Swan kills a dog in Dublin Park

AulWan

rachaelworld wrote: »

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.

Where you there?

Plumbthedepths

AulWan wrote:

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.

I'm not having a to and fro with you as it seems it would be a pointless exercise. The very fact that the swan attacked you indicates that the swan saw you as a threat/ intruder. The swan does not make a distinction between a canal/footpath/ residential area. You and your mother were in its habitat whether you wish to accept this or not.
I won't be responding to you any further. Goodbye.

iamwhoiam

AulWan wrote: »

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.

Well to the swan you were in his territory , he knows only that he lives there and protects himself from danger

AulWan

Thank God. It's honestly a bit much when posters who weren't there start telling me what happened the day I was attacked, and implying my parents were the irresponsible ones.

I walked that path every day for years, both before and after the incident, no idea what could have been so very very different about that particular day that the swan suddenly decided I was a threat, but there you go.

Bob Harris

Shemale wrote: »

What did the owner expect letting their dog swim over to the nest of a family of swans?

I'll tell you one thing he didn't expect and that was for the dog to be beaten to death by the swan. You're clearly a veteran though of such incidents and don't seem surprised at all.

Guy:Incognito

AulWan wrote: »

These "wild creatures" are vicious and a danger and maybe it's others creatures who need protection from them. They should be kept fenced in.

See, theres an issue with things that can fly and fences................

iamwhoiam

Bob Harris wrote: »

I'll tell you one thing he didn't expect and that was for the dog to be beaten to death by the swan. You're clearly a veteran though of such incidents and don't seem surprised at all.

Well he should have expected it to be honest . Anyone should know that a nesting bird or animal with young will protect them to the death
My own husband used to say I was like a mother tiger if my babies were ever in harms way !

screamer

There’s a lot worse going on in the world than a dog being killed by a swan, who was protecting its family. Might be harsh for some people to realize that’s nature, and they’re animals, not humans.

Bob Harris

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Well he should have expected it to be honest . Anyone should know that a nesting bird or animal with young will protect them to the death
My own husband used to say I was like a mother tiger if my babies were ever in harms way !

Ah come on...do you think he brought the dog to the park expecting it to happen? Really?

iamwhoiam

Bob Harris wrote: »

Ah come on...do you think he brought the dog to the park expecting it to happen? Really?

No , but if he lets his dog into a lake where swans nest he should be aware the dog is in danger . I wouldn’t let my kids near an animal with young . I thought that was just common sense

Ursus Horribilis

hullaballoo wrote: »

All dogs' humans should know that swans hate dogs. And yeah, they'll go well out of their way to have a go at a dog even if the dog's human doesn't see the dog as threatening the swan. I suppose it's not the kind of thing that's beaten into you in school but it should be made a matter of broad public knowledge to stop this kind of thing happening because it does happen quite a lot.

^^This.

I can't specifically remember my parents ever telling me that swans were dangerous but it's something I've always known. I know they've definitely drowned dogs (Mr Google will back that up) but I'm very sceptical about them breaking humans' arms with their wings. I've seen enough of swans and dogs interacting to know I'd never allow a dog go that near them. They're vicious b'stards and they do not like dogs. Unlike some people here, I have a lot of sympathy for the dog's owner. The poor animal paid a high price and I'm sure the owner is now full of guilt. If any good comes of this at all, it might be that people who didn't know that swans can kill dogs might think twice before letting their pets go for a swim. Not just in parks but in rivers.

Del.Monte

It's been known for decades that even for humans to approach Swans on the nest or with cygnets is foolhardy. Feel sorry for the dog but its owners shouldn't have had it off the leash.

scudzilla

dudara wrote: »

Swans (and geese also) are quite territorial and protective of their young. They’re also very strong birds, able to do a lot of damage. People tend to underestimate them.

The first thing that struck me was “why was the dog swimming in the pool”? That’s clearly the swans’ territory. It was, unfortunately, a stupid move.

Poor dog, it didn’t deserve that.

Geese are rotten, went to a farm park with our 2yr old a few months ago, wife sits down with a coffee and i take my daughter into the enclosure where there are chickens, geese, rabbit and such, went something like this

Mrs Scud : "Scud, it's a goose"

Scud : "Oooh look mini scud, theres a goose there"

Mrs Scud (slightly louder) : "Scud....it's a goose"

Scud : Goes walking towards goose with mini scud "Look mini, lets go see the goose"

Mrs Scud : "SCUD, IT'S A F****N GOOSE"

Scud : realises his huge error, picks up mini scud and runs away with a viscous goose hot on tail


Been attacked by a swan too a few years back, if a swan didn't hesitate coming for me a small dog is nothing to it

Always Tired

Del.Monte wrote: »

It's been known for decades that even for humans to approach Swans on the nest or with cygnets is foolhardy. Feel sorry for the dog but its owners shouldn't have had it off the leash.

But as has several people on here have attested to, swans seem to apply the 'danger to my young' label pretty liberally and will attack people and animals that are just going about their business, often without any young in sight.

I think it's just bad luck and blaming the owners is a bit much. You wouldn't expect this to happen to your dog on a walk, but I suppose the boardsie way is to admonish people for not preparing for every possibility when something goes wrong.

If it was my dog that got killed I'd immediately adopt a pit bull and go back down to that lake like "What's up, now bro?" Probably be hard to find the same swan though.

gctest50

Always Tired wrote: »

But as has several people on here have attested to, swans seem to apply the 'danger to my young' label pretty liberally and will attack people and animals that are just going about their business, often without any young in sight.

I think it's just bad luck and blaming the owners is a bit much. You wouldn't expect this to happen to your dog on a walk, but I suppose the boardsie way is to admonish people for not preparing for every possibility when something goes wrong.



If it was my dog that got killed I'd immediately adopt a pit bull and go back down to that lake like "What's up, now bro?" Probably be hard to find the same swan though.

So you'd adopt a pitbull to take revenge out on a protected little swan

Swans do the mate for life thing, end up a bit "lost" when their mate dies

Hobosan

I blame the man's parents for not highlighting the obvious danger of 10kg birds with deadly appendages, like wings and a beak.

Luckily my parents had me well versed in such dangers, as well as falling roof tiles, venomous spiders between imported bananas and the ever present danger of collapsing into sinkholes.

Victims of such events only have themselves to blame. They'll get no sympathy from me. Also, I drive a car, which is entirely unrelated to what I've written above. Not sure why I'm mentioning.

Hobosan

gctest50 wrote: »

So you'd adopt a pitbull to take revenge out on a protected little swan

Swans do the mate for life thing, end up a bit "lost" when their mate dies

Don't worry. The likelihood of that series of events unfolding are actually surprisingly small.

Shemale

Ms2011 wrote: »

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.

The vast majority of people know how protective swans are of their nests. And the tiny minority should know that wild animals are territorial, swans regularly beat their wings and hiss when people are walking towpaths near their nests / cygnets.

Anyone approaching any wild animal without checking if it is safe to do so should be getting a Darwin Award.

Its laughable you are blaming a wild animal for this dog being killed, the owner was stupid enough to let his dog swim into danger, and if the owner was one of the few that didnt know about swans he didnt think of checking on his phone first.

dodderangler

Shemale wrote: »

The vast majority of people know how protective swans are of their nests. And the tiny minority should know that wild animals are territorial, swans regularly beat their wings and hiss when people are walking towpaths near their nests / cygnets.

Anyone approaching any wild animal without checking if it is safe to do so should be getting a Darwin Award.

Its laughable you are blaming a wild animal for this dog being killed, the owner was stupid enough to let his dog swim into danger, and if the owner was one of the few that didnt know about swans he didnt think of checking on his phone first.

I just cannot take you serious. The absolute tripe coming from you is ridiculous.

DBB

dodderangler wrote: »

I just cannot take you serious. The absolute tripe coming from you is ridiculous.

Alright folks,
The above will be the last of the bitchy, snipey comments that this thread has become full of.
I must, as I have had to do many times, remind posters that there is a sticky near the top of the forum page to let people know we don't accept posters being nasty or disrespectful towards one another. You don't have to agree with one another, but if you don't agree, you do have to debate your point in a way that's respectful towards the other poster.
If you find yourself in a position that you can't be respectful towards the other human being that you're addressing, then don't post. It's really that simple.
Thanks.
DBB

JoeyJJ

Can't blame the Swan.

I was in the zoo last Saturday and on the loop of the African plains there was a swan and cignets on the pond. we were sitting close enough they were behind fence, I told my girls to stay back, this guy and his kids went up to the fence and goaded the swan putting his hand close to him, I just got away from this idiot, I seen him 20 mins later roaring at some other amimal, ****ing idiot.

Ms2011

Shemale wrote: »

Ms2011 wrote: »

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.

Its laughable you are blaming a wild animal for this dog being killed, the owner was stupid enough to let his dog swim into danger, and if the owner was one of the few that didnt know about swans he didnt think of checking on his phone first.

That's the thing though, unlike yourself I'm not blaming anyone.
The owner didn't take his dog out to be killed, the dog didn't set out to die & the swan did what it felt it must in defence of its young.
This is an animal forum so the dangers of swans might be better known but outside of that alot of people only see swans as magestic, mild mannered birds they bring their small children to feed.

dodderangler

DBB wrote: »

Alright folks,
The above will be the last of the bitchy, snipey comments that this thread has become full of.
I must, as I have had to do many times, remind posters that there is a sticky near the top of the forum page to let people know we don't accept posters being nasty or disrespectful towards one another. You don't have to agree with one another, but if you don't agree, you do have to debate your point in a way that's respectful towards the other poster.
If you find yourself in a position that you can't be respectful towards the other human being that you're addressing, then don't post. It's really that simple.
Thanks.
DBB

How is that bitchy. It’s grand I won’t post again if people are offended that easily.

DBB

dodderangler wrote: »

How is that bitchy. It’s grand I won’t post again if people are offended that easily.

Dodderangler.
Two things.
1. If you think your reply is respectful towards the person you're addressing, then you need to think about whether this forum suits your posting style, or, change your tone accordingly. Yours was the last of a number of posts made by several different posters, it must be pointed out... You're not alone.
2. You are on Boards well, well long enough to know that you don't argue with mods on-thread. Please take it to pm if you wish to comment further.
Thanks.
DBB

Sheepdish1

I’m sad for the dog what happened but swan was simply protecting its young, the same as any other species who have young when they see a threat. A dog swimming near it would be seen as massive threat, many swans are attacked by dogs as people don’t keep them on lead near wild life. Swans often are put to sleep or displaced as they’ve been attacked by off lead dogs.

Feel sympathy for owner as it would have been very traumatic for him to witness. I’d imagine it was very quick for the poor dog to pass. owner may not have known there were swans or ducks nearby.

People need to keep dogs under control in public places , near wildlife and livestock . I often see dogs off lead in my area near ducks and swans. Swans were badly mauled last year and the first breeding pair in area in nearly 90 years.

People don’t realise that not everyone likes dogs either. My friend actually avoids walking in certain areas with her kid in a local park as she’s nervous of all the off-lead dogs approaching her kid. Another friend owns a restricted breed that she has muzzled and on lead and has constant problems with off lead dogs approaching it, the owners always say, “it’s ok my dog is friendly”. But it scares her dog. Other dogs are reactive and off lead dogs approaching cause massive stress to owner and dog and cause the dog to be stressed for days after a walk.

Off lead dogs that aren’t under close supervision and control also cause enormous damage to hoglets, fledglings and any other young wildlife. Farmers have huge problems with livestock as some people don’t keep dogs on lead near their livestock. It doesn’t matter if they don’t bite or directly attack the sheep, a dog being loose in the area is enough to cause stress and kill the sheep. They are forced to shoot dogs which isn’t something they want to do.

Hopefully this sad incident will raise awareness to keep dogs on lead or under control.