I was considering adopting a dog from the DOD MWD section at lackland. Most of the dogs down there are a couple years old and are no longer in the training program for various reasons. My only question is this:
I have a cat... would it be dangerous to get one of those dogs if I have a cat in the house too? My wife would kill me if the dog hurt the cat. Thanks for any help.
You really need to look at the dogs on a case-by-case basis. Some high-drive dogs don't even acknowledge cats if they were raised around them and taught the cats are off limits early on. You can control a cat hating dog, but it is easier to start off with one that is cat neutral.
Most "adoption" type situations will either test the dog with a cat for you, or they can set up a meeting to see how it goes. I am not sure how much I trust the latter option, since it would most likely involve taking the cat to a strange place and most cats will ALWAYS run in that situation.
Will Rambeau Moderator Reg: 01-25-2003
Posts: 5983
Loc: Idaho
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And when the cats run...the prey drive of the dogs kick off into high gear <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
Having several high drive working dogs inside my house with four house cats is the bane of my life. I'm suprised that I haven't gotten an ulcer over it yet.
And then you can have a big, bad Malinois like mine who is afraid of cats :rolleyes: My cat "herds" her into the corner and won't let her move. The cat is a brat!
I am lucky in that my cat does not run and stands her ground. It makes dealing with my foster dogs that much easier when their prey drive is not activated.
It can depend on the cat as well. One that does not run is less likely to get hurt with a dog that is neutral to cats.
You do not want to get a cat hater though. That would not be pleasant to live with. My friend's Malinois killed one of her kittens and her current cat pretty much lives in a spare room where the dog cannot get at it.
Not sure, what kinda research you have done, but I called down there personally and was told the adoption process is more or less this:
If a law enforcement agency wants a dog, no problem.
If a service man (military handler) is getting out of the military and wants a dog, no problem.
If your a civilian, your probably not going to get one.
In May I got a 3 year old GSD bitch, and I recently got a kitten. I knew Madina had not been around cats, being a kennel dog, and I knew her prey drive, especially towards live animals, is very high.
So when I got a kitten I was very very careful. The first couple of days she wanted to kill him, and I had her on leash around him, then just dragging the leash around under close watch. Now, she is completely fine with him. She'll follow him around and will mouth him but won't hurt him.
The other 2 dogs had had cat/kitten exposure before, as puppies, which really makes life a lot easier...but it is possible to make an older dog cat friendly (although she will still chase the neighbor's cats when they come into our yard, but that doesn't bother me!).
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