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Originally Posted by bjh  I agree, we don't have a fenced yard so mine never go outside unless they are on a leash. My personal belief is that if a dog would kill/maul a cat I would never trust it with a child. I know that sounds silly but that is just how I feel. |
I kind of feel the same way. I mean, a child is obviously entirely different than a cat... but killing a cat is a pretty big feat. Then again though, a cat is something with four legs and fur that moves quickly... similar to a rat, who they were bred to kill. A child is a completely different ballgame. I believe any dog would be able to tell the difference between a child and a cat and unless they showed aggression towards children, I would still trust them.
I mean, Jackson has chased cats (my dads) but he's had encounters with them a few times where the cats aren't running, and I can't imagine him
actually causing harm. He's very gentle with them when he's not chasing them, LOL. I know that animals will be animals and dogs will be dogs... but it
would worry me irregardless. Jackson caught a bird in our screened in porch... leaped into the air and caught it, but I think the bird either died of shock or a broken neck. Jackson dropped it right away so I don't think he had intent to kill. But just because he killed a live flying bird, I 100% trust him with my 7 year old brother. He loves Camron and has a very close bond with him and he clearly knows Cam is NOT a bird or a cat. He even found an injured mouse in our house once that could barely move and just barked and barked until I came into the kitchen to check it out... brought it outside and he just laid with it and watched it until it died. But I don't doubt that if the thing were moving faster, that his prey drive would come out and he would try to eat it.
I think some dogs, terriers in particular, have a higher prey drive than others. Each dog should be treated individually for sure. It DOES seem like this cat was already dead... I mean, Jackson is 16lbs, but I don't think he'd have the strength or the drive to kill an adult cat. But I do think we ALL have to keep back in the back of our mind that our sweet little dogs ARE in fact dogs, terriers at that, and I wouldn't trust a terrier with a small fast moving animal by themselves.