My two female dogs were mated by a neighbour's dog: what are my legal options?

Aloha71
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Hi everyone!

I have two dogs, Zoé (18 months old) and Bidouille (7 years old), who aren't spayed and are kept tied up in my yard (the landlords won't pay the costs to install a gate).

I live in a tiny village of 50 people and for a while now, a male dog (probably a spaniel) has been roaming the streets because his owners (who live about 500 yards from us) aren't keeping him in.

The thing is, Zoé is in season at the moment.

Because of that, yesterday, this male spent the whole day mounting my dog (10 to 15 times during the day). Every time I tried to shoo him away, the damage was already done!

I then spotted him mating Bidouille, a little Beagle!!

Today, I'm worried that both my dogs will have litters that I won't be able to cope with.

I know the owner's name and address but I want to find out about my legal options before I go to see him.

Can I report this? Who is responsible if there's a litter?

What should I do if they are pregnant? Have them terminated or hand the puppies over to the male's owners? Can he be made to pay for the vet fees for the termination? etc....

I specifically chose two females so I wouldn't have any trouble, and they are tied up, so I'm actually really fuming. If I go to see the owners now, I think I'll lose my temper and things will escalate.

So if you have any info, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Translated from French
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105 answers
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    • Aloha71
    Aloha71 Icon representing the flag French
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    I can’t bring my dogs inside when we’re out because they need to go to the toilet outside... And as I mentioned earlier, I don’t want to get them spayed just yet so I can keep the option open for them to have a litter later on, but with a very specific breed!!
    Translated from French
    Coco33150
    Coco33150 Icon representing the flag French
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    You should have brought them indoors... like @Gwash says, we're responsible for our dogs...

    Neutering seems like a very good idea...

    Translated from French
    Aloha71
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    Like you said, everyone is responsible for their own dog, so why should it be up to me to get my girls spayed and not up to him to stop his dog from roaming! Especially since everyone else is complaining about him! And I don't want to have them done just in case I move house and might want a litter from one of them later on... If that dog was kept secure, there wouldn't be any problem. Besides, I've heard that when a male is attracted to a female in season, no gate is going to stop him...
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    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    I think you’ve got to take a fair bit of the responsibility for this incident... You knew your dogs were in season (or at least one of them, if I’ve understood correctly), so you shouldn't have left them where the neighbour’s dog could get to them, especially as you’d seen him wandering around for several days...

    That said, you could always try having a word with him, because he really shouldn't be letting his dog roam free. If he’s a decent, understanding sort, he might agree to chip in for the cost of the termination. But in my view, he’s not legally obliged to, and I don’t think there’s much you can do about it.

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    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    If you didn't want any hassle, you should've had them spayed. A female in season can attract males from miles around—you were lucky there was only one.

    I'd suggest getting them spayed now (if they are pregnant, the vet will terminate the pregnancy at the same time).

    Everyone is responsible for their own dog. The male shouldn't have been wandering off, admittedly, but leaving females in season tied up in a garden with no gate is just asking for trouble.

    Translated from French

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