Years ago I was a member of the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association) and had the joy of producing award winning show rabbits ... I lived in a rural area, and many neighbor parents wanted bunnies to help educate their children on the responsibilities of animal husbandry and, believe it or not, the facts of life, so I was more than happy to re-home bunnies to these folks. It was not long before the neighborhood dogs were raiding my hutches by tearing the doors off cages, or trying to take the rabbits from underneath the cages by tearing at their feet. There were many nights I was awakened by the sounds of the rabbits screaming in terror at their attackers as I chased the dogs away. I called the ACO looking for advice. There was (and still is) a leash law existing in the town, but unless I could document (best with photos) the dogs responsible for the attacks, he could not pursue the owners. He told me that the dogs were acting on instinct, and since there were several involved, the pack mentality was driving the multiple participants. Because the leash law was designed to prevent loose dogs from causing injury to persons or other domestic and wild animals, and even to themselves by auto hits, in order to make the case for the responsibility of pet owners, without proof, his hands were tied. This is entirely understandable, and I was heartbroken, knowing that dogs in the neighborhood that I KNEW to be normally awesome happy good dogs were the ones doing the raiding. He was sympathetic to the entire plight, and offered some interesting information, which guided my next step. He said: "were you aware that in some prisons, before the use of electronic safeguards to prevent escape, that geese were used as alarms? Dogs WERE used, but were found not to be trustworthy, they could be bribed by the use of food treats... geese will not...!" A good solution it turned out to be... I obtained 4 domestic geese which were the best alarm system I could have hoped for... Not surprisingly, soon the neighbors were complaining about the racket the geese were making when their territory was invaded at night by the nightly raiders... The ACO simply reminded the neighbors that there was a leash law, that they were in violation of this law, and that if the dogs were responsibly kept and restrained, there would be no further disturbances. Subsequently, there were no further raids, no more racket by the geese, and all was again well. Over the years I have raised MANY MANY different types of animals... ducks, geese, rabbits, dogs, ferrets, cats, turkeys, hamsters, budgies, the list goes on... One of the many things I learned, very early on, is that all of them...ALL of them, are designed by nature for their own purposes. That due to their own perfect design by nature, despite all our attempts to domesticate or change or humanize them, they will still ALL revert back to that design. Instinct rules long before humans and domestication does. It is imperative that we are more than diligent when it comes to cohabitating with a potpourri of NATURALLY incompatible critters... How many of us have seen our pet cat chase birds or mice or chipmunks in the yard? Why is our budgie kept in his cage? For his safety of course... And our gentle patient family dog.. he will chase cats or squirrels in the yard, too... Why? Instinct - The design in full force... What makes a bouncy playful experience-my-world-with-my-mouth ferret any different from the squirrel running around in the yard? The point to be made here is no matter what we do, our failing as humans is to loose sight of the fact that animals are guided by instinct, and no amount of training, time spent, devotion, love, will deter the natural reaction. I feel strongly that we need to be realistic in the way we look at our companion animals... I love mine just as much as the next person- and I, too have made my own mistakes --- but none have been repeats, and thankfully none have been deaths at the hands of another animal. Yes, accidents DO happen, and the key is seeing the whole picture for what it is. Aside from segregation, truly knowing and being able to recognize the subtle warnings given by one animal in defense of himself against another is perhaps the best way to prevent this sort of inevitable tragedy. One accident, yes, two or heaven forbid more should NEVER have happened and could have been responsibly prevented. I do not apologize for my opinions and the vast majority of responses to my personal email and to the FML are in agreement of these views ... sometimes someone has to step up and make harsh observations about certain behaviors or subjects or incorrect information being discussed simply because diplomacy can often times leads to complete silence and this is not what the FML is all about... We need to be able to discuss and communicate, teach and learn, chastise and change our behaviors for the betterment of ourselves and protection of ALL the furry fuzzies we call our KIDS... My deepest sadness is for the two (or perhaps more???) wonderful kids who lost their lives in such a violent way. BUT I will also say that I pray NOW eyes are open -- truly OPEN -- Terrible things like this hurt us all, and we need to learn from it. As for those who defend someone clearly in the wrong, you are doing so from behind the veil of friendship and /or popularity which in the grand scheme of things does nothing to prevent further needless deaths. Please rethink your positions... Thank you for your ears. [Posted in FML 6088]