I may have to retract my statement and support....

Firstly I am very, very sorry about your horse.

But honestly....MANY dogs given the chance would chase and kill livestock. From chickens to horses. THAT dog, is obviously not a dog to have around livestock. Many would say that BREED is not a good choice, or many other breeds known to have some pretty marked prey drive.

My little hounds have killed snakes, possums, and squirrels. Are they also vicious killers? Are they less vicious because the animal is considered vermin or I have no emotional attachment to it?

I am extremely sad for you that your horse was attacked and so grievously injured. And your opinions are your own. But you could put about ANY breed into that same situation and it may well have turned out the same way. I hope your horse does well and can recover and again I am so very sorry it happened.

OMGosh!  I am so sorry for the pain your horse must be in!  I hope she is able to recover!

My own personal opinion of pits is that they always have the potential to do some severe damage.  All dogs have the potential to bite, pits (and several others) can do some very serious/fatal damage.  When that prey drive gets turned on... well it's a big deal.

Neighbor has a "very sweet pittie, never did anythign to hurt anyone ever" who last month flew through the screen of an open window and attacked another pibble x.  That prey drive can be a scary thing.

Anyway, I feel like I"m nt able to articulate my thoughts well at the moment... need coffee!!

Hope your horse feels better, please update for us !

I am so, so sorry about your horse. I hope that she is able to recover from her injuries, mental and physical.

I have to say, though, that prey drive is VERY natural for a dog. Two of my small, adorable dogs will kill a prey animal faster than you can blink. Jewel, the adorable Italian Greyhound, bred for nothing more than a pet, nearly killed my Cockatiel, last year, from the inside of a crate. She has killed many mice, birds, and lizards in the yard. Fluffy is the same way, and both will also kill cats. It isn't the dog's fault it was set up to fail. Leaving a terrier free around animals that instinctively run from predators is setting it up to fail, period. It's not the dog's fault that it was allowed to interact, off leash, with an animal that couldn't defend itself. I hate it that your horse is so hurt, but the dog's life is probably at risk, now, too, and I can't help feeling bad for the poor dog.

I'm so sorry that your horse was attacked and seriously injured. What a terrible thing to happen.  I'm sure you're still in a state of shock over the incident.  It's very hard to separate your emotions from your logic when something like this happens.  

As far as changing your feelings about an entire breed because of this incident, I can understand. I don't agree but I do understand.  Gina said very well what I would say to you and there's no need for me to repeat her words.  I know that right now you are devastated and it's completely normal to be feeling the way you feel at this moment.    I hope in time you can come to a better understanding of what happened and not profile a breed because of this horrible incident.

I hope your horse recovers fully and I'm sending healing vibes to her and to you.  ((((hugs))))

JackieG

I hope your horse recovers fully and I'm sending healing vibes to her and to you.  ((((hugs))))

Ditto.

Deb W.

 WOW!!! I hope your mare will be ok. {{hugs}}

 I hope she got a kick or two in... obviously not enough to do any good, but hope she nailed the dog at least once. 

What is the owner of the dog or the authorities doing about it? Something I hope.

Sorry I forgot to add this in my last post. 

JackieG

I'm so sorry that your horse was attacked and seriously injured. What a terrible thing to happen.  I'm sure you're still in a state of shock over the incident.  It's very hard to separate your emotions from your logic when something like this happens.  

As far as changing your feelings about an entire breed because of this incident, I can understand. I don't agree but I do understand.  Gina said very well what I would say to you and there's no need for me to repeat her words.  I know that right now you are devastated and it's completely normal to be feeling the way you feel at this moment.    I hope in time you can come to a better understanding of what happened and not profile a breed because of this horrible incident.

I hope your horse recovers fully and I'm sending healing vibes to her and to you.  ((((hugs))))

EVERYTHING JACKIE WROTE.

I am so sorry about your horse.

I understand your feelings all too well.  Many years ago, the first time I ever met a pitt in person, it was one that broke through a fence and tried to rip the throat out of my beloved husky Shari, simply because we were walking by the yard.  My dog was leashed, we were on the sidewalk, fully within the bounds of the law.  I had a very bad opinion of pitts for years, until I came to this forum, in fact. I learned so much here about the breed.  I'm not afraid to handle pitts at the shelter (and believe me, there are a lot of them) and I don't dislike them. I am not interested in owning one, but that's another story for another thread.

All that aside, I do agree with others who have posted.  Prey drive is not breed specific.  It is unfortunate that this was a pitt in your circumstance (as it was mine), but I do hope that one day you, too, will find some resolution.

Healing thoughts for your mare and (((Hugs))) for you.

Maxs Mom

What is the owner of the dog or the authorities doing about it? Something I hope.

Sorry I forgot to add this in my last post. 

The owners of the dog were very upset about what happened. They could not believe that their dog would do something like that. They offered to pay our vet bills when they get their taxes back... I don't know that they understand the severity of it, and that it'll be months long process to heal the horse.

AC came out, but were worthless... a joke. He didn't even want to go up and talk to them, said it may make them mad and then they wouldn't want to pay the vet bill. Then he said he could fine them $25 for the dog not being on leash.  My husband did ask him to go with him to their house, so he could put on his report that the owners had been contacted and knew what had happened and that they agreed to pay the vet bills. He, the AC officer, asked them to sign something stating that, and they did. So that's a good thing. 

They left the dog, didn't even look at the dog.. didn't check for a up dated rabies vacc or anything. Because it was an animal on animal attack they don't do anything... nothing, but a $25 fine, which he didn't even issue.

The owners did call several times last night to check on the horse, didn't take their dog to the vet, and I haven't talked to them today to find out how he's doing. He was pretty beat up yesterday.

JackieG

I'm so sorry that your horse was attacked and seriously injured. What a terrible thing to happen.  I'm sure you're still in a state of shock over the incident.  It's very hard to separate your emotions from your logic when something like this happens.  

As far as changing your feelings about an entire breed because of this incident, I can understand. I don't agree but I do understand.  Gina said very well what I would say to you and there's no need for me to repeat her words.  I know that right now you are devastated and it's completely normal to be feeling the way you feel at this moment.    I hope in time you can come to a better understanding of what happened and not profile a breed because of this horrible incident.

I hope your horse recovers fully and I'm sending healing vibes to her and to you.  ((((hugs))))

 

Exactly everything Jackie said. I am so very sorry that this happened to your horse.

 I am so very sorry for your horse. I love horses and can't even begin to imagine what you are going through.

Your statement that the dog was pretty beat up yesterday, actually makes me wonder if the dog was just wandering through a pasture that it shouldn't have been in, and the horse attacked him?  I know of some therapy horses that killed a dog that entered their pasture.  Some random dog that the owners didn't keep leashed or fenced wandered into the pasture full of geldings. They killed it.

You don't say if you saw what happened or if anyone did, so if you did see it and my theory is proven incorrect, then so be it.  Horses can and will kill what they consider predators. It's why dogs are not used to herd horse very often, if at all.

 Oh, how awful. I am so so sorry about your horse. ((hugs)) and healing vibes from me.