The other day my Husky, that I adopted about 3 months ago and is 2-1/2 yrs old, broke off his tie out cable and killed my neighbors 3 goats. 2 of the goats looked as though they died from shock of being attacked but the 3rd goat was attacked pretty bad and looked as though his rear had been eaten. He has never shown any sign of aggression towards any one or other dogs. The previous owner took him everywhere, around lots of people, dog parks, ect, and had a cat that lived indoors with them. I don’t understand what happened and my neighbors were really upset about it and I am not sure what to do. Do I keep him and built a Fort Knox fenced in run area, we live in the country and fencing the whole yard is not an option b/c of the woods that surround us, or do I find another owner for him or have him put down. I am at a loss, I don't want to loose a beautiful husky but I want to do the right thing.

Huskies have very high prey drives. That is very unfortunate that he got loose, but I could see my two taking down a goat too. I wouldn't have him put down! I'd pay for the goats and keep the dog in the kennel or take him for walks. Can you fence in just a small area for him to run in? Or just take him for walks or to dog parks or even a doggie treadmill.

I wouldn't rehome him and I most certainly wouldn't put him down. He's a husky, and like Sara said, they have very high prey drives. Koda had a run-in with our neighbor's outdoor cat a few months ago. The cat died and it was an awful situation. However, we did our best to make it up to our neighbor and have just kept Koda on serious watch, making sure he doesn't escape again (someone let him out the front door).

I also advise fencing in a small section of the yard and/or increasing his exercise. Finding a way to secure his tie out better too will help.

I agree. Jack eats squirrels and rabbits any time they get into the backyard. He doesn't attack them. He chases them down, chews on them, and swallows. Stray cats are fair game to him, too, but he hasn't caught one yet. Your husky was fine with his previous owner's cat was probably because he sensed that he wasn't supposed to eat it. Jack does the same thing at friends' houses. He might even follow the cat around, but he still knows that it's not food. For you, I would recommend a fenced in yard. I'm not personally a fan of small kennels or dog runs. Even if you can't fence in your whole yard, a 30 X 30 foot area might be possible. If not, give him more room on his tie out. Stretch a 100 ft long steel cable between two points in your yard. Attach his 40 ft tie out to that. The tie out slides along the cable, and he has over 800 sq. feet to run around in. And like Sara and Tori said, the more exercise you give him, the more tired and satisfied he'll be the rest of the time. Dog parks are great to decrease his drive to go explore. So are regular walks around the area you live in. Or get another dog for him to play with. There are plenty of threads on this site with exercise suggestions. Huskies are working dogs to the extreme. They have difficulty exercising themselves like other dogs do. They need a reason to run around. You can't just put them in the backyard and they'll run around for no reason for the next 45 minutes, and then come in and be tired for the rest of the day. Your husky probably didn't have a reason to exercise while you were gone, so when he saw/smelled/heard goats, it was only a matter of time before he decided that they were a very good reason to exercise...

Thank y'all for the feedback. The vet and my neighbors just made a comment about once they get a taste of blood they will keep wanting it, but I guess they always have that. I guess I will plan on fencing in the side yard about a 28x40ft area, and just take the ideas/sugestions from other people here to make sure he can't get out again. I already offered to pay for the goats and pay the vet bill, I just hope we can move on from this, they are really good neighbors. Thanks again

Flytyme69 wrote:

Thank y'all for the feedback. The vet and my neighbors just made a comment about once they get a taste of blood they will keep wanting it, but I guess they always have that. I guess I will plan on fencing in the side yard about a 28x40ft area, and just take the ideas/sugestions from other people here to make sure he can't get out again. I already offered to pay for the goats and pay the vet bill, I just hope we can move on from this, they are really good neighbors. Thanks again

The whole "taste for blood" thing is kind of a myth. Huskies have a high prey drive. They like the hunt and kill. They don't necessarily "like blood." It's sort of a misnomer and people who don't know the breed (or other high prey driven breeds) don't understand this. It's understandable that your neighbors are scared or concerned, but just take the time to educate them on the breed and let them know you are planning on fencing in the yard and I think they will appreciate it.

That size yard is GREAT and would be a perfect area. I would recommend 6ft privacy fencing so that your dog can't see out of it and be tempted by anything out there (be it goat, squirrel, or rabbit, etc). In general, when you build, it's a good idea to either line the bottom of the fence (a foot in width) with buried chicken wire, stones, or cement in order to discourage digging. If you can accomplish that, you'll have a great yard and a pretty husky-proofed yard