Even More lawsuit crazyness!

[GT98]

45K for a cat getting killed

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/05/09/cat.lawsuit.ap/index.html

[Umfriend]

Given that I have sort of a small tremendously huge dislike of people who can't control their dogs, I say hurray for the judge. Hell, if I find a loose dog in my garden and it so much as barks at me I would want that 45k. Dogs are known to attack people of all sizes and should therefore be leashed when outside the owners' perimeters. Don't know with you but over here it's the law and for good reason. If the animals' boss can't control the animal, get him/her to pay so he/she'll learn. Period.

[GT98]

Given that I have sort of a small tremendously huge dislike of people who can't control their dogs, I say hurray for the judge. Hell, if I find a loose dog in my garden and it so much as barks at me I would want that 45k. Dogs are known to attack people of all sizes and should therefore be leashed when outside the owners' perimeters. Don't know with you but over here it's the law and for good reason. If the animals' boss can't control the animal, get him/her to pay so he/she'll learn. Period.

I agree, but this is a bit excessive IMHO. In the States we have too many frivious lawsuits, since people think that taking people to court is akin to winning the lottery around here.

[Umfriend]

I agree, but this is a bit excessive IMHO. In the States we have too many frivious lawsuits, since people think that taking people to court is akin to winning the lottery around here.

Yeah, that's a prejudice I have about the US. On the other hand, just a few of these lawsuits and maybe them dog-owners will finally stick to the law (assuming it is law in the US that a dog should be leashed outside it's owners' peremiter). Surely, I'd rather have the courts fine the guy for 45k, but then, I come from a country with a roman based legal system I guess.

[cjolley]

I had a cat we had had for 16 years killed virtually in front of me Christmas eve of 2000.
Couldn't get animal control to do a f***ing thing.
If I'd have gotten 45k from the owners I would have used the bills to stuff the hide of thier dog and given it back to them.
&(^)*&^*
^*)())(&*%()

sputter sputter

I say good for her.

[GT98]

I had a cat we had had for 16 years killed virtually in front of me Christmas eve of 2000.

I think if a situation came down to that for me and one of my animals i would killed the dog, even at my own expese..then you would have rights to sue them for the dog attacking you also

[cjolley]

Didn't get the chance.
It was in our front yard and I was home alone wrapping presents.
By the time I heard the commotion and ran downstairs & unlocked the door my choices were revenge on the dog -vs- get the cat to the vet to try to save her.
I took her to the vet (actually two vets regular & emergency hospital).
But they couldn't save her.
The dog ran off. I had never seen it befor.
I found it later, but it was my word against thiers as to whether it was ever even out of thier yard.
So...
Most things have really gone my way in life.
But this wasn't one of them.

[Technoid]

I see to many dog owners who think they have magic powers that enables them to have absolute controll over their dog even when the dog is NOT leashed and 60 foot away

Or my personal favorite: The 20 foot retractable leash!
That is a evil weapon designed by a sick and twisted mind that turns a dog and a dogowner into a tripwire

[Kruzin]

Someone needs to tell the judge that a 12 year old cat can be replaced for $15 at the local dumb friends league.

[xortam]

We walk our dog twice a day with an 18 foot retractable leash (FlexiLeash) and have done so for the last nine plus years. The only problem we ever have is when we’re talking to another dog owner with their friendly dog and the dogs get over-excited and wrap the leash around one of us and the other dog's owner(s). This is a rare occurrence and you are usually able to retract the leash quick enough to avoid any problems. We always retract the leash when we approach small children or cats during our walk. The dog is very friendly toward humans but will still get aggressive towards another dog if it feels threatened. I also have problems with unleashed dogs as they can approach our dog and create a problem. I don't know how many times I've heard from a nearby owner that we're not to worry as their dog is friendly, seconds before they both start growling and lunging at each other. We always pick up after our dog as well but we still see evidence of those who don't. I don’t like irresponsible dog owners because we get lumped together with them and it isn’t fair to us or our dog. I also hate to see other dog’s treated poorly because the owner needs training. We can be even harder than many of you on such irresponsible dog owners.

[Nowhere]

Offtopic, but...what's the point in double post?

[Umfriend]

Kruzin, it's not about replacing the cat, on that I agree although I know from experience that one cat is not the same as the other. It's about the dogowners acting irresponsibly.

xortam, you're my kind of dogowner. Please move to my neighborhood.

[Brian Ellis]

And what about cat owners behaving irresponsibly? We have a neighbour who has 11 cats, at this time, all of them fertile and have never seen a vet, potentially vectors of all sorts of diseases, transmissible to dogs and humans, including ringworm and tapeworm. These animals use our garden as a public toilet and the males spray our gates and walls, so that the smell is terrible at times. They caterwaul day and night.

Our dog has the free run of the garden but spends most time indoors. Whenever he sees or hears a cat, he goes berserk. He actually wants to play with them, but the cats don't realise this when a 25 kg black monster runs towards them at a goodly rate of knots and they tend to run a few metres ahead of him at a faster rate of knots until they are outside his reach, when they turn round and metaphorically thumb their noses at him. On the odd occasion he has cornered one, he has always come off worst with scratches on the nose, but that does not stop him.

I almost wish he would make an example of some of them, so that the rest respected our property.

We have to pay an annual licence fee plus have paid for microchipping and registering, as well as castration (he is a multipedigree animal with no breeding potential). He is also treated correctly at the vets with vaccinations, deworming, FrontLine treatment. The bloody felines next door do not require a licence or registration and the only expense is in food and they breed like rabbits: the young are expelled into the wild after weaning, to cause more havoc.

I maintain that cat owners should be treated on the same basis as dog owners and, until that happens, I don't consider that cats have any rights, other than not to be the target for cruelty. As it is, we have no legal redress against the cat owner, other than to yell, "Bloody Cats" at every relevant opportunity when we know he is within earshot. I wish I knew a surefire way to keep them away without any risk of harming them or our own dog.

[cjolley]

Someone needs to tell the judge that a 12 year old cat can be replaced for $15 at the local dumb friends league.

I gues some people look at pets as family members and some don't.
Too bad you don't you are missing out on a lot.

[Umfriend]

He, if the cat comes onto your premises, shoot it for all I care. Unlesh your dog on it. And yes, cat owners should feel responsible for them including whatever diseases they may spread if not treated.

But, there is AFAIK at least with us no law that says that cats of their premisis should be leashed. We do have that law for dogs and for good reason. That's all I've said and your bithing on cat owners, right thoguh as you may be, does not negate my point in any way.

Actually, with us, it is a requirement by law to care well for your animals and not treating them for worms for instance would, I believe, be in violation of that law.