Swan kills a dog in Dublin Park

tk123

Always Tired wrote: »

A dog doesn't need to be even near cygnets or in the middle of a pond for a swan to attack, or even off leash, they are simply very aggressive to dogs, even small ones.

Was walking my dog with a neighbour and her dog and her wee Jack Russell was on leash and simply standing at the water's edge and a swan made a beeline for him. It only barely stopped when my dog who was larger and off leash came running back down the path from where he was and barked at the swan, and while he stopped his attack he wasn't backing off, still hissing away.

While I admire their beauty, and to a certain extent their bravery as they seem to be absolutely fearless, they really could do with some anger management classes.

Our friend was attacked by them on his bike more than once! - one of the times he said remembers the swan coming at him and next he was on the ground and people were helping him up because he was knocked unconscious!! By chance there was people passing at the time and they used his bike to block the swan and move it away

boombang

I heard from a person that was in the park before and during the incident that the dog was not only not on the lead, but was running all over the park and the owner was not exterting any effective control. Little sympathy for the owner. Annoyed that the park will be covered with signs for warning such dopes.

Knine

Irish Stones wrote: »

I hope they won't buy a new dog, but they will save a dog from a shelter.
In my humble opinion, animals shouldn't be bought.

Ah give over would you!

Swans can be very nasty. I had one attack my 6 month old puppy while he was on the lead! No cygnets around either, luckily my dog fended off the swan & it went running back into the water minus some tail feathers.

They are a beautiful bird but I stay well clear of them with dogs & kids.

Irish Stones

Knine wrote: »

Ah give over would you!

Swans can be very nasty. I had one attack my 6 month old puppy while he was on the lead! No cygnets around either, luckily my dog fended off the swan & it went running back into the water minus some tail feathers.

They are a beautiful bird but I stay well clear of them with dogs & kids.

What does the fact that swans are dangerous to small (and large) creatures have to do with my opinion?

AulWan

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

I did, you seemed to have ignored the part where they said the buggy was too close.

The buggy was at the side of the pond. Not in it!

I was on a footpath when I was attacked- it came out of the water and attacked.. Another poster posted about being attacked while feeding the ducks.

These beasts are vicious and attack unprovoked. They should be kept penned in.

No fear then of anyone else or any other innocent animal getting hurt because they got "too close".

If they weren't birds, there is no question they'd be kept penned in and muzzled.

CelticRambler

AulWan wrote: »

If they weren't birds, there is no question they'd be kept penned in and muzzled.

Like the dog? :P

StupidLikeAFox

Why isn't that breed of swan banned yet??

Knine

Irish Stones wrote: »

What does the fact that swans are dangerous to small (and large) creatures have to do with my opinion?

My answer would take the thread way off topic.

mrcheez

antix80 wrote: »

I think dogs should be kept on leashes in public.

They are supposed to be, unless I'm mistaken?

Part of the reason why I'm flabbergasted seeing people walking dogs beside bike lanes without a leash on their pet.

razorblunt

boombang wrote: »

I heard from a person that was in the park before and during the incident that the dog was not only not on the lead, but was running all over the park and the owner was not exterting any effective control. Little sympathy for the owner. Annoyed that the park will be covered with signs for warning such dopes.

That person should have read the article then, it's already been stated that it was during a period when dogs are allowed off lead.

AulWan

The dog was off lead during a period when it was allowed. Most Dublin parks have allocated times of the day when dogs are allowed to run off lead, its not any secret. The dog was swimming (as spaniels love to do) which is probably why he didn't respond to the owner's recall immediately.

Anyway, the bottom line is, I know where my sympathies lie. With the poor animal that was killed by a vicious wild bird and it's poor owner who had to watch it happen.

It was a horrible thing to happen to anyone.

Ms2011

I will never understand people jumping to judgement when a tragedy happens.
This owner has learned a valuable lesson the hard way. He was hardly committing a moral sin walking his dog off leash during a time when it was permitted. The dog went for a swim, which he had probably done hundreds of times without incident & paid the ultimate price.
Hindsight is always 20 20 as they say.

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

These beasts are vicious and attack unprovoked. They should be kept penned in.

You do understand they are wild and you are in their environment.

tk123

Ms2011 wrote: »

I will never understand people jumping to judgement when a tragedy happens.
This owner has learned a valuable lesson the hard way. He was hardly committing a moral sin walking his dog off leash during a time when it was permitted. The dog went for a swim, which he had probably done hundreds of times without incident & paid the ultimate price.
Hindsight is always 20 20 as they say.

Having your dog off lead during the allowed times does not excuse you from having the dog under effectual control. Also swans like many wild species are protected.


If I went into then lions enclosure in Dublin zoo I'm likely to be killed by my own stupidity - its not "learning a lesson the hard way" it'd be my own stupid fault.

Birdnuts

Its sad but sh*t happens - swans are agressive but thats just nature. They have to be as there nesting habit leaves them vulnereable to all sorts of potential egg and chick predators. In some parts of Europe its now possible to encounter the likes of wolves and wild boar in public parks(even near city centres like Rome, Berlin etc.), and i can tell you the latter wouldn't be shy sorting you out after its finished with your dog, especcially if you get between it and its young!!

AulWan

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

You do understand they are wild and you are in their environment.

Bushy Park is not "the wild" and is a public amenity, meant for the enjoyment of humans and their children and their dogs too.

What if it was a child it had attacked? Would you be so blase about it then?

In my opinion swans shouldn't be kept iin public parks at all, but confined to bird sanctuarys.

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

Bushy Park is not "the wild" and is a public amenity, meant for the enjoyment of humans and their children and their dogs too.

The swan and the other creatures living there don't understand this concept.

AulWan wrote:

What if it was a child it had attacked? Would you be so blase about it then?

I would actually if the parents were to stupid not to tell the child of the danger of a swan. Equally a child can be attacked by a dog not under cintrol

AulWan wrote:

In my opinion swans shouldn't be kept iin public parks at all, but confined to bird sanctuarys.

Thankfully your opinion will carry no wait with the parks services.They are not kept, something you seem to fail understand.

Ms2011

tk123 wrote: »

Ms2011 wrote: »

I will never understand people jumping to judgement when a tragedy happens.
This owner has learned a valuable lesson the hard way. He was hardly committing a moral sin walking his dog off leash during a time when it was permitted. The dog went for a swim, which he had probably done hundreds of times without incident & paid the ultimate price.
Hindsight is always 20 20 as they say.

Having your dog off lead during the allowed times does not excuse you from having the dog under effectual control. Also swans like many wild species are protected.


If I went into then lions enclosure in Dublin zoo I'm likely to be killed by my own stupidity - its not "learning a lesson the hard way" it'd be my own stupid fault.

Where did it say the dog wasn't under effective control?
From what I read the dog was killed before it or it's owner knew what was going on.

dodderangler

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Just because you couldn't see a cygnet doesn't mean there wasn't one, btw I hope you weren't feeding the ducks bread.

Really. So a cygnet was hiding in a bush in January huh.
Try being more realistic if you’re going to try be smart towards me

tk123

Ms2011 wrote: »

Where did it say the dog wasn't under effective control?
From what I read the dog was killed before it or it's owner knew what was going on.

Well the article in the OP states ‘A man who was feeding the ducks at the far end of the pond, said he heard the dog’s owner shouting in attempt to get her attention.’ ... the owner wasn’t able to get the dog out of the water and stop it swimming towards the swans..

Plumbthedepths

dodderangler wrote:

That’s rubbish to say. I was attacked by one while feeding other ducks. No cygnets around. They’re bad tempered no matter what

dodderangler wrote:

Really. So a cygnet was hiding in a bush in January huh. Try being more realistic if you’re going to try be smart towards me

No mention of the time of year you claimed to be attacked.

Shemale

Ms2011 wrote: »

I will never understand people jumping to judgement when a tragedy happens.
This owner has learned a valuable lesson the hard way. He was hardly committing a moral sin walking his dog off leash during a time when it was permitted. The dog went for a swim, which he had probably done hundreds of times without incident & paid the ultimate price.
Hindsight is always 20 20 as they say.

How is it hindsight?

Swans are huge white birds swimming on the water
Swans are unbelievably protective of cygnets
Swans are very strong and can do some damage

I wouldnt let a big dog I owned near a swan nest.

dodderangler

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

No mention of the time of year you claimed to be attacked.

Does it matter. Im well aware of my species and where to approach animals. No matter what the species.
You claiming a cygnet was around against my intelligence is just completely ignorant. I won’t be replying to you.

Shemale

AulWan wrote: »

Bushy Park is not "the wild" and is a public amenity, meant for the enjoyment of humans and their children and their dogs too.

What if it was a child it had attacked? Would you be so blase about it then?

In my opinion swans shouldn't be kept iin public parks at all, but confined to bird sanctuarys.

You think they were tame swams?

Only an imbecile would let a dog, nevermind a child near nesting swans

Ms2011

tk123 wrote: »

Ms2011 wrote: »

Where did it say the dog wasn't under effective control?
From what I read the dog was killed before it or it's owner knew what was going on.

Well the article in the OP states ‘A man who was feeding the ducks at the far end of the pond, said he heard the dog’s owner shouting in attempt to get her attention.’ ... the owner wasn’t able to get the dog out of the water and stop it swimming towards the swans..

The owner was mostly likely shouting in panic when they realised what was happening but the dog may well not have heard him especially in water, think of when you are swimming, can you hear sounds as well as if you were standing still.

AulWan

I don't think there is such thing as a tame swan. They're all vicious. If a dog did what this swan did, there would be calls for it to be destroyed.

So, round them up and put them in a sanctuary somewhere, and then they can nest wherever they want in safety where they can't attack any other human or beast who accidentally stumbles "too close".

End of story.

Ms2011

Shemale wrote: »

Ms2011 wrote: »

I will never understand people jumping to judgement when a tragedy happens.
This owner has learned a valuable lesson the hard way. He was hardly committing a moral sin walking his dog off leash during a time when it was permitted. The dog went for a swim, which he had probably done hundreds of times without incident & paid the ultimate price.
Hindsight is always 20 20 as they say.

How is it hindsight?

Swans are huge white birds swimming on the water
Swans are unbelievably protective of cygnets
Swans are very strong and can do some damage

I wouldnt let a big dog I owned near a swan nest.

Just because YOU know something you shouldn't assume everyone does.
A lot of people approach animals they shouldn't - deer in the park, seals on the beach because they just don't realise the danger.
You better believe this owner is kicking himself for what happened & in hindsight will never let a dog of his near a swan again, he has learned a harsh lesson the hard way.

tk123

Ms2011 wrote: »

The owner was mostly likely shouting in panic when they realised what was happening but the dog may well not have heard him especially in water, think of when you are swimming, can you hear sounds as well as if you were standing still.

Well dogs have better hearing than humans lol and the dogs head would be above water? My dogs can hear me fine when they’re swimming..and they’re also trained to recall to a whistle immediately as in they stop what they’re doing and come back. I always have at least one whistle with me as I have one in my walking belt and another on my keys.

AulWan

The dog may have heard his owner's calls but still not had time to get away from the swan bearing down on it. Dogs are not exactly known for being the fastest of swimmers.

Certainly not as fast as a swan. I hope the poor creature at least died quickly.

tk123

AulWan wrote: »

The dog may have heard his owner's calls but still not had time to get away from the swan bearing down on it. Dogs are not exactly known for being the fastest of swimmers.

Certainly not as fast as a swan. I hope the poor creature at least died quickly.

The dog swam at the swan...

Nikki Sixx

Dogs are surrogate children for some people, which leads to over attachment.

OpenYourEyes

dodderangler wrote: »

More cygnets are being killed by mink than anything else. Think we should concentrate on that more than dogs

You have absolutely nothing to back that up!

In urban areas, two of the main causes of death of Swans are dogs and cats. Around Dublin loads of Swans are killed each year by dogs, but it happening the other way around is a rare occurrence.

Ms2011

tk123 wrote: »

Ms2011 wrote: »

The owner was mostly likely shouting in panic when they realised what was happening but the dog may well not have heard him especially in water, think of when you are swimming, can you hear sounds as well as if you were standing still.

Well dogs have better hearing than humans lol and the dogs head would be above water? My dogs can hear me fine when they’re swimming..and they’re also trained to recall to a whistle immediately as in they stop what they’re doing and come back. I always have at least one whistle with me as I have one in my walking belt and another on my keys.

I realise dogs have better hearing than people but the owners calls would still be muffled by splashing & surrounding noise caused by on lookers panicking.
My dogs have an excellent recall too thankfully but it only takes one time for them not to listen for tragedy to strike.

OpenYourEyes

AulWan wrote: »

I don't think there is such thing as a tame swan. They're all vicious. If a dog did what this swan did, there would be calls for it to be destroyed.

So, round them up and put them in a sanctuary somewhere, and then they can nest wherever they want in safety where they can't attack any other human or beast who accidentally stumbles "too close".

End of story.

Dogs attack swans every day if the week around Dublin. Several swans are killed as a result each year. Should we round all the dogs up, put them in sanctuary somewhere and people can go visit them there if they want to play with them etc?

OpenYourEyes

AulWan wrote: »

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

You do understand they are wild and you are in their environment.

Bushy Park is not "the wild" and is a public amenity, meant for the enjoyment of humans and their children and their dogs too.

What if it was a child it had attacked? Would you be so blase about it then?

In my opinion swans shouldn't be kept iin public parks at all, but confined to bird sanctuarys.

My brother was pecked by a swan in Bushy Park many years ago - you might be shocked to learn that he survived!

You'll also be really shocked to hear that Swans can fly! We could put them all in a sanctuary but they wouldn't be there long...


I think most people, and I'm sure the dog owner included, wouldn't want anything done to the swans and would just chalk it down to a very unfortunate incident. Hopefully though, it will serve as a valuable reminder to people to keep their dog under control around wildlife. It's not too much to ask!

AulWan

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Dogs attack swans every day if the week around Dublin. Several swans are killed as a result each year. Should we round all the dogs up, put them in sanctuary somewhere and people can go visit them there if they want to play with them etc?

Well apparantely swans kept in public parks are wild, so as such would it not be safer for them to be placed in a bird sanctuary?

That way they are safe from dog attacks, and everything else is safe from being attacked by them. Kill two birds with one stone. (No pun intended).

Dogs are considered domesticated animals, and live with humans. Plus, they are more fun to play with then swans.

Plumbthedepths

Plumbthedepths wrote:

Just because you couldn't see a cygnet doesn't mean there wasn't one, btw I hope you weren't feeding the ducks bread.

dodderangler wrote:

Does it matter. Im well aware of my species and where to approach animals. No matter what the species. You claiming a cygnet was around against my intelligence is just completely ignorant. I won’t be replying to you.

Since you did not state the time of year I assumed it was during this time of year , when cygnets are about May/July.
Only one person as you stated trying to be smart here and I can assure you it's not me. That's fine I'm quite happy for you not to reply considering the manner in which you do.

Alpha_zero

This is only a story cause it's an oddity, as it's much more common for Dogs to kill swans.

The swan in the water had a much greater advantage in a fight. Dogs have become an annoyance in public and most people have had incidents where dogs have acted aggressively much more so than swans.

When there are Swans in parks i will keep my distance and not interfere and i have not had issue, same cannot be said for dogs.

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

So, round them up and put them in a sanctuary somewhere, and then they can nest wherever they want in safety where they can't attack any other human or beast who accidentally stumbles "too close".

I would be in favour of banning dogs from this park and telling humans to beware of the swans. Wildlife is under enough pressure from mankind without further curtailment of their environment due to the stupidity of irresponsible pet owners .

AulWan

Of course you would. You've shown no sympathy or empathy for the dog or their owner since the start of the thread, and admitted you were blase about the death of the dog and the owners distress.

As a matter of interest, have you ever been attacked by a swan?

OpenYourEyes

AulWan wrote: »

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Dogs attack swans every day if the week around Dublin. Several swans are killed as a result each year. Should we round all the dogs up, put them in sanctuary somewhere and people can go visit them there if they want to play with them etc?

Well apparantely swans kept in public parks are wild, so as such would it not be safer for them to be placed in a bird sanctuary?

.

Birds are not placed in bird sanctuaries.

Places used by large numbers of wild birds are identified, and following that are designated as protected areas.

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

As a matter of interest, have you ever been attacked by a swan?

No but I live in a town( Athlone) where there are plenty of swans and learnt from a young age that while they are a beautiful creature they are also very territorial and dangerous when they have young. Only a fool does not respect wild creatures no matter how 'cute' they look.

AulWan

Tymon North just up the road is a man made park that was originally established as a bird santuary.

Not the other way around.

AulWan

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

No but I live in a town( Athlone) where there are plenty of swans and learnt from a young age that while they are a beautiful creature they are also very territorial and dangerous when they have young. Only a fool does not respect wild creatures no matter how 'cute' they look.

Well there you go then.

I was attacked by a swan simply for walking by them on my way to school and almost lost an eye for it, so maybe if you'd ever been on the receiving end of their viciousness, you'd think differently about them.

I certainly don't think there is anything beautiful or cute about them.

iamwhoiam

I am open to correction but should dogs not be on a line in Bushy Park ?

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

Well there you go then.

I was never attacked as my parents until I was old enough to know better myself did not allow me near them or walked me close to their habitat

AulWan wrote:

I was attacked by a swan simply for walking by them on my way to school and almost lost an eye for it, so maybe if you'd ever been on the receiving end of their viciousness, you'd think differently about them.

You were attacked because the swan precieved you as a threat/ intruder in its territory.

AulWan wrote:

I certainly don't think there is anything beautiful or cute about them.

That's fine but swans are recognised as being a beautiful and graceful creature, which is part of the reasons as to why people do not accord them the respect they warrant.
I will leave at that, I'm sorry you were attacked but you learnt a valuable lesson that has stayed with you.
I suffered a bad attack from a dog, scars all over my legs I learnt that all dogs are capable of attack and to learn the tells. Usually a snarl is enough to alert a person that the dog wants you to leave, likewise a swan will hiss.

Bunny Colvin

The swan in question should be moved to a different parish.

rachaelworld

AulWan wrote: »

Well there you go then.

I was attacked by a swan simply for walking by them on my way to school and almost lost an eye for it, so maybe if you'd ever been on the receiving end of their viciousness, you'd think differently about them.

I certainly don't think there is anything beautiful or cute about them.

Seriously :pac: I'm sure it was traumatic for you at the time and has obviously had a lasting effect on you but the simple fact is that you walked too close. They are wild animals and they were doing what wild animals do which is to defend their territory. Swans are beautiful creatures and have been revered as such for a long bloody time, they are also loving, they mate for life and they give their babies rides on their backs. It is silly that you would hold a grudge and try to say that swans are vicious and try to deny their renowned beauty when they were behaving like the rest of the animal kingdom behaves. The swan didn't know you were just walking to school, it saw you as being a threat as you were too close.

Plumbthedepths

Bunny Colvin wrote:

The swan in question should be moved to a different parish.

Or dogs should be kept out of the park failing that on a lead at all times.

AulWan

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

I was never attacked as my parents until I was old enough to know better myself did not allow me near them or walked me close to their habitat

My mother and I were walking to school on a public footpath alongside the canal in a residential area. We were not "in their territory". The swan came up out of the canal and onto the path and attacked us. But don't let that deter you from now trying to imply my parents were somehow being irresponsible.