Another Dog Story...

Status
Not open for further replies.

bigred

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
May 22, 2010
Messages
3,402
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

We just got a puppy a couple weeks ago- A true ankle bitter and wasnt my idea
 

RV's mom

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
1,292
Location (City and/or State)
Phoenix, arizona
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

words cannot express....
I'm sorry for your loss


teri
 

ErikaO

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
45
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Its sad enough to lose a pet, but to lose one in such a gory and tragic way......yuck! We had a very similar situation a few years ago. One of our red-eared sliders went from our pond over to our dog run (which was quite a ways away), and managed to squeeze through the very last post and the block wall into the dog's run. We thought we had every part of the run secured so that our turtles, toads, and frogs couldn't get into the run. Much to our dismay, we walked out to see our dogs (large, but super sweet dogs), and found them both chewing on what was left of our turtle. We no longer have those dogs, but we sure have the memory of that tragic day.

Thanks for your posting (as it is so informative, much like all of your postings), and I am very sorry to hear about yet another loss of a loved tort.
 
M

Maggie Cummings

Guest
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Oh Tom, I am so sorry! You know I know exactly how you feel, and unfortunately you told a very vivid story and I am in tears as I write this. I have the story of Mildred, my Gopherus agassizii that lost her front leg to a dog. But both Russians...OMG, I am so sorry, there are no words I have that will make you feel any better...
 

Babushkin

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2012
Messages
2
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

That's a very saddening story, I hated hearing about poor Horace. My neighbors have a large Labradoodle that is quite large, probably 4 feet tall when standing up, and he is scared of their small RT. I find it funny.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Babushkin said:
That's a very saddening story, I hated hearing about poor Horace. My neighbors have a large Labradoodle that is quite large, probably 4 feet tall when standing up, and he is scared of their small RT. I find it funny.

Hi Babushkin:

Won't you take a few moments to start a new thread in the "introductions" section and tell us a bit about yourself?
 

Jacob

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Messages
3,145
Location (City and/or State)
California
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

sorry to hear, dogs and tortoises never go well together till this day :/
 

JoeImhof

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Messages
77
RE: Another Dog Story

Thats terrible, I'm very sorry!

I had a dog scare myself some years ago, and this reminds me to also mention, that most neigborhoods have dogs occasionally run loose.
Pens in such places need to be covered and secure.

I left my female outside for a few hours couple years back. I felt she was secure enough, she was inside temporary pen, from which I was pretty sure she could not esape. I left her in it often.

but one day went out in backyard to find a stray dog had lifted up top and take her (I could tell from the digging and local destruction it had been an animal.)

Well, after a quick panicked look, I found her, apparantly tossed by the dog into the swimming pool!

She had much bleeding and teeth marks on shell, but miraculously the vet fixed her up and she had turned out to be fine, but surely she would have drowned if I had been much more time in checking on here.

You can probably see the scars on top of her shell in the egg laying photos I've posted earlier in the year. (but the worst damage was to the underside of her shell)

So its well to note in most areas, you need not only a pen the Tort cant dig or climb out of, but also Dog-proof from the outside
 

SuzieArizona

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
31
Location (City and/or State)
Peoria, Arizona
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

I once caught my Wire Fox Terrier chewing on my box turtle. After that I put up a heavy duty fence to keep them separated. The fence is tall with points at the top. I don't even have a gate so I have to climb over it to get to the turtle pen. It's a bit of a hassle but if it keeps them safe it's worth the trouble.
Tom said:
My best friend has a group of russians. One male, three females. He and I have similar backgrounds and interest in reptiles. We experienced the big boom of reptile popularity together in the early 90's. We have a habit of swapping reptiles back and forth. We had a water monitor that we shared and a pair of dog tame amethystine pythons, recently some bearded dragons and a couple of snakes had an extended visit with me... you get the idea. Well he got married and had kids before I did and when his first son was a few years old, "Uncle Tom", bought him a hatchling russian at a reptile show that we all attended together. His son named the tortoise Horace. That was around 8 years ago. As Horace grew and thrived, my friend added a young CB female. As Horace reached maturity he predictably got aggressive with his female and so my buddy added a couple more females to make a nice group. He built a large outdoor pen and his tortoises have done very well living outdoors for him in the warm dry CA air. Recently he bought a new house with a huge backyard and moved his adult tortoise group into a large new outdoor pen with lots of nooks and crannies and hidey holes. Horace, and his hopefully upcoming offspring, were intended to be in our family for many generations...

My friend's wife's Uncle Joe (not his real name) has been having some health issues and has not been able to get out with his dog as often as he'd like. He asked if he could turn his dog loose in the big backyard for some exercise. The dog was a medium sized mutt, very well trained, well behaved, great with the kids, great with all people, and he had been to the house many times before. The dog never showed any interest in the tortoises or their pen way over on the far side of the yard and was not "critter crazy", in any way. The uncle is a good man. I know him and his family well. He understood about the tortoises, knew about them and agreed that the dog would never be left unsupervised in the backyard and that he would remain with the dog at all times. He had been over with the dog several times without incident. The dog NEVER showed any interest whatsoever in the tortoises or their pen. All went well on the current visit and uncle Joe sat in the backyard with his dog while it exercised and played. The time came to leave and Uncle Joe stepped into the house to say his goodbyes. Goodbye turned into a conversation and conversation turned into a discussion. We've all done this, I'm sure. Mind you, all of the people involved are intelligent, thoughtful, decent people. We are not talking about apethetic people who don't know any better, or don't care.

My buddy came home from work, greeted the family, and went to his room to change out of his work clothes. Outside the bedroom window he could see uncle Joe's dog chewing on something. Never even thinking of the tortoises, he went outside to see what the dog had found... To his shock and horror the dog was gnawing on, and removing pieces from one of the adult female russians. She was still alive while the dog worked on her, but she was too far gone to be saved. To his further shock and horror, Horace was in many pieces just a few feet away. Horace and his female are dead. Gone forever. They will not be bringing joy to our families any longer. This tortoise was to grow up with my nephew and still be his companion when they were both old men. Just a few minutes of inattention is all it took. Done. I am shocked, horrified, angry, sad, and rapidly approaching numb from thinking about it.

This is not about temperament or training. It is simply a dog's natural instincts. Any dog, any breed, any time, any level of training. I am a professional dog trainer. My dogs are the best trained dogs in the entire country and I have the National trophies to prove it. I allow my dogs around all of my tortoises of all species and sizes frequently, but NEVER, unsupervised. Please believe me when I say:

DOGS AND TORTOISES SHOULD NEVER NEVER NEVER BE LEFT ALONE TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not for a minute, not for one second. Not while you go to the bathroom. Not while you quickly answer the phone. Not while you check on the kids. Not while you bid farewell to beloved family members for the evening... Everyone makes mistakes, but some things should just NOT be left to chance.

This one hit very close to home with me, but I have seen it many times. Blood on the dog and adults hands, tears on the children's faces... Spread the word people. Don't let this happen!
 

l0velesly

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
2,452
Location (City and/or State)
Lynnwood, WA
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Ugh, how horrible. Such a sad tragedy. The image is playing through my mind. I'm glad I don't have any dogs.
 

Casey666

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2012
Messages
28
Location (City and/or State)
Connecticut
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

thats horrible! My dog sounds the same. he does usually like to bring home small animals. Ill definitely be sure to close the door at all times!!!!!!!!
 

DanikaM

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2012
Messages
35
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Our dog is interesting... we have always had a lot of small animals(cat, lizard, tortoise, ect.)and all she does is sniff them and walk away not caring. She makes sure she doesn't kick any creature while she's walking and is perfectly fine. I would still never trust her completely alone with the tortoise but I just wanted to share the side of someone with a dog that is used to them. Even for her a HUGE size she is put at the bottom of the pyramid. Lol. In their world it is probably rabbit, cat, lizard, tortoise, dog. Yes, rabbit in the lead. She chases the cat around the house.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,270
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Many of the dogs that chew up tortoises behave just as you describe, right up until they day they decide to have at it.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

That's the same way my dog and cat both act. Until she, dog decides she wants to play, then the pouncing begins and if she were left alone to play with the tort, I am sure the biting would start also. Like Tom said, until that day happens, they all act like they aren't interested. Reason you just don't take the chance.
 

GeoTerraTestudo

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
3,311
Location (City and/or State)
Broomfield, Colorado
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Sorry to hear about this. But you are absolutely right: dogs and tortoises don't mix. Dogs have evolved to hunt all sorts of things, from large ungulates to small rodents and anything they can find in between. Dogs have strong jaws adapted for cracking not only bones, but also shells, and they will use them if they can. Dogs are wonderful animals with amazing abilities ... but those abilities put small pets like tortoises in great danger if they are unsecured or unsupervised.
 

mattgrizzlybear

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jun 25, 2012
Messages
1,551
Location (City and/or State)
NE Ohio
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

thats good that the dog didnt bother the tortoise:D
 

mattgrizzlybear

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jun 25, 2012
Messages
1,551
Location (City and/or State)
NE Ohio
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

sorry R.I.P:(
 

Kenazfehu

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2012
Messages
75
Location (City and/or State)
Puget Sound
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Oh my goodness! I'm sad to read this, but it's good to know. My dog and tortoise have been alone for a few minutes more than once, and it never occurred to me that such a horrible outcome was possible. We've been lucky; now we'll be vigilant.
 

nylesmommy

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2012
Messages
29
Location (City and/or State)
north carolina
RE: Another Dog Story (Why tortoises and dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)

Omg im soo very sorry for your loss! I just got my russian tortoise Nyle and will take your story to heart and god bless
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top