Dear Darnright,
It’s not every day you actually see the origin of the “Fido” appelation written out! I’m impressed.
As for differences in the laws regarding cats and dogs (BTW, I’m the proud and happy owner of the best dog in the whole wide world)...I always got the impression that those differences came about in order to protect the human population, and not so much to protect wildlife.
After all, many roaming dogs will not only attack a human, but will chase one down in order to do it. And then there are the friendly giants (like mine), who would probably never actually HURT someone he met on the street — but might run at that person to say “hi.” Should he even jump on someone to give a sloppy kiss, he could easily knock him down and hurt him. I’ve never seen a cat do that — not even the meanest, most ornery feline out there.
Anyway, that’s why I think the laws are so different. The bottom line is, I love both cats and dogs — they bring two very different worldviews to their owners, but both animals also bring love and (though more subtle in cats) extraordinary loyalty.
Regards,
PS: I’ve really enjoyed talking to you about this. It’s given me the chance to reflect on things upon which I often don’t have time to do.
Hello, VK (I’m enjoying our discourse, also)
In my state, Virginia, there are many laws on the books, that specifically protect other animals from canine predation. As I wrote upthread, a game warden in my state is duty-bound to destroy any dog he or she finds in the act of running deer. Also, the owner of livestock may kill a dog or dogs he finds in the act of mauling or harassing his animals.
Even the dangerous dog law in the state has remedies for a dog that kills a domestic animal. In other words, a dog doesn’t have to have bitten a human to be labeled dangerous, as a killer of livestock could just as well go after a child. To be dangerous, the dog must be off its owner’s property. If a sheep wanders onto my land, and my dog kills it, the dog is not held accountable.
Here’s a bit of irony considering the subject of this thread. The dangerous dog label may be used for a CAT killing pooch.