I was out with my beautiful doggie. She is nice, calm and NEVER tries to attack anything.
I was throwing a toy in the lake, at a quiet area, nobody was there.
She was so so happy, retrieving it once and again as usual. No swans around.
All of a sudden a Swan comes FLYING while my dog was almost reaching her toy -she didnt noticed it- and neither did i. THe Swan practically landed on her head and my dog started swimming back to me as fast as she could but the swan started trying to drown her head into the water with her wings and i was so terrified, i was calling my dog and she was groaring at the swan, gave her a few seconds to try to run away.
i was VERY close to jump in the water and break that swan's neck!! (they are dangerous i know, it would be risky) i was so angry and scared for my baby!!! (25kg lab/collie mix)
MAya was left all sad without toy and too scared to try to swim again...
So my question is: What are the consecuences if i injure a Swan in order to try to save my dog???
We never get close to Swans as we know how they are but this one came FLYING (omg i never saw that before!!!)
the chances are it will never happen again. your in the birds territory and it defended that. It is called instinct. and before you even try to hurt it be aware that they are faster and more dangerous than you think
I am aware that the bird did what he needed to do. I was in his territory, i respect that. But if he tries to injure my dog, my baby nephews or someone i love, my own instinct tells me i need to try to protect them. Common sense tells me they are dangerous and i shouldnt but if i do and i hurt the bird i would like to know if there are any legal consequences for it.
Sorry if i bothered you, i didnt mean to as i thought i get some answers here, i am still quite scared.
but it is very unlikely it will happen again. And if you injure it you will be reported for animal cruelty. prob no follow up on it but you never know. just look out for them is my advice
TBH, I think to need to be a tad more aware of your surrounding. As stated above, you were in the Swans territory and it was reacting to what harm it thought you might do .... A little bit of irony there ...
Bloody swans - the ones by this side of the lake are vicious and they hiss at my dog and me all the time whenever we walk past. He wont stand a chance against them if they decide to attack. They get even much more vicious when their young are around.
I am not sure about the law but a swan got a fishing hook stuck to its beak a month ago, and fellow dog owners told me about it. They were really worried and called the police (WTF?) for them to take care of it - hence I guess if someone sees you attacking the swan, I guess there's a chance that the police might be involved. Just a guess.
Sod the swans, focus on your dog now. Bring your dog to the vet for a check up if you want a peace of mind.
I personally will also try bringing her back into the water again as soon as possible and not allow this to turn into a huge psychological barrier. Re establish her trust with water. Start by bring her about 20 feet from the water and giving her treats and lots of praise. Do this for a few days then over time slowly bring her closer and closer encouraging her with treats and praise. Don't push her too far too fast.
Then try using a longer lead, treat in hand and go into the water first. hold the treat right up to her nose and gently tug her in. Her sense of smell and instincts will kick the brain into motion to move foward. Alternatively, when the weather is warmer, carry her into the water and hold her in the middle of the stomach. Just let her legs start paddling and bring her back out again. The key is to kick her brain in motion associating paddling in the water as a positive experience. Baby steps.
Dont be disheartened if it doesnt work though. Baby steps and patience. She will go back into the water with time as she is was a water loving dog to begin with
My dog is a terrier and are not genetically water loving dogs but I want him to enjoy another alternative form of exercise, which is gentler on the joints rather than running and walking with me all the time. He still wouldnt go in and do the full swim, or retrieve balls but we've moved from him not going anywhere near 5 meters of water, to now going in to cool off his paws, and an old flap here and there.
Good luck and I hope your dog gets over this soon.
Holy crap! I am sorry I can't be the one to actually give you advice with the consequences of attacking a swan (in defense of your dog), but oh how I would have liked to have been a frog on a log (or lily pad) watching that event transpire.
In any case, carry around some rocks (if you can throw with any aim), or maybe buy a pellet gun (do they have those here)? That way you could hit the swan without killing it and protect yourself and your dog... I say this half sarcastically and half not, mostly because I tend to agree with Anthony1406 that it won't happen again but also because I would think that you have a right to protect yourself and your animal against any living being...
The chances are the swan was protecting a nest. They are highly protective of their territory & will attack anything or anyone that comes near if they have eggs or cygnets. I would not try to attack the swan back as it would cause you more damage than you can cause it especially if it is angry.
Ähhh! Don ́t forget y ́all Swans taste quite good, feathers make a nice pillow, they need a fair bit of stuffing but if you wrap ́em in bacon and use a biiiig oven, they are just dandy with greens and Yorkshires.
Just try not to get caught I do not think that people will carp too much if one accidentally gets kicked very hard
I would be careful as dogs are not allowed off their leashes in many areas. If a dog is running around in the forest and kills or injures a wild animal, then the owner can be fined. Swans probably also class as a wild animal so if the dog attacks on, even in self-defence, then I imagine the same would apply. So even if the swan attacked first, you might be told that the dog had no business being anywhere near the swan in the first place. Swans terrify me too by the way, they are a bit mad if you ask me.
When we walked away, the swan stayed put and like...500 meters further ahead we saw another swan with small baby swans...So yes it totally makes sense that Swan attacked, i DONT put question marks on it.
I just needed to be aware of the consequences so i can be ready mentally and potentially, put some money aside for the fine!
I have never felt so scared and empowered and totally willingful to jump in the water to take my dog out of there...that is scary, the thought that i didnt think about the consequences, i just wanted to get my dog back to safety. I am yet to cool down! lol
I am very strict with her and she never goes after any other animal precisely because i know she is kinda biggish and she may look scary and so on. Even when kids are around i try not to allow them to touch her and instruct them to never go and try to pet a dog right away without asking the owner for permission. She loves kids and is super gentle but then what if the kid does that again to another dog that is agressive?.
Your dog need not be acting aggressively to provoke the swan, just being in the vicinity of the nest would be enough. What happened is not a reflection on you or your dog but a swan's instinctive reaction to protect his or her family. Before you decide that killing a swan is a good idea bear in mind that swan's mate for life and is you kill one of the pair the partner can pine to death not to mention leaving the cygnets without a parent. Swans create a very close knit family group.