hi i wonder if anyone can answer my query,when we came to spain we rescued 2 dogs from a sanctuary one of the dogs had a habit of running off so we made the fencing dog proof or so we thought,anyway in april of this year we had some really fiece winds and the dogs escaped in the night,the following morning there was no signs of the dogs although they had always returned before we made the fencing solid we waited and waited then got in the car to go and look for them still no sign,on our return the dogs were outside the gate and our spanish neighbour was at their gate.it traspired that our dogs had chased and killed one of their cats in their garden,we apologised and said we would have the dog put to sleep,so we went to the vet but he refused to put down a perfectly healthy dog saying the onus is on us to make sure the fencing is secure to which we wholeheartedly agree.so the dog is still with us and has'nt escaped since.then last week the guarda civil turned up with a denuncia and a court hearing date for stress caused to the owners of the cat,should i go to the expense of hiring a laywer? or just a translater as our spanish isnt that good.any help would be gratefully received many thanks saska.

Hi Saska

Welcome to the forums

Well, if it were me I'd be seeing an abogado because if they are having a court hearing for stress then I'm guessing they are looking for compensation. A translator will be able to tell you whats being said in the court, but he won't be able to tell you what to do or say.

Go to another vet

You want to put down a healthy dog because it killed a cat! Are you fkn serious?????????????
My neighbours cat ate several of my fish from my pond when I lived in the UK, I didn't expect her to kill her cat in return..........it's an animal and TBH I think you are also an animal for even thinking of killing a dog for this reason.
Your dog's an animal, what do you expect it to do if it sees a cat, sit down and discuss the work of joaquin rodrigo?

I wouldn't discuss it if I were a dog...
Anyway, I think this is the natural instinct for a dog, it cannot be to blame... It'd be different if it was attacking people...
I'd say you may get a duty solicitor (abogado de oficio) for free once in court, but I can't say for sure...

I am sure its no coincidence that yet another newbie (Saska not Madridboyo) has made a post which could, if allowed, escalate to a slanging match.

Every Spanish house I have ever seen is surrounded by walls and fencing so how did the dogs get in the neighbours garden?

Unless they have kept the cat in their freezer, there is no evidence that there was a cat and anyway where are the witnesses.

A Monty Python sketch comes to mind.

I wont say what I think of someone who would actually even think of putting a healthy dog to death for chasing and allegedly killing a cat.



I dont believe the story for one minute.

I’m with British Linen on this one. A new poster suddenly pops up with a controversial subject, like that recent ‘closed me pub’ one, and once a decent interval has passed, a disgruntled old-timer suddenly joins in the debate. (Who once had a pub in Torre).

Mind you, it adds a bit of fun. If this OP is serious, which I doubt, then Mitz has already answered the question.

Sorry if posting is not allowed by a newbie but everyone joins at some point and therefore needs to post at some point. I joined, I read posts and I answered some posts.
No, you do not need a lawyer. Yes (if the post is genuine) a lawyer would be benifitial. What's the likely outcome of the court, if it ever goes to court and in the highly unlikely event of the desicion going against you, probably a small fine of next to nothing.
Sorry if I've offended anyone by posting again, maybe there are some rules I didn't interpret properly before I started posting!

Ive amended my post.

The newbie was the OP not you

You gave good advice.

Yep - the cat-murderer clearly isn't properly socialized, next it will the neighbors baby or young child.

I really dont know why everyone assumes that a new poster is bogus, and that I dont check these things when they post ... please give people the benefit of the doubt and let us police the forums for you as we should

thanks mitzyboy.
i have today rung a solicitor and he's pretty sure the owners of the cat are after compensation so were going to see him tomorrow evening.

many thanks saska

You were lucky (or unlucky reading your post). I live in the campo and have had to shoot 6 dogs over the last 3 years as they frequently roam in packs and kill anything they come across ,cat ,chickens and other small dogs etc ,one neighbour was attacked and I wont take the risk having children.

On Saturday my dog broke away from his chain and started to dig up someone's potato field (they live 2kms away) would they be within their rights to shoot him. Just that they left a nice message on my answer machine saying that if our dog came on their land again they would shoot him.

Even though our "garden" is quite secure we still get cows breaking the fence down and leaving their mark on our grass and churning up the garden. It is a nuisance but I would not shoot the cows - horses are a nuisance as well.

I don't think they have the right to shoot the dog, but they will and nobody'll find it ever, so you better get a new chain.