# Watch as I throw the neighbor's dog into the pit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 26, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561 "2005-05-26T05:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/21 "2005-05-26T10:34:25Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > . > > I shall tell the cat to avoid dogs tomorrow (shit she is 18, teenagers never listen). Ooops my maths is crap! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/22 "2005-05-26T10:55:48Z")
**Spongemom** I’m so sorry to hear about your cats. To offer a possible compromise, perhaps you could look into a [Kittywalk](http://www.catsplay.com/kittywalk.php3) system. Or do like I am this summer, I am screening my (very small) porch for my three cats. I’m so sorry you had to deal with something like that. Watching any creature in pain tears me up. And I’ve had to see it more than I would like. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/23 "2005-05-26T11:05:13Z")
Y’know. Civil action might be more effective than you think. (1) The dog is a Rotty. (2) It is vicious. (3) Homeowner’s liability policies take a dim view of (1) & (2) above. Insurance Dopers…? I. Montoya…? care to comment? Just a thought. (I think Montoya’s in the insurance biz. Apologies if I’m mistaken) ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/24 "2005-05-26T11:17:01Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > And in no way was this incident the dog owner’s fault. You must have missed where **spongemom** clearly indicated the reason they’re not apologizing is because they think they’re too good for that. They’re from a state where the people think they’re too good to apologize. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/25 "2005-05-26T11:45:17Z")
I get it now, this is a parody pitting. Spongemom is the one with the dog, and she’s cleverly pitting her unreasonable neighbor. Right? pullin, generally we only care if the dog is vicious towards people, not towards smaller, invading animals in it’s territory. My cats gleefully kill mice in my apartment, are they “vicious” as well? You also forget #2a, where the dog is securely fenced in at all times. Spongemom does not have any rights to sue, AFAIC. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/26 "2005-05-26T11:47:39Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Y’know. Civil action might be more effective than you think. (1) The dog is a Rotty. (2) It is vicious. (3) Homeowner’s liability policies take a dim view of (1) & (2) above. > > Insurance Dopers…? I. Montoya…? care to comment? > > Just a thought. > (I think Montoya’s in the insurance biz. Apologies if I’m mistaken) Where do you get that the dog is vicious? Even\*\* spongemom \*\* says “_That dog wouldn’t turn against me, I’m sure of that,_” I have a 13 pound Jack Russell Terrier that has killed cats that have come into my yard, (over a six foot privacy fence), who is the sweetest dog in the world as long as you’re not a furry creature that runs along the ground. JRTs are bred to bring small animals to ground. Being vicious has nothing to do with it. And civil action? Good grief! What would be the claim, exactly? I would give good odds that the OP is in violation of the leash laws in her community. She continued to let her cats out after one of them had been killed. She knowingly exposed two more cats to a horrible and predictable death. Another cat died after it “got stepped on” (love the passive voice) and they were too clueless to notice that it was not eating. By her own account she has \*“ **never** had the \*\* same cat for more than two years”, \* because _“dogs always fucking eat them.”_ I suppose all of those were someone else’s fault as well. It is pretty clear to me who is responsible for the deaths of her cats. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/27 "2005-05-26T12:40:52Z")
To back up what **Contrapuntal** said. . . > [@spongemom](#): > > One was stepped on, got its jaw broken and we didn’t know it, and it ended up starving to death because we found out too late and nothing could be done. If anyone should be calling the authorities, it’s the people with the rottweiler on **spongemom** who. . . 1. Stepped on a cat’s head. 2. Which was forceful enough to break it’s jaw. 3. The people in the household were too negligent to notice the broken jaw. 4. Or the fact that the kitten wasn’t eating, so severely that it STARVED to death. That’s fuckin’ animal cruelty. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/28 "2005-05-26T12:45:45Z")
> [@Spongemom](#): > > Oh, believe me, the two we have left don’t get to go outside at all, no matter how badly they want to (and trust me, they really want to). It’s a bitch keeping their sneaky asses inside, but I can’t handle another one dying. I have four graves behind the garage already. It only took four of them dying to make you realize that cats are vulnerable to predators outside? Gosh, you learn quick. Even if it wasn’t for your neighbor’s dog (whom you imply is not loose), it ain’t like there aren’t plenty of other threats. Cars in the city, coyotes in the country, cats with diseases, et cetera et cetera et cetera. I found myself shaking my head continuously as I read this story - in horror at the fate of your cats, and out of rage that someone like you would be permitted to own animals and not take even the most basic care of them. Apparently you view cats as completely disposable - you’ve never had the same cat for more than two years, and you blame _dogs_ for this? There will always be dogs. You’ve decided to entrust your cats’ safety to every dog owner in the world keeping their dog under such tight control at all times that their dogs never accidentally get free, every wild dog, wolf, coyote, and other predator - there’s no shortage of predators, even in urban areas - dropping dead, and everyone in the world giving up driving cars? What in the name of every holy relic in every church under the sun happened to your fucking brain that you would let this happen _over and over and over?_ Are you just one of those people who views your cats as a pleasant decoration - no responsibility, and always replaceable? _You’ve never had a cat live more than two years?_ And it hasn’t occured to you that folks are supposed to keep cats indoors for a reason? Here’s a clue: the life expectancy of cats who spend most of their time outdoors is between one and two years. The life expectancy of an indoor cat is somewhere closer to fifteen. Even in nature, our cats’ wild ancestors did not lead charmed lives, and housecats have had a lot of their instincts bred out of them. They are not equipped to survive outdoors, especially not in urban areas. Irresponsible people like you disgust me. You don’t want to know what I’d like to do to you right now. You know, tragedies happen, mistakes get made, and sometimes pets die. But if you had half the brains got gave a fucking pomagranate, it wouldn’t have taken you _four fucking dead cats_ to decide to take the advice that your vet has no doubt been giving and countless other organizations give. _Everyone_ knows you’re not supposed to let housecats outside, and I yet I could still forgive you for your foolishness. But in your case, you let your cats out after seeing them get killed _over and over_ by the predator you _knew_ to live right next door. You think this is your neighbor’s dog’s fault? Nope. Look in the mirror. Then give your cats away to someone who’s remotely capable of caring for them. I hope truly awful things befall you, in exchange for what you let happen to your cats, you worthless piece of human-shaped excrement. > [@Spongemom](#): > > They don’t give a shit. They’re pissed off at me for being pissed off at their dog, because my cats got in their yard. They say it’s my fault. They never even had the decency to say “I’m sorry about your cat” for any of them. Tell me something. **How in the name of God do you expect your neighbors to keep _your_ cats safe, when your cats go into _their_ yard where they keep their dog?** What exactly more are they supposed to do? Because it sure sounds like they’re being responsible. If their dog is locked up, they’re doing their part. And you neglect to take even the most basic care of your poor pets, and expect _them_ to fucking apologize? This is fucking surreal. Am I missing something here? Do I have the basic facts right - you let your cats outside, the cats entered the enclosure where your neighbors kept their dog (it wasn’t roaming free), and cat after cat died before you decided to take some responsibility and keep your cats inside? Because that’s seriously what I read in your post, and yet you actually seem to think it’s someone else’s fault. Please tell me that I misread something somewhere, and you don’t just callously let four cats die before you decide to stop letting them cavort with the neighbor’s dog. My mind must be playing tricks on me. There is no one in the world so fucking stupid and so casually evil as to ignore that many cats dying before they decided to respond. > [@Spongemom](#): > > I know they’re not in the wrong, legally anyway. What really pisses me off is the way they think they’re too good to apologize for something their dog did. What a shock. You’re not pissed about your cats at all. This is actually about some moronic feud you have because your neighbors are too “uppity” with you. The cats are apparently just pawns in your stupid fucking argument. Which, I suppose, is why you decided to let cat after cat get killed by the neighbor dog. Well, figure it out. Your neighbors did exactly what they’re supposed to do - they kept their dog enclosed. You let your cats go outside and into the dog’s enclosure time after time. And you want a fucking _apology_? I swear, if I knew you in person, I don’t think I’d be able to restrain myself from committing violence. There is very little worse in the world than the sort of scumbag who decides to take in a pet but declines the responsibility of actually taking care of it. Right now I’m hoping you suffer the same fate your cats did - it seems fair that you get ripped apart by dogs the way you let your cats. Maybe later I’ll be able to read your horror story a little more calmly. You’ve learned your lesson. Next time keep the door to your goddamn doublewide shut, you brainless piece of trash. Don’t sacrifice your fucking pets to support some moronic point about neighbors who are too high ‘n’ mighty, you fucking idiot hick. > [@calm kiwi](#): > > Bollocks! I am willing to be proven wrong but I THINK that the US is the only place with predominatly inside cats. New Zealand has a lot fewer natural predators, if I’m not mistaken, and is overall far more rural, which means fewer cars. That makes where you live a very bad comparison to the United States. I’m aware that it’s sort of a new-fangled idea to keep cats inside. But the statistics show that in an urban area, most cats allowed to go outdoors live only a few years, whereas cats kept inside live several times longer. It’s hard to break a cat of the habit of wanting to get outside, but honestly, ours may be fascinated by the birds but they live happy lives indoors. Whether it’s a common practice where you are or not, at least in the US, your cat is virtually certain to die far too young if you let it out. The environment we live in is nothing like their natural habitat, and they just can’t cope with it. ---
**Author:** ![Unregistered\_Bull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3da27b/32.png) [@Unregistered\_Bull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unregistered_Bull)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/29 "2005-05-26T13:11:14Z")
Haven’t cats in New Zealand made huge dents in the native fauna, especially the bird population some of which are actually endangered species? I know that Oz where feral ones are actively hunted has a huge problem with cats. Keeping outdoor cats seems hugely irresponsible both to the cats and to other animals. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/30 "2005-05-26T13:25:12Z")
> [@Spongemom](#): > > Their dog is their baby. They’re still pissed off at me for my cats getting in their yard. My being mad at them makes them mad at me. Go figure. They aren’t going to do a damn thing, and they’ve made that perfectly clear. Oh for _fuck’s sake!_ What do you want them to do? Keep their dog inside all day? There’s a concept. It’s a dog. Dogs go outside in their fenced yard to poo. That’s what dogs do. Cats stay inside because they poo in a litterbox. There is no reason why your cats should be outside. But I guess you are the queen of everything and \*they \*should be required to follow _your_ rules. Keep your cats inside. It is \*your \*stubbornness, stupidity, and wanton disregard for their well being that got them killed. Your neighbors have every right to be mad at you and don’t need to do a damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/31 "2005-05-26T13:30:23Z")
No sympathy from me either \*\* Spongemom\*\*-except for your poor cats that is. And your neighbors. Maybe, just maybe, they’re sickened by the fact that they had to come home to a mauled cat in their backyard. I know that I would be. > [@](#): > > Someone is going to pay. I’m either letting the dog loose for the dog catcher (which I doubt I’ll do, since it’s not really the dog’s fault, I know, the whole instinct thing), or I’m going to torment my neighbor’s for the rest of the time they live there. They moved here from some other state, I can’t remember where, and they have that “we’re from \_\_\_\_\_ so that makes us better than you” attitude. I have plenty of friends who would egg their house for ten bucks. So, you’re too irresponsible to properly care for your cats and they should have to pay? Give me a break. If you let your child run into a busy street, would it be the driver’s fault if she/he got hit? > [@](#): > > 've decided that I’m not getting any more animals, I’ll just enjoy everyone else’s. You konw, that’s the only intelligent thing you’ve said thus far. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/32 "2005-05-26T13:31:55Z")
Maybe the reason they aren’t apologizing is that they expect an apology from you first. Since it was your irresponsibility that started all this in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/33 "2005-05-26T13:38:40Z")
Another vote here for the “ **Spongemom** , what the hell were you thinking?” side. We’ve always kept our cats indoors, right from kittenhood. They’ve grown up very content to stay indoors where it’s safe. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/34 "2005-05-26T14:17:49Z")
I’d just like to retract some of my previous comments, I misread the OP. I must’ve glossed over or forgotten the part where the neighbors were physically trying to pull their dog off of the cat. I don’t see what else they could’ve done. Ah well, this is obviously an emotional issue, and I’m going to bow out. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/35 "2005-05-26T14:31:42Z")
I love cats and I am so very sorry yours died in such horrible ways. Please stop letting them outside though. Or build or buy an enclosure for them. I think it’s horrible that your cats were killed but you are the one at fault here. Stop putting your beloved animals in a situation where they are getting into a fight that they obviously cannot win. I don’t think it would have helped in the case you describe, but just about every vet has an after-hours emergency service; many vets take turns being the one on call. You should find out what your own vet’s procedures are in case anything ever happens. > [@](#): > > Oh, I do have one last photo of my cat, one that I took the day after she died. (snip) I believe that’s her, right there above the dumpster, in the neighbor’s yard. This I don’t understand - do you mean that bag sitting on top of the garbage can? Are you saying that they dug up one of your cats’ bodies and put it in a bag of trash and put it on their can? What am I misunderstanding? Is the whole picture not showing up for me somehow? Again, I am very sorry and you must be very sad. But your post shows that you are doing many, many things wrong in your raising of cats. Letting them continually wander when you know very well that there is an extreme danger right next door seems very foolish to me. Wanting an apology from the neighbors should be at the bottom of your list of priorities. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/36 "2005-05-26T14:35:14Z")
**Spongemom** , you should be ashamed of yourself. This is coming from the owner of three outdoor cats. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/37 "2005-05-26T14:39:18Z")
> [@missbunny](#): > > This I don’t understand - do you mean that bag sitting on top of the garbage can? This confused me, too, but I think she’s talking about the little glitter of light hovering over the trashcan. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/38 "2005-05-26T14:41:23Z")
Spongemom, people like you make me sick. I love animals, even cats. I have three dogs and live in a rural area. I spent several thousand dollars on a fence to keep my dogs on my property. My neighbor keeps bringing home cats. They keep getting into my fenced yard and my dogs keep killing them. I hate coming home to find a mangled bloody mess in my yard. It makes me pissed that I have to keep cleaning up the mess. I do not like seeing animals, even cats suffer. I wish my dogs did not do it, but well…they are dogs. Fortunately unlike you my neighbor is a reasonable and good person. Each time his cat has been killed he apologizes. He has no problem with my dogs. He knows this is his fault not the dogs. You have no legal cause of action against the neighbor but if you do anything like go on his property and let his properly fenced dog loose he could and should sue your fucking pants off. God damn it, I better stop now, I am getting more and more pissed off as I type. I will limit my comment to this: You are an unreasonable person. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/39 "2005-05-26T14:45:01Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > This confused me, too, but I think she’s talking about the little glitter of light hovering over the trashcan. Ah. I thought it was a ball or toy in the yard. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561/40 "2005-05-26T14:45:30Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > This confused me, too, but I think she’s talking about the little glitter of light hovering over the trashcan. Oh my god, I think you’re right. That’s why she said, “if you don’t think it is, please, leave me alone in my beliefs. I need this.” It’s one of those spots I’ve seen in almost every other photograph I’ve ever looked at. I thought she’d just posted the wrong image. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-as-i-throw-the-neighbors-dog-into-the-pit/305561.md?page=3)