I'm in Las Vegas visiting my mom and of course Rambo is along for the journey.
My mom has lived in the same apartment complex for over 20 years now. About five years ago a handful of feral cats moved into the complex, no doubt spurred on by some well meaning cat lover who put some food out for them. The city and the apartment management have refused to do anything about the problem and now there are easily 25 cats that call the complex home.
It is normal to go out to my mom's car in the morning and see kitty paw prints on the hood and windshield. It's not uncommon to see groups of them sleeping on the hood of a car in winter or hiding underneath a car in the summet to escape the desert sun. One time a guy came out and counted 20 cats on top of his car! He has the photo to prove it too.
Enter Rambo.
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| There is always someone bigger and badder but the bigger and badder don't mess with me! |
He was pretty good when he saw a single cat. His ears perked up and he gave the cat the eye but easily moved on when he was told to "leave it."
Then came two cats.
This caused Rambo to stop in his tracks and go into full radar lock mode. He kept his cool even with a little excited doggy dance. Still, with hardly any urging, he left the cats behind and we went on our merry way.
This afternoon the word must have spread in the local feline populace and six or seven cats were waiting in ambush for Rambo's afternoon walk.
I don't think Rambo has ever seen that many cats at once. There mere presence wasn't an issue. It was when they decided to scatter in six different directions (including "up") that was about all Rambo could handle. The sight of all those little critters scurrying every which way hit Rambo right in the prey drive! Wearing only his collar, as opposed to his Halti, he dug in with those powerful haunches of his and just about took me lawn surfing. He was hell bent on chasing these cats, never mind that he was going to drag my face through the grass in the process!
Once I regained my footing and control of my dog, I realised that this might be a problem. This was later confirmed during an evening walk when he turned to me and said, " be very, very quiet. I'm hunting cats!"
Of course he didn't say anything but actions can be louder than words and his actions said it all. My well trained, well behaved service dog just became a hunting dog. Ugh. His head was darting back and forth and he started peering uner every parked car we passed. Great, just what I don't need is a distracted service dog.
Using my wits and relying on my own training, i had to figure a way to counter this new but unwanted behavior. He now has a new command added to his vocabulary. When he ducks his head under a car to look for a kitty to chase he not only gets a "leave it" command but he gets a "no hunting" admonition along with pulling his head up followed by immediate positive reinforcement with a treat.
So far this evening that approach seems to be working to curb the hunting behavior. I can't really fault him too much since he has never been faced with so many quick moving targets at once. It still worries me but I suspect that once he is removed from this environment it won't be a real problem anymore.
On the other hand I bet I could make a few bucks from the residents of the apartment complex if they were willing to pay to get rid of their feral cat problem once and for all. All I have to do is let Rambo off his leash and I guarantee every one of those cats will go over the wall, never to return.
But then I really would need a new dog!
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