Pet Dogs Attack Helpless Goats

We like to think that our pets are kind to animals, and usually they are. But yesterday we witnessed four dogs, who are usually very docile and tame, attack 3 goats in our neighbor’s backyard pen.

Three of the dogs (2 pugs and a boxer) belong to the family who owns the goats, the 4th dog (a german shepherd) was obviously a pet (he had a collar and license), but somehow got into their backyard and into the goat pen, along with the 3 family dogs. From that moment, they behaved like a pack of vicious wild dogs.

My sister heard the goats crying and went to investigate (our backyard is up against the goat pen). She saw the 4 dogs attacking the medium-sized goat, who was crying, and the smallest goat lying dead-like on the ground. My mom hopped the fence, got the pugs and the german shepherd out of the goat pen, and went to tell the neighbors.

Thankfully, the goats were all okay and survived. The medium-sized goat had some damage to one ear, but that was all. The littlest goat was apparently in shock and had no cuts.

Neither we nor the neighbor had ever seen the black german shepherd before, and I don’t know what became of him after my mom got him out of the goat pen.

I guess the point I’m making here is that even docile, obedient dogs can go crazy in a pack and attack any defenseless animal. The pugs and the boxer are normally not vicious at all, but they went after the goats as if they were killers.

I’m sure it was the german shepherd’s idea to break into the goat pen and go after the goats, and the pugs and boxer followed. After all, the pugs and boxer have always ignored the goats, until yesterday.

So there are at least 2 lessons - don’t let your dogs roam the neighborhood where they might go after other animals (as the german shepherd did), and make sure your animals (if you have goats, rabbits, chickens, or whatever) are safely locked up in a secure area.

We experienced something similar a few years ago when our hen hatched 3 chicks. The chihuahua we were fostering and our cocker spaniel worked together to kill all three chicks when they were about 4-5 months old. The spaniel would chase a chick until it tired, then the chihuahua would go in for the kill.

Our spaniel had always ignored our chickens, rabbit, and all the wild animals on our property. We had no idea he would go after the growing chicks. But when the chihuahua came, they formed a pack and found it fun to chase and kill the chicks who were almost full grown.

We now have 3 more chicks, and even though the chihuahua is not with us any more, we are going to be careful to keep them separate from the dogs.