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Mesa Lane Scuffle
updated: Jan 29, 2013, 12:17 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Today while walking the beach at dusk, I was approaching Mesa Lane and stopped to take a picture of a cormorant resting on the beach near the surf zone. As I was shooting pics, I got a photo of the bird taking flight. The next scene would have been a dog with a lit up collar, chasing the bird into the water, biting it, bringing it out and essentially killing it.

Shouting and whistling did not deter the dog. There was no owner in sight for all of the time that myself and others spent shouting and chasing off the dog. This stretch of beach is leash-optional. This does not mean unsupervised.

What is okay with letting your dog run free so it can chase and injure and kill birds in their own habitat where they feed and where they rest? The bird did not have a chance. And where was the owner?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 368577	2013-01-29 12:42 PM
Comment by 573 is totally offensive and out of line. People have the right to be concerned about wildlife.
COMMENT 368590	2013-01-29 01:00 PM
It's the ciiiiiiirccccllleee....the CIRCLE OF LIIIIIIFFFEEEEE!
COMMENT 368594	2013-01-29 01:03 PM
Unsupervised cats kill a LOT of birds everyday.......
COMMENT 368595	2013-01-29 01:05 PM
It is never okay to leave your dog unsupervised in public.
COMMENT 368597	2013-01-29 01:05 PM
yeah, but what if the dog snacked a snowy plover? OMG!!!
COMMENT 368602	2013-01-29 01:12 PM
I let Ole Fuzz Butte roam the neighborhood when i work from home. Shes moseys about, eating things children left behind, relieving herself whereever she sees fit, and once a day assails the mailperson when they come around. All of this i watch from my office window its hilarious - i love working from home
COMMENT 368605	2013-01-29 01:15 PM
573 is really out of line. I don't think it's wrong at all to wonder about the ethical aspects of this. I wouldn't allow my dog to be unattended like that or off leash, but that's just me. However, before this turns into a dog vs bird thing, let me just say how many dead small animals I see around my neighborhood from cats roaming at night. Mice, cats and even lizards. Not pretty.
COMMENT 368606	2013-01-29 01:16 PM
Cats left to roam all day are far worse an impact on other critters.
COMMENT 368609	2013-01-29 01:17 PM
I was supervising my dog, I just didn't stop him. Dogs will be dogs and eat other critters. Like 590 said, It's the circle of life.
COMMENT 368613	2013-01-29 01:20 PM
If 573 is out of line, I can guarentee you're new to the internetz.
COMMENT 368619P	2013-01-29 01:23 PM
368609 - not really the circle of life, where dogs are supposed to get their food at home. This is called double-dipping - killing twice for one animal. In nature, there is no waste, and there is no excess. Hence there is balance.
COMMENT 368625P	2013-01-29 01:33 PM
Ripped from today's headlines (or at least the Google News homepage). Yep, killer cats get their due also: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/29/16758174-killer-outdoor-cats-slay-billions-of-birds-small-mammals-yearly?lite
COMMENT 368626P	2013-01-29 01:33 PM
no, no supervision there. i looked. birds need a place to rest. the bird did not die instantly. it was ugly. this is just basic. supervise your dog. unleashed does not mean 100 yards away. circle of life does not include errant unsupervised dogs killing shorebirds.
COMMENT 368628	2013-01-29 01:38 PM
I saw a cat attack and kill a lizard a while back. That poor lizard didn't stand a chance for the evil kitty was much too fast and agile. If we don't do something about this soon I fear the viscious feline may move on to larger prey like mice, rats, or even whitle birdies.
COMMENT 368630	2013-01-29 01:43 PM
Maybe if he dropped it on your doorstep it would be ok cause cats are allowed to do that. The bird should have flown!
BURNTTHISTLE	2013-01-29 01:46 PM
This is probabaly a federal crime. i think this would be a violation of Federal Migratory Bird act. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects migratory birds. The original 1918 statute implemented a 1916 Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain (for Canada) for the protection of migratory birds. Later amendments implemented treaties between the U.S. and Mexico, the U.S. and Japan, and the U.S. and the Soviet Union (now Russia). Specific provisions in the statute include a Federal prohibition to "pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture or kill, possess, offer for sale, sell, offer to purchase, purchase, deliver for shipment, ship, cause to be shipped, deliver for transportation, transport, cause to be transported, carry, or cause to be carried by any means whatever, receive for shipment, transportation or carriage, or export, at any time, or in any manner, any migratory bird, included in the terms of this Convention . . . for the protection of migratory birds . . . or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird." (16 U.S.C. 703). This applies to birds included in international conventions between the U.S. and Great Britain, the U.S. and Mexico, the U.S. and Japan, and the U.S. and the Russia
COMMENT 368632	2013-01-29 01:48 PM
It was probably my kids' new dog, she is quite irresponsible. She is what you call unempathetic.
COMMENT 368638P	2013-01-29 01:57 PM
368630 - blaming the victim, who may have been asleep. No, intelligent, responsible, dog ownership is what is required - after all, don't we have a bigger brain than either dogs or birds.
COMMENT 368641	2013-01-29 02:01 PM
What do all you people think happened before people were here, when packs of wild dogs roamed the area? I'll give you a hint - CIRCLE OF LIFE BABY! 619P, dogs are "supposed" to get food at home according to...who? To humans, who have only been here a few hundred years? Certainly not nature! Nature dictates they would find and kill another animal for this, circle of life style. Animals are wild. This will never, ever change, no matter how much humans try to domesticate them or how many laws are erected. Humans are temporary, the world is NOT ours, and you just can't change that.
COMMENT 368643	2013-01-29 02:03 PM
I'm certainly sorry for your distress but I believe your anger over it is misplaced. Dogs giving chase to birds on the beach are not going to be called in by their owners no matter how closely they are supervised. Ain't gonna happen. That poor cormorant was either injured, ill or new to the area and hadn't scoped the area long enough to determine the abundance of hazards/threats and as such didn't make the evolutionary grade. This stretch is no more a feeding/resting ground for cormorants, or most marine birds for that matter, than a dog park is. And that's because it is a de-facto dog park. At any time of the day there are dogs running around, chasing birds, chasing balls or chasing each other making it a highly hazardous area for wildlife. NOT as safe place for birds to alight.... and 99% of them know this. Yours, unfortunately, did not or was incapable of making that discovery for itself and paid the ultimate price. It's sad but that's also life.
COMMENT 368647	2013-01-29 02:11 PM
Boy, lots of nasty snarkiness out there today... off leash doesn't mean unsupervised. Yes, dogs and cats kill critters all the time. Barn cats live outside (we want them to kill the cute little rodents), country cats can live inside/outside - city cats-keep inside, please. I own several animals of different types, definitely like for my dogs to run free - IF AND ONLY IF they are either in an enclosed space or if they are properly responsive to commands. No excuse for "but they need to run" if the owner can't command them back immediately. Letting them roam the neighborhood is a good way to lose them - and a LOT like letting the TV raise the kids... Leash optional does not mean "supervision optional". Ultimately I don't think this is so much about the bird as it is about lazy ownership
COMMENT 368653P	2013-01-29 02:33 PM
368641 - here are the facts: There were NO packs of wild dogs in North America. Dogs were BROUGHT to North America by HUMANS. Circle of life does NOT include double-dipping, otherwise there will be more death than birth. Yes, if dogs are part of the family of a human, then they are supposed to be fed as part of the family. Dogs were brought to North America by humans - there were NO wild dogs. Sorry, the spread of humans across the globe had everything to do with domestication of animals and grains. Read "Guns, Germs and Steel". Domesticated dogs are just as wild as a child chasing birds. I have stopped children on the beach for chasing birds.
COMMENT 368654	2013-01-29 02:34 PM
I'm a dog owner and I love taking my guys to the beach, but it would sicken me if they killed a bird. Heaven forbid if they did, they'd NEVER be at the beach off leash again. Especially a bird in whose routine it is to rest on shore. That is cruel beyond words. Just like with guns, we all need to be having a serious discussion about balancing our desire to enjoy our passion without infringing on the rights of others, and life itself which surrounds us in this coastal area. This may not be the place for the larger discussion. Too many armpit gasser and ding dong ditch mentality snipes. You might want to ask around and see if anyone is interested in starting a discussion or advocacy group for better dog ownership standards and practices. You brought up very good points. As a dog trainer, I am going to guess a pointer of some sort did this...that, or a Vizsla. No offense to those breeds, but they typically run VERY far away from their owners and have high bird dog drive.
COMMENT 368656P	2013-01-29 02:39 PM
thank you 647. this is exactly what this is about.
COMMENT 368666	2013-01-29 02:56 PM
641, your argument might have more merit if we weren't talking about domesticated animals. Also, wild dogs don't exist in the US and they never did. Wolves? Yes until we killed them all. Coyotes? Yes, still to this day. But wild modern dogs (ie not wolves or coyotes), no. We may be temporary but we are certainly responsible for the animals we take into our custody and insist on proliferating through breeding.....both for their safety and the safety of other animals and humans alike.
COMMENT 368668	2013-01-29 02:59 PM
cats are "responsible for the deaths of between 1.4 and 3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually." just check out the news artcles entitled, "Cats killing billions of animals in the US" at the bbc news website, brah.
COMMENT 368669	2013-01-29 03:00 PM
I think there is enough death and destruction going on world-wide. The mentality of people who say live and let die sickens me to the core. These types of people are heartless and I have no sympathy for them, and I hope they never need a helping hand because they will encounter their own kind; I had to put your dog down bro.
COMMENT 368680P	2013-01-29 03:22 PM
The dog could have been leashed by bystanders/viewers and taken to the County shelter as a stray. It WAS a stray, even if it had ID. You can still make a report, especially if any witnesses recognize the dog. Hope you can describe the dog in detail.
COMMENT 368709P	2013-01-29 04:05 PM
Cats kill billions? I wonder how many fish humans kill? Let alone chickens and cows.
COMMENT 368726	2013-01-29 04:17 PM
Crazy - I was down there with my dog last night and couldn't believe how many dogs had the lights on their collars! Personally I don't see the need for it because my dog doesn't stray too far and is super responsive. Our last dog was the opposite though - you learn from your mistakes! I will say though that when my dog was young, I instantly saw how much he loved chasing other animals (birds, skunks, coyotes...) - also the opposite of our old dog - but was relieved to see him chase an injured/sick(?) cormorant and he realize that the bird was not flying away, so he stopped about 4' away and turned and found something else to run after! He is definitely all about the chase and not about the kill! I know some dogs have the natural instinct to kill though, so I can't really judge an owner. I do have to believe that the bird may have been sick or injured and hopefully the dog was just putting the bird out of his/her misery!
COMMENT 368735P	2013-01-29 04:26 PM
680P - what report would the OP make? They saw a dog kill a bird.
COMMENT 368764P	2013-01-29 05:08 PM
680P here. The dog was stray and could have been picked up by anyone for that reason. It's up to the finder whether or not to take them to the stray shelter or call the owner IF the dog has ID. No tag? No way. Totally irresponsible. Yes, I do travel with a leash in my glove box for loose dogs and have used it several times. Habitual strays are a pain and many times people know the dog and where it lives. More often on streets, but sometimes on the beach or in dog parks also. Dogs do get run over while they're out roaming their neighborhood and disturbing neighboring people and pets. Or get killed or lost when someone sets off fireworks for fun -- had fireworks in my neighborhood Sunday night and my indoor cat spent the night under the dresser. The last stray I leashed was on and in busy Mission St. Dogs deserve to be cared for. They're not that smart and their owners owe them protection; that's what dog owners sign up for. It's back to the simple matter of Responsible Pet Ownership.
DANOO7	2013-01-29 10:19 PM
EITS, I agree about the snark. I have three weeks left on my paid subscription. The last photo of mine that Edhat posted was the one of Robert on his unicycle on January 1. I've sent in others but they were of my cats. And as we know, no more cat or dog photos. I've taken lots of photos since then, but I won't feed the negative people by posting here. Dan
COMMENT 368879P	2013-01-30 05:33 AM
Cormorants are protected under the Migratory Bird Act, as was pointed out in great detail by BURNTHISTLE. Why anyone thinks this dog could have been grabbed and leashed is beyond me. It is obvious the owner is one who thinks it's okay to allow his dog to exercise by tormenting shorebirds. I guarantee you the dog would not be one to be leashed by a stranger. Probably takes all the owner can do to lure the dog back to him. I have come across many such dog owners, in the past four decades of my beach walking. Sometimes I take the time to give them "the lecture," sometimes I realize it would be a hopeless cause. No dog should be allowed to chase birds.These shorebirds are here to fatten up and not to be used as entertainment for dogs. When some owner rationalizes such out of control dog behavior by saying "He's/she's a bird dog," then I know that owner is truly ignorant of what a "bird dog" really is. Some breeds of dog are used to flush birds, so that the hunter may then slaughter the birds with his shotgun. These dogs are NEVER allowed to run out of control. The hunters train the dogs and use shock collars, if need be, to train the dogs to obey commands. The dogs NEVER chase a bird back and forth, relentlessly. Such a dog would be deemed useless as an untrained "bird dog." When we are at the beaches here, and some dog is racing up and down and up and down in the surf, chasing birds, it shows me two things: (1) The dog has far more energy than the owner can cope with reasonably. Such a dog belongs out in the country and should be trained to hunt or herd sheep or herd cattle. (2)The owner got a dog that needs to run miles every day and, instead of running with the dog or taking it on long hikes to wear it out, the owner thinks that exercising the dog at the expense of stressing out migratory birds is a-ok. How sad that there are people who think a dog attacking a shorebird is a natural and acceptable occurrence. The owner is being irresponsible and lazy. Any dog can be trained and exercised enough, if the owner is willing to take the time. ... [ more ]
COMMENT 368914P	2013-01-30 07:54 AM
Further example of dogs allowed out of control -- I think all the conies from the Douglas Preserve are gone now. A decade ago they lived in the "dog park' area. Saw a woman fondly watching her dachshund destroy a hill and drag out the inhabitant. "That's what they were bred for," she said.
FLICKA	2013-01-30 09:00 AM
So tired of the insecure people who feel obligated to post nasty comments so as to inflate their own egos. No dog should be allowed to kill, if Fish and Game saw this the owner would have a heafty fine.
DEE D	2013-01-30 03:38 PM
Dog owners have strict liability for their companions animals. Dogs love to run when they can and for some breeds it is essential to their mental health. Off-leash areas are not in places that protected species are likely to be found. For the most part neither cats nor dogs can catch let alone consume the more common wildlife living in off-leash areas. It is always possible, however, for a cat or dog to come upon a creature that needs protection, and in those cases the owner should be around to provide rescue for the (usually injured or orphaned) animal. This may not always be possible, but responsible owners will make every effort. The balance between the health requirements of the companion and the potential threat to wildlife will always be present. Onlookers who may not consider all elements of the case might charitably withhold judgment, or, call animal control, whichever seems appropriate.

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