# this is bad: has anyone's goldie killed another animal?



## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Mila (Lab/beagle) caught a squirrel at the park one morning. It died a few minutes later, but I suspect the squirrel was already sick. I've never heard a squirrel scream like that one did. She caught another squirrel on another day, but it appeared to recover.

Tia hasn't caught anything, but she has a very strong prey drive, so if given the chance, I have no doubt that she would kill any small animal she caught.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

My Lyndi use to kill baby birds that fell into the yard. One time I took her to someones house that had ducks and chickens and if she had the chance I know she would have killed some of them as well.


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

Yes, none of my dogs I have now but past ones. They caught rabbits, squirels, birds its gross but its nature.


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## ckj05 (Apr 2, 2007)

Jack almost killed a baby squirrel once, it was horrible, the thing screamed so loud and i was screaming too "JACK!!! NOOO!!!!!!" but its in thier nature.


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

my labs have never killed; Obi (old gold) brings the fish out of river alive & gets upset at sight of dead fish. 
I guess Bridger is being a dog (as I've been told all day), but I'm sure having trouble with it!

will he magically know difference between domestic/wild critters?


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Awwww I'm sorry. Is Bridger really dangerous around small dogs or are you just uncomfortable? I have to keep Lucky leashed around the toy dogs because he's too rough and clumsy.

Lucky will chase and kill squirrels and he killed a bird as well. He has chased cats...and almost caught one. He chases and can be dangerous to "intruders". If a cat doesn't run, suddenly its his new friend.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Not the dogs I have now. They actually have had baby birds in the backyard that they have left alone when I told them to leave it. But my past corgi mix would kill anything she could catch. It always made me so sad. Baby birds, baby squirrels and moles. She almost caught a stray cat once. Thank goodness she didn't!


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Oh yeah....you helped me remember Fostermom. Moles. Lucky will kill moles. I don't know if he really means to....all his "prey" are seemingly unmarked.


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## Dslats (Mar 1, 2007)

my lab did, she got into a nest of baby rabbits in a neighbors yard and I didnt know it, the neighbor told me what she was eating..... after the fact:yuck: 

mason my golden, yes if given the chance he would eat anything smaller then him. he bird hunts all the time and has almost gotten some. a nest fell out of our tree and he was right on top of it but my husband got him back before he could hurt them. the momma yelled at him all day!

its nature

Debbie & mason


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Yes they have.. rabbits, squirrels, birds, and Im sure any other wildlife that comes in the yard. And I have no doubt they would kill a cat.


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## tannernoodle (Mar 19, 2008)

I think had Tanner caught a squirrel....maybe? He was too slowl. Don't beat yourself up, they're bred to hunt, it's in their blood. I think Tucker would play with whatever he caught.


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## jnmarr (Mar 7, 2008)

Rusty tries really hard to catch our squirrels.. I don't know what he would do if he cought one.. I worry what they would do to him, too. Once he shook the mess our of a 3 foot black snake and broke it's back.. D/H had to help him to the snake place... ( rainbow hole? ) Both of them have dug up moles but have dropped when I told them to. I watch like a hawk here during Bufo toad season.. Dogs are poisoned here all the time. They love cats but if one ran I know they would chase.


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## rradovitch (Mar 15, 2008)

Yes..they are animals, loving or not, sometimes the animal instinct comes out. My last golden was the most loving golden to nearly everything-puppies, dogs, people, kittens, birds, etc. But one day she cornered a wild rabbit in my fenced in backyard and killed it. I'm not sure what possessed her to do it other than she is an animal. We can train them, love them, nurture them and try to take the "animal" out of them but they will always be an animal, coming from a background that hunts and kills their food. Sad, but true. It really bothered me when she did it. I corrected her and hoped she understood. Luckily it never happened again.

On the other hand, yesterday, Zoe was face to face with a wild raccoon in broad daylight. Needless to say, it must have been ill. She had every opportunity in the world to attack it but she did not. I think something triggers inside them, causing this type of behavior.


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## LibbysMom (Jan 15, 2008)

None of my dogs have currently but the Golden/Collie mix that I grew up with used to kill baby rabbits . She was quick and they'd have the babies in our yard (stupid). And Zelda would get them. I've got goosebumps thinking about it. That was such a horrific sound. However she was SO gentle. She had gotten our hamsters when we were growing up too and my mom would catch her just playing with them between her paws. Fun for her but I'm sure it wasn't very fun for the hamsters!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

jnmarr said:


> Rusty tries really hard to catch our squirrels.. I don't know what he would do if he cought one.. I worry what they would do to him, too. Once he shook the mess our of a 3 foot black snake and broke it's back.. D/H had to help him to the snake place... ( rainbow hole? ) Both of them have dug up moles but have dropped when I told them to. I watch like a hawk here during Bufo toad season.. Dogs are poisoned here all the time. They love cats but if one ran I know they would chase.


 
I really hate the thought of animals dying, but I had to laugh at the rainbow hole comment!

My Maddie used to kill whatever it was by shaking it, and then she would walk away. She didn't want it, she just wanted it dead. That was pretty disturbing to me. Nature or not, I think it's sad to see the dead animals.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Though my Finn is sweet/trustworthy with Delilah the kitty and the neighbor's bunny, Samwise, he did once kill a squirrel. It was my fault for egging him on to chase them- I never ever though he could catch one.


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## GoldenOwner12 (Jun 18, 2008)

Shelley kills mice which i don't mind at all she can kill as many mice as she wants too. Einstein on the other hand is too sweet and placid to kill an animal. I know it as one night he was carrying a possum around, If you know possums they play dead and thats exactly what it did. My dad took the possum from him put him over the fence and off it went. Even defending himself against other dogs Einstein won't use his teeth, His more growl show teeth type of dog.


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## Bogart'sMom (Sep 16, 2005)

When Bogart was at my friend's house he was fine with the Bunnies hopping through the house and he left them alone:bowl:. But one time he got outside while the bunnies were in the backyard he had a fun time chasing them, hey he was only there for a few days and didn't know bunnies before, just the wild once in the park and he chases them too if he has a chance. He didn't hurt the bunnies, he has never cought a bunny or killed a bunny. My first Golden, Dani hated cats and if she would have gotten to one I'm sure she would have killed it. She had a mouse in her mouth one time that she cought in the snow, I screamed and she dropped it the mouse kept on runnning and was not harmed by Dani. She never killed an animal that I know of either.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Daisy got a baby bunny once, broke my heart  I try to be really careful now as far as knowing where they're at and keeping Daisy away from the nests.

She catches more fish than I can count, and she definitely kills those.

She really wants the resident chipmunk but I'm not going to let her have it. 

I think it's fairly common. Daisy would never hurt a cat or a kitten though. Somehow she knows the difference.


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

Sage (lab mix) bhas killed 2 rabbits outside. They were huge, as big as cats. She is fine with our cats indoors, but I am certain that if she got a cat outside she would kill it. She is just like that. The beagle mix and the golden have never killed anything. I would not fault them if they did though.


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## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

Mine haven't, but they are both bunny hunters. Every walk is no more than a tour and a check of every spot they have every seen or smelled a bunny. They beat the bushes, follow scent trails, etc., but being on leashes, they don't chase them, though I've almost been pulled to the ground a few times in attempted hot pursuit. I've seen what they do to their stuffed toys and have no doubt a live bunny would be treated in a similar fashion.

Sorry you had to see the result. I bet he was pretty proud of himself - supplying food for the family...


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Carmella was the sweetest, most docile creature ever. However... when she was younger she raided a bunny nest and killed 2 or 3 baby bunnies, and she also managed to catch a crow and bite through its neck. I think it's just instinct - she wasn't a wicked animal or anything, she was just hunting. Or she wanted to play with them, I couldn't actually tell (I'll spare the gory details).


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

thanks for making me feel he isn't an immediate danger to society -- we are careful when introducing him to other dogs. I guess it's a good thing he brought it home to us.


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## Scubasteve198 (Jun 9, 2008)

We have squirrels which come into the yard and collect nuts. They like to get on top of the fence, chatter at, and taunt the dogs. Mia caught one. Tucker brought it in the house like a trophy. He swolled the squirrel whole, tail and all before it could be retrieved from him. He was so proud of himself. My wife was not so pleased.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Dogs will be dogs.  I marvel sometimes when I look at Penny: she has the speed, the teeth and the death shake...all the things she needs to complete the kill.

I've seen her stalking her prey and I've seen her 'play' a mouse to death. That's the only animal she's killed. She has brought me birds and baby bunnies in her mouth, completely unharmed but covered with dog spit.

But if she wanted to kill something, she could very easily.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

spruce said:


> DH called me today & said Bridger had a dead rabbit in front yard (still warm). The other dogs (including neighbor dog) were in house. He goes in this one area of the woods alot & we know there are rabbits there.
> 
> it just sickens me that this sweet dog would kill; can't be around small animals (cats, small dogs) unleashed.
> 
> the people I work for tried to convince me he chased the rabbit, rabbit had heart attack -- but.............


You do realize of course that Golden Retrievers are by design "hunting dogs" and were intentionally created to chase ground dwelling birds and small animals. That's what hunting dogs do.

So Bridger is displaying absolutely "Normal" behavior for the breed.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Quiz caught and killed a squirrel.


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## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

Oh yes. Moles, rabbits, snakes, turtles, fish, even a wild/feral cat once. Oh, and one even killed (in about 2 seconds flat) a 'Possum. UGH

It's normal...they are animals and they all have a natural prey drive. If it's a small animal, and it runs....it's prey. If it's one of our cats at home, in the house, they're fine. They'll chase sometimes if the cat runs, but never, ever tries to kill the cat. The cats and dogs sleep together. BUT if that same cat was outside and ran...the dog would chase, and could kill.

They grab the animal by the back of the neck and shake. They know just how to do it to snap the neck in an instant. The animal doesn't suffer...and ours have never mutilated them...unless they decide to eat them. Usually that's only moles and fish. They leave the others.

Keep an eye out for tapeworms in her stool in about 7-10 days. The wild animals have fleas, the dogs ingest a flea...and ingested fleas are what cause tapeworms. They'll look like little moving pieces of rice. ICK.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

They do have to remind us, every now and then, that they are dogs. 

The two I have now have never killed anything, but my last GSD (whose prey drive was off the charts) got a couple rabbits and a cat that one of the neighbors down the street insisted on letting roam. I had talked to her about it, but she just refused to keep the cat indoors. Well, one day it jumped right up onto our fence when we were outside and Alomar had ahold of it before I could even move. I felt horrible, but I couldn't blame him - it wasn't his fault.

Cooper, our last Golden, had found a dead baby rabbit in the yard and the way he acted with it was so strange. I saw him walk over and pick something up. I thought it was one of his toys we had left outside, then I saw what it was. He walked over to me, with his head down, looking so sad! I told him to drop it (which usually involved him opening his mouth and letting whatever he had plop down on the ground) but he actually lowered his head to the ground and put the rabbit down so gently, then looked at me with this sad look in his eyes. He was very upset by it. It wasn't just that he had something he knew he shouldn't have and was acting sheepish, because Cooper never cared about that! lol.


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## maggie1951 (Apr 20, 2007)

My old Jack russel killed a baby Grouse and i know that if Charlie did get a rabbit or cat she would kill it i do my best to stop her chasing cats and rabbits.


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## Wilson's REAL Mom (Nov 10, 2006)

We won't get a toy-type dog because I'm truly afraid that my big guys will one day step on it, it will squeak, and then they will feel the need to "unstuff" the creature to get that squeaker out!


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## mjkaferle5 (Jan 15, 2008)

Diamond has left a dead mouse by the back door.

She has also chased her share of rabbits!


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

It's no big deal, and the vast majority of dogs that would kill rabbits and other wildlife would never hurt a cat or another dog. If you think he might, of course keep him always leashed. My Whippets kill rabbits and such all the time when they have the chance. They Goldens would if they had the athletic abilities of the Whippets. ALL my dogs are 100% cat safe and gentle and fine with kids and small dogs.


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## jealous1 (Dec 7, 2007)

Summer LOVES to hunt chipmunks and has caught and killed a couple as well as a squirrel and a couple of mice. However, when I babysit my mom's small 15-pound papillion mix, she is basically very gentle and lets KC be the "top" dog when they are wrestling (as opposed to when she plays w/ Buddy or Rott'n and they sound like they are going to kill each other!).


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## ems (Dec 12, 2008)

Aya brings in Pheasants, Poppy brings in rabbits, Gunner catches the pheasants, thinks 'lunch' and sets about eating them. Fresh BARF yummy!
Lottie is an angel and wouldnt hurt a mouse, unless she was hungry and as shes never that then she will continue to be an angel.


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## Golden Leo (Dec 3, 2008)

Mine doesn't, not any of them ( I have 3 goldens). They play with all animals- birds, cats, mice and only lick them. My Leo used to bring me hedgehogs live'n'kicking! I had to punish him every time, I was afraid he doesn't hurt himself.
And my friends goldens ( she has 13 of them) used to steal their neighbours chickens- they catch them and put them in their mouth and carry them to theirs backyard and then release them- they don't harm them at all. She told me that killing is undesirable for goldens, they are used in hunt but not to kill, only to retrieve. Their first golden used to kill fishes and she told me that he's untypical GR and she never breed with him.


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## AcesWild (Nov 29, 2008)

Moxie will go after squirrels but she has long since learned to respect cats. She has only gotten one squirrel once.


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## GoldenShrink (Dec 15, 2008)

Our last Golden killed a kitten in our backyard. We honestly think she was trying to play with it & didn't realize how fragile it was.

Bear found a hurt baby bird at the dog park. He didn't kill it, but brought it over to me as a gift. He was so gentle with it! Now, if only he'd treat my shoes that nicely....

One of my girlfriends has a GR who kills EVERYTHING. He is especially fond of rodents (all kinds). Ick!


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## Sadiesdream (Jul 11, 2008)

Wilson's REAL Mom said:


> We won't get a toy-type dog because I'm truly afraid that my big guys will one day step on it, it will squeak, and then they will feel the need to "unstuff" the creature to get that squeaker out!


LMAAAAOOOOO!!!!!!! :::


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## Sadiesdream (Jul 11, 2008)

Wilson's REAL Mom said:


> We won't get a toy-type dog because I'm truly afraid that my big guys will one day step on it, it will squeak, and then they will feel the need to "unstuff" the creature to get that squeaker out!


 I noticed you live in the North Georgia Mtn's I just wanted to say howdy fellow georgian  :wavey::wavey:


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## MissRue (Nov 18, 2008)

Rylee was fascinated by a rabbit that lives in our backyard. I am convinced if she was well, that rabbit would have either seen his life flash before him, or she would have gotten him. My neighbors are hunters, and they love to use Goldens to grab ducks, quail, and rabbits.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

My dog killed 5 baby rabbits one day, yet he has never even TRIED to go near Maggie (my pet rabbit).


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## MissRue (Nov 18, 2008)

GoldenLover84 said:


> My dog killed 5 baby rabbits one day, yet he has never even TRIED to go near Maggie (my pet rabbit).


 
That's b/c he's a smartie, and knows Maggie is your bunny.


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## LOVEisGOLDEN (Jan 4, 2008)

I say good for him...one less pest. he was just doing what is natural.

my girls dig up moles & kill mice in the barn, but ignore our chickens & barn cats. I'd NEVER think twice about letting them play with a small dog.


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## janni518 (Oct 13, 2008)

Wilson's REAL Mom said:


> We won't get a toy-type dog because I'm truly afraid that my big guys will one day step on it, it will squeak, and then they will feel the need to "unstuff" the creature to get that squeaker out!


 
I probably should not be laughing at that as hard as I am!

My Midas has killed several nests of baby bunnies. Or mostly killed. I've had to bring several to the vet to be euthanized. My poor husband had to put down the last bunch as the were in obvious pain. It bothers us but I don't think it makes him a bad dog, just a dog.

He also hates cats due I believe to an incident when he was a puppy but has never had any trouble with other dogs no matter their size or age.


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## riddle03 (Jun 9, 2005)

My Tanner likes to chase rabbits and birds - he has killed his share of both. The rabbits he looks at them like they are supposed to play with him. It's sad and funny all at the same time.

My Tucker has chased but has never caught one.


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

DH saw 'em ripping into something today they brought on lawn (from size thought.... oh,no ...neighbor cat!) Turned out they raided the garden & got a zuccini (sp) that had missed the "harvest"


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## AlanK (Jun 28, 2008)

Tuff Dog will catch and kill chipmunks whenever possible. Yesterday while I was raking leaves I noticed him out in the middle of the yard playing with something. When I got to him he had a deceased squirrel that he somehow caught and killed. I guess that is just their instinct.


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## Griffyn'sMom (Mar 22, 2007)

Yep - Griff got a chipmunk - and he ATE it. :doh:

He was going like the dickens after some mole(s) too but I don't think he got any - I try not to look. :no:


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Sweet Griff ate a chipmunk??? Say it isn't so :bawling:


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

I've had two goldens and both killed birds. My previous golden Rocky even brang a deer head home before, but he didn't kill it, he just found it in the hills. Just their Retriever instinct. They usually seem very proud of themselves afterwards too.


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## Fractal (Jun 26, 2008)

Rocky and Honey have never killed anything but spiders...

Given the chance I think Rocky would kill rabbits as he chases them all the time.

And Honey would kill next doors Chicken and Rooster =[


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Bringing home a deer head???  That's funny, I bet he WAS proud of himself !!!


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## Gldmom3 (Jul 20, 2008)

The princess kills rats on a fairly regular basis...


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## mygarnetboy (Nov 3, 2008)

My shih tzu that I had growing up would get baby bunnies in the yard. That dog would clean out the nest every single year. And he was a little fluffball of a thing!


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

A deer's head...wow. I'm not sure I would have been able to get that away from Lucky.....


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

Obi's legal owners reported him bringing a deer's head home, burying it & he dug it back up (very yucky experience). Few months back Obi came walking out of woods carrying deer rearend with both legs hanging down - - - we know the deer weren't a kill (not Obi!), they sometimes will break leg & die, etc.


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## MILLIESMOM (Aug 13, 2006)

Millie and Pearl will chase squirrels, rabbits and just about anything that will run. At the lake when Pearl finds the mice nest she brings me the baby mice but does not hurt them. I try to explain to her she has to leave them with their Mommies. My first Golden Brandy used to find the baby rabbits and bring them to John all yucky and slobbery when she carried them in her mouth, she never hurt them.


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