Wild dogs kill GA man and woman

[Corvis Canis Latrans]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090818/ap_on_re_us/us_deadly_dog_attack

Sad.

I wonder how many of these were dogs abandoned due to their owners having problems from the recession.

Take them to the humane society, people. You ditch them, they're going to pack together and have no fear of humans because they had a domestic past.

Hope they find the pack. I don't know what I hope they do to the individual animals, once they've attacked a person they can't really be rehabilitated as pets. But it seems a shame to put them down for what humans caused in the first place....

[Shanti]

Feral dogs like feral cats is nothing new.
Its just not as common.
And a pack of canines that went feral will be dangerous. No surprise there.

Even when I was a kid you would periodically here of a feral pack attacking people. No recession needed.
It just takes a few dogs that got away from their owners, found each other, survived and multiplied.

I think it may be more common in rural areas where the dogs can live un-noticed in the wild just like the wolves and coyotes do.

I know it happens that chicken attacks on farms are sometimes feral dogs. Same with goats and sheep. Feral dogs can be a real prob, more than coyotes and wolves because of the lack of fear of humans and humans lack of fear of dogs!
See a coyote or wolf, and you get a gun. See some dogs and no big deal till they go into hunt mode.

Just like a pack of wolves, they will eat a human if they are hungry and the opportunity is there.

[KC Destroyer of Worlds]

Feral dogs like feral cats is nothing new.
Its just not as common.
And a pack of canines that went feral will be dangerous. No surprise there.

Even when I was a kid you would periodically here of a feral pack attacking people. No recession needed.
It just takes a few dogs that got away from their owners, found each other, survived and multiplied.

I think it may be more common in rural areas where the dogs can live un-noticed in the wild just like the wolves and coyotes do.

I know it happens that chicken attacks on farms are sometimes feral dogs. Same with goats and sheep. Feral dogs can be a real prob, more than coyotes and wolves because of the lack of fear of humans and humans lack of fear of dogs!
See a coyote or wolf, and you get a gun. See some dogs and no big deal till they go into hunt mode.

Just like a pack of wolves, they will eat a human if they are hungry and the opportunity is there.

I disagree with this. Feral dogs are more likely to attack humans than wolves. They have no fear of humans and can approach them with a degree of friendliness before turning on them.

Not only that, (I'm willing to be wrong on this point but I don't think I am), wolves are more likely to attack a human for territorial reasons than for food.

[Shanti]

I disagree with this. Feral dogs are more likely to attack humans than wolves. They have no fear of humans and can approach them with a degree of friendliness before turning on them.

Not only that, (I'm willing to be wrong on this point but I don't think I am), wolves are more likely to attack a human for territorial reasons than for food.I said dogs are more dangerous than wolves. Dogs dont fear the people!
The people dont run off for a gun when they see the dogs!

I was pointing out that large canine species do see humans as a potential meal.
Just as large feline species sometime do.
Some people dont realize its actually natural for canine to eat human as canine is pure carnivore. Carnivores eat Omnivores if they can successfully kill it. What saves us most from being food is our size and sometimes behavior. We can fight back, scare them. Hence, they fear us.
Dogs dont have that fear. They know us to well! So they are more of a threat!

[KC Destroyer of Worlds]

I said dogs are more dangerous than wolves. Dogs dont fear the people!
The people dont run off for a gun when they see the dogs!

This is the line I was confused by Shanti:

"Just like a pack of wolves, they will eat a human if they are hungry and the opportunity is there."

No offense meant.

I personally have never heard of a pack of wolves attacking a human, and I've lived in the wilderness most of my life.

[Corvis Canis Latrans]

See a coyote or wolf, and you get a gun.


I think she was reading this as an action you'd take (as in you personally, Shanti) before you would with a wild dog.

The phrasing was ambiguous and I misread it at first, too....was trying to figure it out since the rest of your post went contrary to my reading of that line, and eventually read it over enough times that it made sense...:)

Of course, if a coyote or wolf is that close to human territory and is threatening the animals, then its already lost its fear, and the more we encroach, the more likely that is to happen.

*Canis Latrans here tiptoes quietly away from the humans discussing guns....*

[Shanti]

Sorry for the confusion. I was just trying to make the connections of fear, possibilities, animal behavior all rolled into possible visuals.

Sometime I suck at making a point. LOL

Wolves have killed humans. But, just how often do any wolves get close enough because of their fear or the human response of protecting ones self, rarely. We wont let wolves walk up to us but will let dogs get to close.
Our appearance alone will most often keep wolves at bay, we too are predators, the placement of our eyes tells them so. That makes us a threat.
But dogs no longer are afraid. They are taught not to be.
So unsuspecting human meets feral dog....not good.

[Shanti]

Of course, if a coyote or wolf is that close to human territory and is threatening the animals, then its already lost its fear, and the more we encroach, the more likely that is to happen.

*Canis Latrans here tiptoes quietly away from the humans discussing guns....*
Ditto!!
We see how we and wild animals are to close so the wild animals become use to us and raid our yards and eat our chiwawas!!

Right now we have a prob in Wisconsin.
Hunters are training their hunting dogs to track bear and taking the dogs into wolf territory. Wolves have been killing the dogs.
These wolves are protected for now. But allowing the hunters to take the dogs into wolf territory during pup season, IMO, is stupid!!! The wolves are only learning to kill dogs and fear people less!!! They will pay the price of the stupid people when our state decides to allow killing of the wolves to protect the invading dogs. Stupid humans.

As for dogs, they are not afraid to begin with! Heck man created the domestic dog. But that dog is still, canine, carnivore, predator, and territorial!! Just like any other wild animal with that criteria. Except dogs have us to train them, until they go feral!:weirdsmil

[Vampiel]

I wonder what will happen to the dogs...

Interesting it was an elderly couple. I wonder if the dogs sensed they werent as much of a threat.

Sad story all the way around to bad they didnt have a

http://pix.auctiva.com/pix/12/56/89/SM_CORK_RIFLE.JPG

[ignescentphoenix]

*shivers*

This story freaks me out because we have alot of wild dogs where I live.