She ate another one

[mortdooley]

Ruby our bronze newfie seems to believe she is starving. Last week when I let her run loose in the back yard she found a nest of baby cotton tail rabbits. Before I could stop her she scooped one up and ate it whole. Day before yesterday my wife forgot and let her out without her gentle leader and she got another one. Does anyone else have these kinds of problems? My wife was so horrified Ruby may not get turned loose in the back yard until at least mid summer.

 

[Erika]

Ours chase squirrels, so far the squirrels have been lucky

 

[Jenn]

Ours have killed a few rabbits but not eaten them. I just recycle and give them to the wolfdogs. Better to do that then waste it.

I would hate to see them when they did kill, I couldn't deal with that part.

 

[ina/puusty]

HB..is a hunter..in the tradition of her wolfie heritage. She has caught, killed and eaten quail, pheasants, jays, robins, bunnies,mice, gophers, and several types of squirrels. She attempted a buck (deer) but luckily it got away from the fence where it was cornered. At the point we saw what she was doing, she was on her hind legs, paws around its neck..when it slipped sidewise and bolted. She had not gotten a neck bite on it, luckily. I am not about to let her go that far..but, she has brought in duck eggs. I figure should I go down , in the mountains..she can and would bring back something for us. When she stretchs out..she has an amazing ability to fly toward her target..but..she cannot sustain the speed..which is a blessing. After about 2 and a half blocks..her speed drops..massively. Coming from a hunting, and outdoor family, I appreciate her skill. ina n HB

 

[wrknnwf]

When my dogs find a baby rabbit nest...well...it's pretty horrific. They snort, smack lips and slaver like pigs at a trough, staining and digging to get at them. Sometimes you can hear the baby bunnies squeaking in their mouths and then...nothing.

I always envy those stories about Newfs tenderly nurturing small animals. Not at my house!!!

 

[ardeagold]

Our Goldens do this with moles all the time. ICK

But...if they've caught a baby rabbit and have eaten it, I haven't seen them do it, which is a good thing.

I believe Jacques was with one of our males in the field last week when he (Chandler, the dog) caught an adult rabbit and proceeded to make quick work of it. Then, although Jacques "got rid of it" ... he (Chandler, the dog, once more) found the carcass the next day, and settled in for a nice meal..just before it got taken away, again.

PS...be prepared to worm your dog for tapeworms if they eat wild "game". Since these animals carry fleas, and the dog ingests the fleas with the pelt, the chances of a tapeworm taking hold are very high. If you see segments of the worm (which look like pieces of rice) in the feces in a few weeks...you'll know what it is. And, the regular wormers don't touch tapeworms. You'll probably need Droncit from the Vet.

[ 03-16-2006, 07:01 PM: Message edited by: Ardeagold ]

 

[Sue M.]

When I first got Cassie, she would try to drag me every time she saw a squirrel! It took a lot of work to get her to stop.
One day in the beginning of fall, a lot of leaves were on the ground, I was walking Cass and all of a sudden she buried her face in the leaves and came up with a chipmonk in her mouth! I never even saw or heard the thing. Cassie would not let go of it!
I finally have her to a point where she doesn't try to run after things, she stands at attention but doesn't try to drag me to the critters!

 

[newfiemomof2]

Glory sees squirrels on the ground in her fenced domain and gives chase until it scampers into the trees whereupon she tries her best to climb (no go on a bradford pear) and barks as if to say, "get down here and fight like a squirrel, you wimp!"

Sam on the other hand, managed to kill 1 copperhead teenager, and 2 groundhogs. Each time, he was just trying to play with it. He pawed the groundhog and it died, so he laid down next to it and waited for it to "wake up and play again".

The Canada Geese and the deer and the red fox know to stay outside of the fence line. There are 3 more acres the dogs do not have access to off-lead.

So far, on-lead, Glory shows interest but obeys a "leave" command and/or an "ignore" command (also used for barking dogs behind invisible fences who bark at her) Have her now walking past without a sideways glance.

Sam was also known to carry a toad around in his mouth, let it down, pick it up, carry it, let it down, pick it up, carry it, for hours on end. Never ate it, never hurt it. Totally amazing.

 

[TerriW]

My Max once chased a possum till it died. I pulled him off it, and we walked away, and I saw it (yup!) lift its head, look around, and take off. It "played possum" on us and tricked us.

 

[Terrasage]

The first time my afghan hound killed a rabbit, my husband was incensed! He said, "Sage (our border collie) would NEVER do that!" I told him, "no, she'd herd it into a corner for Terra!".

It is pretty horrifying to witness, but you can't deny dogs their nature. William was sniffing some pelts with interest while we were in the sporting goods store today, but he hasn't attempted to catch and eat anything living yet!

 

[NewfyDad]

Our girl Nellie will go nuts if she sees a squirrel out the window. Murphy is like, squireell, who cares. He'll practically step on them and not get excited.

 

[PromisedLandNewf]

My girls will chase birds and squirrels up the tree. It's too funny to watch them try to climb trees!!

 

[LovemyNewfies]

My Jessie found a nest of baby bunnies in the back yard. She would go out and head straight for the nest until I scolded her. Then she would walk to the other side of the back yard and look very nonchalant. When she thought I had forgotten to watch her, she would sneak back over toward the nest. One day she snuck out and ate all four of the baby bunnies in less than a minute. She didn't leave a trace. I was totally grossed out.