. I told them that when she is out walking she will be muzzled and on the lead, but when the weather is fine she will be unmuzzled in the garden. I felt it was important to explain that as a hound she had a strong chase instinct and was fast enough to catch a cat and that I don't want anything to happen to their pets or of course, my own. So just to be aware that she might be out. I'm glad I did as it was clear they didn't understand the risk, as they could only see the lovely, placid, sweet nature of the dog in front of them.

I have seen her go after a cat that sat taunting her on the fence a couple of times and clattered into the fence although I haven't seen any sign of a cat for months now.

So my questions are, should I also keep her muzzled in the garden on the off chance that a cat wanders in? And if she did manage to catch a cat, God forbid, in my own garden, would she still be subject to an ASBO?

Teresa

I'm no expert but I would keep a greyhound muzzled in the garden as a pet could wander in. Lots of people have told me that it would not be my fault if an animal came in my garden and was then attacked. I'm not convinced that is true. It would still be bad publicity for all greyhounds but ultimately I don't want any animal to be attacked. Damage could still be done with a muzzle on but I would not keep the dog on a lead in the garden if they have a secure 6foot fence to keep them in
If my neighbours had small dogs and cats I think there's a higher risk of an unexpected visit so I would not take a chance

Thanks for your thoughts Jenny B. It seems a shame to muzzle her in her own garden, as I said I haven't seen a cat in months and the wee dog is never allowed out off the lead. However, better to be safe than sorry.

Hi Teresa.
Cat in your garden - cat is an intrusion - if the dog kills the cat no action will be taken.
Dog outside your garden - kills cat - dog out of control - dog receives a doggy ASBO with it's consequencies.
So don't muzzle your doggie in your garden Teresa if you know that the dog cannot exit the garden. This is your dog's safe play area. The dog is entitled to that.
Give her a big cuddle from us.

Dear Celia and Jimmy,

Thank you so much for your reassurance. I guess having read the stories of the recent sad incidents made me feel a bit anxious.

I have a very secure high fenced garden, gated at both entrances, so feel it's safe to let Lola run, play and relax in freedom.

She is doing great, thanks for your kind thoughts.

Teresa

You are very welcome Teresa.
Give Lola a big cuddle from us.
Jimmy and Celia.