In a natural system they prey and the predator are balanced. If they predator over breed they starve until the prey can rebuild. With feral animals you have a constant stream of predators being released back into the environment in a unsustainable rate and completely independent of local prey's numbers. It gets even worse when you start introducing large numbers of cats in areas where there did not used to be cats like bird breading areas. A few cats out sport hunting can devastate bird nesting grounds and dogs chasing deer for fun force the deer to burn their winter reserve and often force mothers to abandon their young. If these were wolves they would simply kill the deer they need and shadow the rest. Dogs have the extinct to chase them but that are not hunting.
Ask moondog about the Great Pyrennes he had that was always dragging home dead deer. Evidently they didn't live in one of those parts of TX where country people shoot loose dogs on sight, because nothing they did would keep that dog inside when they weren't home.
Now, the Malthusian issue applies to the countryside, but then again, that's not where most of our stray overpopulation problems exist. There will always be idiots from the city who abandon unwanted dogs in the wilderness, but most of those dogs aren't getting the all natural buffet their owners imagine; while dogs born in the country are usually suited to that, a city dog left to forage the countryside is only marginally better off than anyone else from the city, and won't feast on nearly as many restaurant leavings. He might make things less pleasant for the local raccoon population, but I haven't met many country folk who'd mind that.

Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!

LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
This Is Why I Like Dogs So Much More Than I Like People (Animal Rescue Workers: I LOVE You!)
27/03/2011 03:20:40 PM
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Louisiana has a bit more on its plate than adorable animals.
27/03/2011 06:14:01 PM
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No doubt, and I respect that; it's tightening the budget by killing animals that bothers me.
27/03/2011 06:37:17 PM
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Feral dogs are dangerous and destructive. It's not really an option.
27/03/2011 06:48:06 PM
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I don't know that they are, at least, not any more so than feral cats or feral teens.
28/03/2011 04:27:44 PM
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how many people are mauled by house cats?
28/03/2011 04:57:32 PM
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Me, for one; I don't have complete stats on everyone though.
28/03/2011 05:06:57 PM
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How many stiches did it take to fix it?
28/03/2011 06:42:31 PM
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About as many as it would've taken from a Cocker Spaniel or a Chihuahua.
01/04/2011 12:25:22 AM
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It is animal control not planned parenthood for dogs
28/03/2011 03:13:02 AM
- 857 Views
Interesting how that comparison keeps being made....
28/03/2011 04:26:38 PM
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Yes, it is easier to kill animals than have them roaming the streets.
28/03/2011 09:36:31 PM
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I made myself a promise.
27/03/2011 11:28:02 PM
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I'm fairly upfront about my opinion of the value of human life vs. animal life, yes.
27/03/2011 11:51:07 PM
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Well, we differ on this, certainly.
28/03/2011 05:14:44 AM
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how very 1960 of you
28/03/2011 02:15:11 PM
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Ok... trying to do something about no longer being poor is a choice, though.
28/03/2011 02:37:15 PM
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a large percentage of poor are children
28/03/2011 03:14:16 PM
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I wasn't saying it was easy and uncomplicated, I was saying that if you do not make any effort
28/03/2011 04:13:27 PM
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The myth of poor people being lazy is largely exactly that. *NM*
28/03/2011 08:42:58 PM
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Are you saying that I'm saying poor people are lazy? To be sure, I'm not. *NM*
29/03/2011 11:04:17 AM
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You also have to consider pack animal behaviour.
27/03/2011 06:45:14 PM
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And stray dogs probably spend most of their lives starving. Hardly pleasant for them. *NM*
27/03/2011 06:58:16 PM
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"Probably" is a big word, given the alternative.
28/03/2011 05:12:07 PM
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As someone who had to put down her healthy dog: the injection they use is very peaceful.
28/03/2011 05:17:01 PM
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That sounded a lot more insensitive than I meant it to be, sorry.
31/03/2011 11:39:54 PM
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don't forget all the wildlife they kill *NM*
28/03/2011 03:17:02 AM
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Wildlife kills a lot of wildlife; "it's the ciiiiircle of life".
28/03/2011 04:59:27 PM
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and like a market economy that works great until you start subsidizing one side
28/03/2011 05:15:32 PM
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A dog that can make a deer run will hunt it.
31/03/2011 11:32:24 PM
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I've lived in a lot of cities and around a lot of dogs but never seen a feral dog pack.
28/03/2011 04:28:32 PM
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Are you serious?
28/03/2011 08:48:54 PM
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Re: Are you serious?
28/03/2011 08:53:50 PM
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Yeah, it's similar to arguing against antiterrorism by saying we haven't been recently attacked.
*NM*
28/03/2011 10:06:29 PM
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Except that we don't have millions of stray terrorists on Americas streets.
31/03/2011 11:19:13 PM
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It's not even certain that's lowering the stray population, but there are still enough for packs.
31/03/2011 11:17:59 PM
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I'm planning on volunteering at a no-kill shelter in NJ when I go.
27/03/2011 11:31:02 PM
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Sweet, and the prospect of volunteers at no kill shelters changes the economics greatly. *hugs*
28/03/2011 04:26:29 PM
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It is sad but what can you do?
28/03/2011 03:05:40 AM
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Well, that's one good idea right there.
28/03/2011 04:44:25 PM
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a vasectomy would probably cost more than neutering but still be simpler than being spayed
28/03/2011 06:37:17 PM
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Sounds like the difference would be negligible either way, but the results far more positive.
31/03/2011 10:47:10 PM
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I'm not sure how this would be helpful?
28/03/2011 06:04:26 PM
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I don't think it is wrong to neuter a dog for behavior reasons
28/03/2011 06:35:16 PM
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I was with you until...
28/03/2011 09:09:14 PM
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I said it was the cynical side of me not the rational side
28/03/2011 09:31:22 PM
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Liberals are bigger fans of animal control than conservatives?
28/03/2011 09:49:35 PM
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If you could only choose one, it would be better to choose the female.
28/03/2011 10:03:44 PM
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WHY??? *NM*
28/03/2011 10:08:30 PM
- 359 Views
Wait, no, you're right.
28/03/2011 10:13:58 PM
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no no you were right
29/03/2011 02:18:44 AM
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Ah, yeah. I was assuming 100% sterilization, which is unfeasible. Never mind. *NM*
29/03/2011 03:16:22 AM
- 367 Views
Ghavrel, nooooooooo! Give reason and ethics a chance first!
29/03/2011 03:27:29 AM
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I already said it makes sense to do both. I definitely support neutering!
29/03/2011 04:01:09 AM
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I think you just made my point
29/03/2011 02:16:19 AM
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Eh forget it. Not worth my time. *NM*
29/03/2011 03:10:03 AM
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proably true. I should know better than to fight faith with reason
29/03/2011 03:15:49 AM
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I'm not here to debate doggie sex *NM*
29/03/2011 03:15:56 AM
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that is good because from what I can tell the subject escapes you
29/03/2011 02:34:37 PM
- 832 Views
Considering that it's much harder to fix females than males
28/03/2011 10:07:47 PM
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how hard it is makes zero differience
29/03/2011 02:25:17 AM
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For the uneducated of us (i.e. me)
28/03/2011 09:40:07 PM
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Vasectomy: sterile but will still want to mate. Neutered: no mating behavior at all. *NM*
28/03/2011 09:56:41 PM
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