My Dog v Intruder

ROCKMAN

Last Friday at around 6.30AM -7.00AM , I was just after letting my biggest labrador-cross out into the backgarden , when an intruder jump over the side wall from my neighbours, My Dog when for him , but he got back over the wall and legged it before the got to him. Now my dog sleeps in the kitchen at night and spend the day in the backgarden.
When I was telling a mate the intruder story he said I was lucky the dog did not get him as I MAY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PUT THE DOG DOWN :eek:
Is this true?
Legally and all ?
And if it is true , What if the intruder is in my house ? Could you be force in that situation to put a dog down?
SORRY
if this question has been asked before.

Ps The dog is a very friendly dog and plays with the my kids and neighbours kids and has never acted like this before and does not react to the kids coming in for football etc (that includes kids of the street that the dog has never meet.)
So I was happy to see he reaction to an intruder to be honest.
ie friendly to kids and all that , but willing to protect my family and property

carwash_2006

I'm pretty sure that if the person is an intruder and hasn't been in any way invited onto your property they won't rule that the dog has to be put down. I think that you have to have proper fencing and that, but if it's obvious that they are intruding you're ok. If the dog had bitten him but he'd still been able to run away I'm fairly certain he probably would have taken that option to waiting around for the police to come and lock him up.

CJhaughey

AFAIK there would be no problem, the intruder would have to testify and that would make many burglars think twice.
I would be just as happy if the dog had come in with a pair of balls hanging out of his mouth, let the burglar complain then!

helimachoptor

ROCKMAN wrote: »

Last Friday at around 6.30AM -7.00AM , I was just after letting my biggest labrador-cross out into the backgarden , when an intruder jump over the side wall from my neighbours, My Dog when for him , but he got back over the wall and legged it before the got to him. Now my dog sleeps in the kitchen at night and spend the day in the backgarden.
When I was telling a mate the intruder story he said I was lucky the dog did not get him as I MAY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PUT THE DOG DOWN :eek:
Is this true?
Legally and all ?
And if it is true , What if the intruder is in my house ? Could you be force in that situation to put a dog down?
SORRY
if this question has been asked before.

Ps The dog is a very friendly dog and plays with the my kids and neighbours kids and has never acted like this before and does not react to the kids coming in for football etc (that includes kids of the street that the dog has never meet.)
So I was happy to see he reaction to an intruder to be honest.
ie friendly to kids and all that , but willing to protect my family and property

thanks OP I thought about posting this last night and couldnt remember what I was thinking about in order to post!


Op the next door neightbours kids regularly hop over the wall to get their footballs as usually about about 5 min they're in 100 peices!
Dog is fine with this as he is used to them and I spent some time introducing them to him and he seems no to burst as many balls on them now.
He's a GSD by the way.

But on the other hand the neighbour on the other side had someone in cutting branches. Some fell into my garden. He got over to pick them up and the dog came out and I've never seen anyone get over a wall so quick!

Luckily I was in the kitchen so called the dog in!

But if something like that did happen and my dog did bite a genuine intruder and the gardai wanted to out him down...

Over my dead body..
Abbeylara part 2....

Pat Mustard

If some incident happened involving your dog, and if the Gardai made a complaint in court that your dog was a dangerous dog (if he injured someone, for example), in theory the court could order that the dog should be destroyed. S.22 of Control of Dogs Act http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1986/en/act/pub/0032/print.html.

Sounds like you are reasonably safe where your dog was on your premises and protecting your property from some intruder.

ROCKMAN

The Mustard wrote: »

If some incident happened involving your dog, and if the Gardai made a complaint in court that your dog was a dangerous dog (if he injured someone, for example), in theory the court could order that the dog should be destroyed. S.22 of Control of Dogs Act http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1986/en/act/pub/0032/print.html.

Sounds like you are reasonably safe where your dog was on your premises and protecting your property from some intruder.

Thank you ,just what I was looking for,

The Artist

id say the sound or smell of the intruder would set your dog at him.Thats why if your next door neighbours imo wouldnt get attack as your dog senses the smell and reconised the sounds of your neighbours.So if a child from next door fell in i think the dog may not react to him as a intruder as the dog is fimmilar to to smell and sound of the kid(hence being making noise next door and close to your house) I dont know if this is true but im only guessing.:)

helimachoptor

TBH I think dogs have a trouble/scumbag radar!
Where I used to live there was a utter scum hole and whenever the dog seen him he got very protective of me (and i'm a guy).

Keano

I hope you gave your dog a reward. They intruder wont be back!

The Artist

NEXT TIME DONT COME BACK INTRUDER!

ROCKMAN

davey180 wrote: »

NEXT TIME DONT COME BACK INTRUDER!

VERY GOOD

hardly work'n

I was at home one evening around 11pm and my two dogs at the time started going nuts. I looked out and there was a car running at the end of my driveway and a person at my car! I don't think he thought it was his! We live in a very rural area. I left the two dogs out and our terrior cross went straight for the car theif and did some serious damage to his leg. The wolfhound cross stood at the front door and barked. I was on the phone to the guards! Then I saw someone coming from around the back of the house to the screams of his collegue getting mauled by our terror!! The wolfhound never budged from the front door.

When the guards came out the next day, the first thing they asked me where my dogs licensed. I said yes and proved it. He took pictures of my broken car window and that was the end of it. I know have large beware of dog signs out just to let them know!

Our dogs are very friendly and well socialised, but they will protect us. Most dogs if there home is threatened will protect it.

The little terror got some spoiling ever since!!

Morganna

davey180 wrote: »

NEXT TIME DONT COME BACK INTRUDER!

Brilliant Davey

AntiVirus

Its a good question and I was thinking that surely you're dog would be ok and you wouldn't have to put him down but there has been cases where a dog has attacked a member of the family and had to be put down but was that done by choice or by law??

meathstevie

Nothing to worry about I'd say. The dog was in the garden, your man was trespassing and got a friendly hello from doggie. Too bad he didn't get a right go at him.

The Artist

meathstevie wrote: »

Nothing to worry about I'd say. The dog was in the garden, your man was trespassing and got a friendly hello from doggie. Too bad he didn't get a right go at him.

+1

luckat

I'm told that you should have a Beware of the Dog sign to cover you legally. But isn't there a law saying a dog is allowed one bite before being put down?

meathstevie

No, the gist of the law says that a dog has to be under the owner or handler's control at all times. And in reality a dog being confined to your garden is being under your control. As for "beware of the dog" signs and all that : forget it. Once you have a dog licence and your dog is housed and fed and watered properly and under your control at all times you're fully compliant with the law as far as I know. If someone wants to come into your garden after that to find out for themselves whether the dog is barker or a biter best of luck to them.

hardly work'n

After my terrier bit "alleged" car thief, the guard I spoke to told me I was fine as long as my dog was licensed. But that it could come up in a civil matter. He told me that I was not crimanaly (sp?) liable but it could be taken up as a civil case?!?! Car Thief vs Home Owner! I was trying to rob their car and there dog bit me! My terrier has only ever bitten or snapped at one person and that was said "alleged" car thief. (With amount of blood on drive way and dog I would say he had to get a lot of stitches) The guard also told me that they would have to take there case with in 12 months or the statute of limitations would run out.

Just remember your dog license is more valuable to you than a beware of dog sign.

Pat Mustard

The statute of limitations on personal injury cases is 2 years, not 12 months. The failed thief could technically sue you for assault within a 6 year period - leaving aside the personal injury aspect of the case.

The Garda may have meant that there were 6 months to make a criminal complaint in the District Court and a further 6 months to serve a summons (6 + 6 = 12 months). Not that it matters, unless you plan to have the Gardai prosecute yer man.

hardly work'n

Unfortantly he was never caught!! And we have never had a problem since.

Ruby Soho

OOhh, I dunno bout the 'beware of the dog' sign. From what I've heard I think that if you choose to display this sign, you are actually acknowledging that you have a potentially dangerous animal, and if a trespasser is injured because the dog is not under control / restrained, you are liable because of this. Correct me if I'm wrong....