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Love Bird Killed By Dog, Sad and Confused...
I would like to start off by saying that I only want responces from breeders, animal rescuers and people of like nature.
This is what happened. I have had my love bird for just over a month. In that time she has become a very loved and close part of the family (I and my husband). Recently, there was a dog that came to our home. Our Upstairs neighbor said that it was a very friendly and gentil dog that belonged to a lady up the road, that is a little off maybe, and she would not put in the affection that the dog required. So the dog would go to neighbors and stay at different ones houses for periods of time. Well I LOVE ANIMALS. So first we would hang out for the evening and then once I realized she was gentil and quiet, after consulting my neighbor, I took the time to let her sleep in the house, because we live in idaho and it is the middle of winter right now and it is amazing the dog hasn't been frost bitten. I proceeded to get her some dog food etc. I was keeping my lovebird Arina in the cage while the dog was around so that it could grow to know her. I did not do this out of complete ignorance, because I did a lot of research in the past before I got the bird and everyone that I spoke with, in person and online that had multiple types of animals, said that they live together in harmony and there is no problem. I even saw videos on YouTube of birds sitting on cat's and playing with dogs. This was not an aggressive dog. The only thing of concern that happened was that I saw the dog catch a mouse and eat it. Now I understood this behavior, because the dog is out there during the day fending for it's self. The reason why I let it slide is because I read that many people's animals keep their animal instinct, but do not exhibit that behavior towards the family animals. No matter how small. Anyway, I decided to take the bird and put it on my shoulder to visit our neighbor because it was squawking very loud and my husband was sleeping before work. I took her out and everything was fine, the dog and my neighbor's dog were both calm, and as I was about to take her back in the house, she flew off of my shoulder, and in a split second, the stranger dog lunged at her and grabbed her in it's mouth and i surley think it would have eaten her if it hadn't been for both of us ladies yelling and lunging at it to stop. Natuurally we kicked the dog out, and now I feel aweful, because he is sleeping outside. :( I know it wasn't deliberate, he was just doing what was natural to him. But here is the issue I have. I always saw my self as someone having many animals in the future, all different sorts living together in the same home. I see these people that rais Wild Animals like tigers and such that have birds and cats and children and they all play out in the open together in the living room, all coming into contact with each other at different stages in their lives. Where did I go wrong? What are these people doing that I did not do? What does one have to do to have these different types of animals living together. What is it that keeps the peace? Are there certain breeds that are more prone to get along with different animals. My husband had a cat, and that cat started living with him and his parents who have a dog...they chase each other sometimes, but they can be left alone together in the house and they do not kill each other. That dog did not grow up with cats or anything. What steps should I take now when deciding on getting multiple pets in the future? I don't want to have to keep them all in cages and in seperate rooms. What can I do? Thank you for your advice.
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Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
I've had dogs that were very friendly with other animals and others who were not. Some dogs have very high prey instincts which cannot always be trained out of them. For example...I presently have a very large German Shepherd. He's an angel, not at all destructive, doesn't wander, comes when called. His manners are impeccable. Yet, the sight of an animal, especially a moving animal and particularly running, sets off his prey drive. He will not stop until he "tackles" the animal. If he encounters a large animal, he'll tussle with it until it submits, belly up, then he'll let it go. On the other hand, if a chipmunk happens to be his target, he'll go for it and the outcome isn't very good because a swipe of his paw or a nip from his teeth will be fatal. I also have horses. They get along fine with dogs, but, again, my shepherd cannot be allowed near them because he has a high prey drive and will chase them and attempt to bite them.
My point is, not all animals play well with others. Some need to be the only animal in a family. Certain breeds are much more docile than others. You should do a breed search and see which ones would suit you. Another thing you could do is learn whatever you can about animals, in general, so then when the time comes to bring two different species together, you'll have background information on which species will have the best chance of success.
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First of all, I think that you shown train the dog as what to do and not to do ( if it's still young that is) because then it will know the boundaries which it shouldn't cross, in this instance, not to attack your bird. But know that it's living outside, I'm sure it might've gotten the point that it had done something wrong so the likely hood of it happening again may be minimal. But just reinforce it every now and then so it knows.
But about the multiple pet thing. Personally, I wouldn't go for it unless you're really committed and know that it will be a lot of work to care for however many pets you're thinking of having and it will be expensive as well (with food, accessories etc.). And plenty of space for them. But if you do go for it, I suggest that you introduce new animals with a year or two between them, why? Because it will allow the other pets get to know the new comer and accept it into the 'pack' and if it doesn't work out then you can do something about it quickly.
It's best separate the new comer from the others at first so that he/she can smell and see the others at first so that they can get used to them and its new surroundings so you don't get a scared animal getting harassed by other animals and it doesn't know where to go.
With dogs, it's best to stay with them for a quite a bit of time because in the wild, dogs go around in packs so with you spending time with the new dog, you're accepting it into the pack or becoming its pack and it will follow you around because it's accepted you as its leader and will learn the rules from you.
The thing about the YouTube videos is that those animals have gotten to know each other and learnt the boundaries over years, so of course they will get along by the time those videos are made. It will take time to get to that level. Plus, you still need a huge amount of commitment and patience, which is probably what those owners had/have.
You did nothing wrong. It was just a simple case of the dog doing what it would do naturally as you pointed out so there will be slip ups here and there.
I hope this helped,
triquetra
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