Repercussions For Feeding Feral Dogs?

[Gharrissc]

There's been some ongoing issues with feral dogs downtown,and while the pack never bothers anyone, there have been some issues with business owners feeding the dogs. There's varying opinions and while some think that the dogs should be helped in some way, others think that business owners who feed them should be fined. I just wanted some opinions.

I think people may mean well,but feeding these dogs can lead to other issues. Some local store owners are saying that they try to feed the dogs to gain their trust.

There used to be a red dog who was always pregnant,but kept a low profile during the day. When she got really hungry though,you would see her running through the neighborhoods the day. Then there was a black male dog who would hang around with her,and probably sired most of the litters.

Last year the red and black dogs were caught along with a few other ferals because they were seen killing a doe. They were taken to shelter and pts.

There was an article in the paper saying that all of the dogs were caught,but there have been some more pregnant females spotted recently.The issue is that these dogs won't come near people and aren't easily caught even with traps.

[llombardo]

Originally Posted by Gharrissc

There's been some ongoing issues with feral dogs downtown,and while the pack never bothers anyone, there have been some issues with business owners feeding the dogs. There's varying opinions and while some think that the dogs should be helped in some way, others think that business owners who feed them should be fined. I just wanted some opinions.

I think people may mean well,but feeding these dogs can lead to other issues. Some local store owners are saying that they try to feed the dogs to gain their trust.

There used to be a red dog who was always pregnant,but kept a low profile during the day. When she got really hungry though,you would see her running through the neighborhoods the day. Then there was a black male dog who would hang around with her,and probably sired most of the litters.

Last year the red and black dogs were caught along with a few other ferals because they were seen killing a doe. They were taken to shelter and pts.

There was an article in the paper saying that all of the dogs were caught,but there have been some more pregnant females spotted recently.The issue is that these dogs won't come near people and aren't easily caught even with traps.

These dogs have obviously been around for a while and shame on the people who don't feed them, give them water, and/or trap them. Its an ongoing problem and feeding or not feeding them is not the biggest problem here. They need to be taken off the street and either rehabbed or destroyed. I don't blame the dog or dogs for killing the deer, they are trying to survive in a cruel world...what did they do to deserve the life they have? Forget the traps and use tranquilizer guns if need be. This just saddens me, we do not live in a third world country and this kind of stuff shouldn't even be happening.

[robk]

Packs of stray dogs can kill children and pets. They need to be stopped.

[Rerun]

Agree with robK

There is an interesting case going on here in my city. A woman turned a "stray" dog into the city animal control claiming it was a stray she had been feeding for a couple of years but could not catch. She said she finally caught it and realized it had an "eye injury" (it looked like cherry eye on the news clip) and an imbedded collar. Upon turning it in and telling them the story of how she came to acquire the dog, she was heavily fined because in our city (and I'm sure many others), if you are feeding an animal for x period of time (it was something like two weeks or a month......) then you are responsible for said animal and the assumed owner of it. She changed her story after the fact claiming the dog only came around now and again and she would feed it, but either way, the city considers her responsible for it and she neglected care of the animal by not calling them in regards to the dog at an earlier date and waiting until she could personally catch it.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Check out this video: LiveLeak.com - Russian Janitor Saves Girl From Pack Of Dogs!!

This is what CAN happen if dogs are left to roam and form packs.

For cats I agree with the TNR - trap, neuter/spay and release. Their population will eventually die off and they are NOT a threat to humans.

Unfortunately, dogs can be a threat to humans and should not be allowed to form feral packs.

Dogs in a feral pack can be unafraid of people. That makes them more bold and more dangerous.

[arycrest]

I agree with everyone who thinks the pack should be stopped.

There used to be a pack of feral dogs running around Bowie, MD, had killed small animals, etc. I'd heard about them but never ran into them UNTIL one day I was at a local park eating my lunch at a picnic table. A few of the ferals ran up, bristled, growling, snarling (some stayed back quite a distance) ... I threw my sandwich at them and got the heck out of there. The police and animal control finally eliminated the pack but it took years.

[Gharrissc]

This has been my point for a while,but unfortunately it's not a popular one when the conversation is brought up by others. A few people in my rescue 'circle' have told me that they are 'shocked' by my thoughts of eliminating the pack (in as humane a way as possible). You can't save everything unfortunately.

Originally Posted by arycrest

I agree with everyone who thinks the pack should be stopped.

[Capone22]

Wow I didn't know this happened in the United States! It definitely needs taken care of.


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[Ziltoid]

There have been packs of feral dogs in remote areas here that are quite aggressive towards humans. People have been attacked and killed/eaten.

Unfortunately I think destroying the animals is the only course of action that can be taken.

[arycrest]

This article is about feral dogs mauling four people to death in Mexico City. One of the victims was a 1 year old child, two were teenagers, and the 26 year old mother of the baby.
Mexico City feral dog killings open debate - CenturyLink