Last week, Miley Cyrus announced that one of her many beloved dogs had died. We didn’t discuss it because… I hate writing dead dog stories and I guess no one else felt like writing about it either. Plus, Miley has a half-dozen dogs (or more), so it’s not like all of us got to know Lila Cyrus personally or anything. Anyway, the way Miley talked about it, I thought Lila had died of natural doggie causes. But Miley’s mom Tish has revealed that Lila died under some horrible circumstances. Tish has a blog, and she updated it a few days ago – you can read the full thing here. Here’s the relevant portion:
…As for Miley, its been a really tough week. As you all know her beloved baby girl Lila passed away. Everyone has been so precious and so supportive of her and I love you all so much for that. Miley loved Lila more than anyone can imagine. I know some people were saying its JUST a dog, but to Miley she was so much more. In Miley’s life, as you can imagine, its hard to let many people into your tight circle of family and friends. Anytime, that Miley is sad or having a hard day, Lila was her angel. The one that always loved her unconditionally no matter what was going on in her life at that time. She would always just curl up in bed with Lila for a few hours and then everything would always feel better! She always made me feel better too. I gave her the nickname Lila Sue Pumpernickel! lol I have no idea where that come from, but it stuck!
The way that Lila was taken from her was beyond terrible. Sometimes things happen that we just cant understand. Miley still isn’t ready to talk about it, but I thought you guys should know what happened.
For some unknown reason, Ziggy…….. grabbed Lila. Not really sure if she was playing or what? She grabbed her in just the wrong spot and Lila didn’t survive…………. Please understand that Miley isn’t ready to talk about this and we dont think Ziggy is a mean dog…….. We took Ziggy to SPOT dog rescue and they found her a new home with no other pets or children just in case it wasn’t a fluke. So not only did Miley lose Lila, she feels she lost Ziggy as well.
On one hand, I just feel bad for Miley because sometimes dog do crazy or f—ked up things and they just think they’re “playing” and I can see how it might have ended up horribly. One summer, my dog killed a half-dozen groundhogs for no reason other than… ?? His doggy, hunting instincts. On the other hand… I do find myself blaming Miley a little bit. She has so many damn dogs, and I’ve wondered if she has the time, energy and love to give to all of them. And when you have multiple animals, you do have to work with the group (or the “pack”) to make sure everybody is getting along. I wonder what Cesar Millan would say?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I have two dogs that fight on occasion and it is horrifying. They’re little but I’ve got a nice amount of scars on my hands from breaking them up. I am always afraid they’ll get into it when no one is home and something bad will happen.
We love these things like they’re children but we have to remember that they have animal instincts and we need to take proper precautions. I feel so bad for her, this could happen to anyone will multiple dogs.
When you break up a dog fight, grab the aggressor by the back legs and yank them off. It breaks their focus without risking your arms. The more you know!
Just FYI, I’m sure grabbing the aggressor by the back legs is a good idea (and I’m going to try that next time 2 of my 3 dogs get into it), the smaller the dogs, the harder it is to locate a good spot to grab. My two are about 20lb each and the terrier (the crazy one) moves SO fast and zigzags all over the place when she’s fighting it’s like watching a little white blur dart all over my other dog. The best I can do sometimes is to stick my hands in there, grab whoever I can and pull her away from the other one. Luckily I’ve escaped major injury so far, but they’re my dogs and my responsibility.
Put water on them. Or get a broom or a chair or something like that. Grabbing the back legs seems also like a good idea. As long as the dog isn’t too heavy 😉
Do not use your hands! Seriously, my trainer told me about two hunters…they wanted to seperate their dogs and one of them bit a finger off. It’s not bad will, the dogs are just caught up in their fight. But be careful 🙂
Sarah & Canda! I actually read that about a year ago. For one of the pups it works like a charm, but the other one is a quick little crap and he is hard to pin down. Usually we throw a blanket on him and he gets distracted and it’s easy to scoop him up and calm him down, but sometimes the best or only option is to jump in.
Liv – I never heard about water, hopefully I wont have to try.. but I’ll keep it in mind 🙂
Excellent tips ladies thank you for sharing!
I am very sorry for this loss, but I have to say something: very often small dogs like Lila are nervous, or hyperactive, and get into troubles with bigger dogs, and if a dog, as big as a German Sheperd, get pissed, there are very few chances for the little one to survive. As an animal lover myself I think you have to be careful with many dogs under the same roof.
I agree, small dogs sometimes really try to overcompensate their size by being more aggressive. Maybe they feel it’s the only way they have to establish their “possess” over territory and humans? I don’t know.
Anyways, this sounds harsh. Poor doggie and poor Miley.
Plus, smaller dogs are often allowed to get away with negative behavior because ‘it’s soooo cute, they’re acting like a big bad dog’.
I have never allowed my boyfriends familiy’s 11 pound dog to get away with things my 90 pound dog can’t. And that tiny dog sticks to me like glue when I’m there because I put limits on her behavior.
It’s a shame this happened.
90 lbs, blimey. Great Dane?
I agree with Erinn. I have two large dogs (german shepherd and a collie – I used to have three, but we had to put our 13 year old lab down this past summer). They know exactly who the alpha dog is in this family and none of them step out of line. No jumping on people. No “stealing food.” We even have a cat and 3 children. They all get along because they know who’s in charge.
But I am also a stay at home mom and am with the animals every day, almost all day.
I have many friends who have smaller dogs and they are untrained. They are doted on, loved on, pampered and “babied” to the point that they bark, bite, jump on your legs and some aren’t even house trained all because “they’re so cute.”
I love my animals, they are my “four legged children.” My dogs are purebreds because I was looking for certain traits in the breeds we chose. I will probably only have german shepherds from this point on their personality meshes well with our family dynamic.
Miley is obviously a dog lover, but when you get an animal you should ask yourself if you really have the time, energy and money to take care of them.
@Amelia
She’s my muttly. Her father was a ginormous chocolate lab, aptly named Bear. And she’s got some Golden retriever, and German Shepherd, and a couple other things I’m sure. She’s just a giant. Though, she could stand to lose a couple pounds, but she does still have a noticeable waist. She’s just a big shaggy girl.
Amelia, 90 pounds would be a very small Great Dane. My Dane is 175 pounds. 🙂
Big dogs can be just as nervous and hyperactive.
Horrible! She sounds like she’s an animal hoarder and that’s just a form of abuse.
Have you seen those hoarder shows or read the definition of hoarding. It’s nothing alike. These dogs aren’t interfering with her day to day.
Ita u shouldnt have so many dogs if u dont have time for them.
Its not like the girl has a lot of projects going on, I thought she was mostly home. And this situation could have happened in an instant. She probably cares very well for her dogs.
Its a toy sized dog that passed, my mom had a toy yorkie about that size and its soft spot on his head never closed. The other yorkie (not a toy size) was playing with it and somehow his fang tooth hit it just right and the little guy convulsed then passed away. They were playing. But I don’t like when people have more than 3 dogs too.
I called Miley out on this yesterday when i commented under the VH1 story.
I got angry and threw out ‘dog hoarder’ and that the LIKELY cause of death for this poor dog was that Miley has TOO many damn dogs, she adopts a dog every other week it seems, Twitters about it (pat, pat, pat on your back Miley) and, I sense that she has some form of ADHD/or a severe need to gather attention on herself…..adopt a cute dog = attention.
Some poster here got so angry at that insinuation…well? Called it.
It angers me so much. Be a RESPONSIBLE PET OWNER! Learn your breed, accept your LIMITS (can I afford? do I have time? Commitment?).
Every other hour Miley (y’all!!!) is Twittering frenetically, chopping more hair off, wtf w/ Liam, getting papped, chop hair, LIam, adopt puppy…Lather/Rinse/REPEAT.
Grow UP Miley! GROW the ‘F’ UP! When you can take your eyes off YOURSELF for more than 5 min, then, yes, think, THINK Moron! about adopting a dog.
Grow UP
Paris Hilton is another notorious animal hoarder who also apparently lost many pets through negligence.
Oh no. I remember when we were talking about this fairly recently when she adopted another dog or tweeted a picture; the pack mentality and issues that come with having so many dogs.
*sigh* This is what happened with the Queen’s corgis as well.
One of the responsibilities of being an animal owner is knowing when to say ‘enough is enough’. Looking at all the animals who need adopting in shelters makes my heart break, and I’d love to take them all but I know it’s not possible.
I hope little Lila didn’t suffer.
so true, and I hope Lila didn’t suffer either but I’m willing to bet that that was not the first time Ziggy chased after Lila. I don’t believe that dogs just one day become agressive, that trait is always there, just depends on if the owner pays attention or not.
No one said Ziggy was being aggressive. They may have been playing and Ziggy grabbed Lila the wrong way and her neck broke. We don’t know the details – so what is the point of speculating like this?
Why didn’t she keep Ziggy then?
I agree kimchee. We don’t know what happened and while I do think she had too many dogs and there might have been some pack mentality at play, it could have just as easily been that Ziggy was playing too rough. All I know is it breaks my heart that Lila died — and that Ziggy had to go to a new home. Either way he didn’t do anything wrong, he was just being a dog.
RIP Lila and I hope Ziggy is happy in his new home and isn’t missing his old family.
I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch to think Ziggy was agressive, with the way it was worded “for some unknown reason..Ziggy grabbed” and the fact they didn’t keep the dog, if it were an accident they wouldn’t have given the dog to a home with no other pets or children..
but marie… that was sort of my point when I said Ziggy was just being a dog. Even my 10 pound bichon becomes *aggressive* when she tosses around and plays with her toys. That is just normal dog behavior and because of this, dogs either have to be trained to live together or supervised or — I don’t know! Bottom line, you can’t just collect dogs and expect them all to live together in harmony without precautions being taken.
oh, I don’t disagree with you emmie, I was actually just answering how I came to the conclusion that Ziggy was being agressive. I actually agree with what you’re saying. I think she had more dogs than she could handle..
marie: Yes, I agree. It comes down to too many dogs. I love her for her love of animals and wanting to give homeless pets a loving home — but you can only have so many!
…I feel I’m in the opposite boat. I want to add a furry sibling to my family but I’ve taken my bichon to a few rescues to meet possible companions and she becomes the biggest brat and becomes glued to me and wants nothing to do with the other dogs. And then I hear stories like this and think maybe I’ll just stick with one fur baby!
ha ha awww, she just wants all your attention..
Yeah, I agree. You really need to manage the pack.
She gave the dog away, so that’s the best sign she hasn’t trained the dog properly. If it had been an accident, she would have kept the dog.
I don’t agree. If Miley has many small dogs, then she did the best thing for them by adopting out Ziggy to a new home. I think they were responsible owners because some people would’ve just dumped Ziggy at the local animal shelter to either place or kill. Whether it was an accident or not, Miley’s dogs are safe and Ziggy is safe, too. I’m sorry for her loss.
I know how it is to try to keep separated dogs who wish to fight. When I used to have 17 outside dogs, my backyard acreage and barn looked like Jurassic Park with its various paddocks. Every single dog, pair, or group had their own barn stall or shed, and houses, and a large, fenced-in area. This was because various ones hated each other and I had to keep them safe. I only have 2 inside dogs with me now, so don’t think I was a total hoarder. (Sabrina had puppies and I kept them, rather than trying to find homes for them. She passed at 16 years old, and her last puppy, Matsu, died last year at 15.)
Dogs have to be balanced if you are favoring one over the others they get jealous and attack. Miley needs to really have a look at the pack and the dog that started the attack. And she shouldn’t get any more dogs until it’s sorted out. It’s not right to have that many dogs while your travelling around ignoring them. Miley might love dogs but is her lifestyle a good one for that many? Sometimes being a grownup you need to make hard decisions.
I agree with this. After learning so much from Cesar Milan, I have to guess that her pack was not balanced, and one of them felt the need to put Milo in his place. Not that he necessarily meant to kill him, but Milo is so tiny. She needs to be very careful moving forward about adding anymore dogs.
It’s too bad Miley doesn’t call Caesar. Other celebrities have been featured on the show. That would be a great show.
Did you read the whole story?
Ziggy, the dog that killed the little dog, was given away to a more appropriate home.
This is a sad story … On the one hand I really like that Miley is a “dog person” and has rescued them and that she always shows how much she loves them in her twitpics however I also wonder if she has the time to train them correctly, walk them etc … Not just play with them.
I really hope that this story doesn’t give bulldogs a bad rap. I have 3 bulldogs and they are the sweetest, most lovable creatures! Like all dogs they need training … And they don’t realize how strong they are – my biggest boy thinks he is a kitten and sometimes I get bowled over when we are playing 🙂
Anyhoo …
Dad works with someone who had Briard’s and a Bulldog. The Briard’s killed the bulldog one day. The owner was a nasty lady who really didn’t much of a clue.
I am scared of bulldogs because I have heard that when they lock on to something they won’t let go.
Aww Poor Lila was so cute.
How many does she have left? Five I think? I think it’s nice of Miley to adopt dogs but she should also be a responsible dog owner, and having a lot of dogs requires more responsibilities.
According to her Instagram, only three…. I think everyone in her family loves dogs and she just takes pictures with all of them? Hopefully…. If not…. I don’t even want to think about what’s happening to all of those poor puppies 🙁
Th puppies are fine. I bet she has a dog walker, a dog sitter and a maid to look after her and the dogs.
This is sad. It is really great that she wants to take in the dogs and has the financial backing to do it, but that man dogs is unpredictable
They’re pack animals and if the owner isn’t the leader another dog will be. Also, all that energy building up can turn a good dog bad.
Sounds like an accident since the pup was so tiny and her other breeds can be gentle, but tend to play rough.
This is just unfortunate and it could happen to any of us with 2 animals. Even with the best trained ones.
How sad for her! I want to give her props for dealing with the aftermath in a good way, i.e. appropriate, careful adoption and not what many might have done in the same situation, euthanization.
This is sad b/c I am a dog lover and I have a maltipoo who means the world to mean. RIP Lila.
so sad..You really have to be careful when bringing new animals into “the pack”…they all have personalities and sometimes they just don’t get along…when we got our second cat, we once woke up to blood splatter on the walls of our bedroom! thankfully it was nothing, and we worked on their interactions for a long while..now they are besties. But you cant just throw more and more animals into the mix and hope for the best. It’s a sad sad situation but I do hope she learns from it 🙁
I’m not going to assume it was her fault at all. She really seems to spend a lot of time with the dogs (what else does she have to do?). All of her dogs are rescues though so there may have been behaviors they still had from their previous lives.
I really feel sorry for her.. losing a pet is always hard and nothing can make you feel better about it..
I’m sorry for her loss, but what she did to Ziggy was pretty horrible. Isn’t Ziggy suppose to be the dog she got for Liam?
My point is, sometimes make mistakes, horrible mistakes, but what I don’t understand is she has the money to hire someone like a Ceasar Millan type, so why didn’t she? Poor Ziggy has been part of Miley’s family since it was a puppy and now it has to go through the shock of being given away. I’m sorry, that part just did not sit well with me.
Really? I think it was a totally appropriate response. The dog killed Lila; he was a liability and even more so in light of all his other dog companions. If he were to attack a child, he’d get put down and Miley would be sued. She’d be take to the cleaners, too, since she had notice of Ziggy’s violent nature (meaning it’d be easier to find her a “negligent” owner). Finding him a new home sans dog/small children was the correct and proportional response to his actions.
But to not even try? Not to try and find the cause of his agression? Dogs get agressive for different reasons, taking him away from his pack might not be the solution to his problem. In fact it might make him more agressive because when he gets attached to his new family, he’ll be more protective so as to not be given away again.
She seems out of control and her dogs were, too. Remember the picture of her house with clothes and junk all over the floor? I highly doubt she had the discipline to control all those dogs in a healthy way. Dogs are not dolls you collect – they are complex animals with different personalities, and they definitely understand concepts like “no fair!” If you don’t believe it, try giving two treats to one dog, and one treat to the other!
THREE dogs is a pack.
You must be the alpha dog.
You must treat all dogs equally.
She has too many for her to handle.
I have three.
I agree 100%. I also have three dogs, a border collie/lab mix, a tiny chihuahua and a chihuahua/corgie mix. They’re tiered in weight and vary in temperament.
But with each introduction of a new dog, it takes a lot of time and attention to be sure the chemistry is right to eventually leave them to play alone together. And as you said, YOU are always to be the alpha dog in that pack. If they ever doubt this then they try to establish their own leadership and fights become inevitable.
I think Miley has a good heart with what she’s trying to do, rescuing them from shelters because she has the money and the space – but hopefully she’s learned that it takes more than that to have this many… she needs someone who really understands and knows dogs to watch them and be on hand to keep things safe for all of her fuzzy family.
That means even keeping different temperaments and sizes in different rooms away from one another when they can’t be fully attended.
This is so sad 🙁
That’s very sad.
I think she did the right thing, finding a home for the other dog without other pets or kids. As wonderful as it is to adopt animals in need, it is important to due it properly and responsibly.
I have a 4lb dog and I try to limit his play with big dogs. Nothing against big dogs but one could accidentally roll over him and squish him. You have to be extra careful with you breeds because their so stinking tiny.
Looking at Ziggy’s jaw structure, it would not take much to kill a dog like Lila. Those jaws exert enough pressure to hurt when those dogs are just puppies and barely putting pressure on your arm when you’re playing with them.
It seems that she learned a lesson and removed Ziggy from the pack. It’s not Ziggy’s fault he’s 20 times bigger than Lila with powerful jaws. What do they breed dogs like that for? (quality wise) Is is to guard things?
So because she is bigger and has bigger jaws its o.k. for her to exhibit aggressive behavior?
If you are a dog owner you have to be even more careful with a bigger dog that has a higher prey instinct big or small there is no excuse just because it is bigger.
I am the two legged mother of 2 two legged children and five cats and one dog. My dog is a 50 pound Catahoula (a rescue) and is awesome, gentle, loving… He does not bother any of our animals, chickens, or birds… He will chase birds that fly into the yard and squirrel – all of that being said, I have a new problem. One of my teeny little Siamese kittens has fallen in love with him. She sleeps next to him, follows him around, sits with him and now has started to “play” with him. She is play scratching and biting and just having a ball and he is so kind with her but he is big. Sometimes he play bites her back and legs and head (her entire head fits in his mouth) – he is overly gentle but I worry about him catching her spine or skull wrong and killing her (or worse paralyzing her.) I separated them for a while when it first started, but they both just cried for each other…
I guess I can see it ending badly, but I also know it’s not mean or aggressive and how do I keep them away from each other?
I can only imagine how heart broken she is. She is basically a stay at home mom with those babies (I know she goes out and does a concert here or there but in her day to day it’s her and her dogs), and I am sure that she never saw Lila as in danger…
That is a tough situation that you are in. All I can think of to suggest to you is to seperate them once they start “playing”, as well as keeping them seperated when you are not around them to make sure nothing bad happens in your absence. It doesn’t seem fair at all to keep them completely seperated since they obviously love each other so much! Also, cats are not easily trained – humans have to adapt to their behaviours and “trick” them into doing what you want (I once read an article that said that if you want to keep your cats off of counters, don’t spray them with water – give them a reason to STAY on the floor. So I make sure there’s nothing on the counters to tempt them, and give them their specials treats on the floor. Problem solved). I think you’ll have to train your dog though, and dogs are usually very easy to train – make sure he knows he is not allowed to play bite the kitten. You can also consider getting soft paws (little plastic caps that you put on with super glue on cats claws) to prevent the kitten from scratching the dog and possibly provoking him. Hope this helps!
There are a few ways to determine how risky this is. 1. How rough is your Catahoula on his toys? 2. Do you engage him in play behaviors like tug and “safe” biting? 3. Does he exhibit any possessive behaviors regarding food or toys (low growls or aggressive posturing) when you approach him?
If he’s very gentle on toys – never tearing them up, he doesn’t put his teeth on you when he plays with you and tug doesn’t keep him all that entertained, and he’s indifferent your taking food or things he likes away from him – then most of the time you can feel pretty safe with him and smaller animals.
MOST <– being the key word here. It's NEVER a guarantee that an animal will act rationally. Even if he's very passive and gentle, he can still get a goofy streak and forget she's not a squirrel and that he's not big. Then, she's lunch without intention.
So, even if it's not probable – it's always possible – err on the side of caution.. no matter what, you always have to be there.
Hi Sonya!!
Don’t let them be together. I’m sorry to say.
I had a similar experience once and a kitten ended up dead. Not intentional at all. My gentle, daddy-minded dog was trying to keep her close and just accidentally grabbed and moved her the wrong way. Broke our hearts. And the vet could do nothing.
Keep them apart until your little cat is at least adolescent sized. At least try your best to.
Good luck!
On the one hand I feel very sorry for her, and I do know what it is feel that pain. She’s feeling it double, in a sense. My heart goes out to Miley.
On the other hand, I hope she learned from this and stops taking in so many dogs. They’re pack animals and although she has her heart in the right place, she needs to use her head and learn the implications of her collecting them.
Hey Sweet Dee-
This story made me really sad also. I kind of defended Miley’s multiple-dog ownership in other posts while simultaneously admitting that I know nothing about dog behavior. I just thought it was a good thing that she was rescuing so many and bringing them to what I imagine would be a great home.
But this story is sort of like the ultimate nightmare to me. When I was a kid my neighbor’s big dog massacred several of my friend’s kittens. It always disturbed me because I loved that dog AND loved the little kittens. It’s easy to forget how unpredictable animal behavior can be. I’m not sure if she did anything wrong here but maybe she should chill with adding to the dog family for a while.
Hi OKitten!
That is such a sad story! You’re right that it makes an important point, though–you really can’t predict animal behavior and the chances of an out of control dog grow when you keep adding to the pack.
I’ve been on the fence about Miley’s dogs for awhile, but today it’s a lot clearer that she should think these things through in the future. I like that she wants to help and give them a home, but it seems no matter what the resources, there is a limit to this kind of thing. Still, the girl is only 19 (I was impulsive as hell at that age and if I had her millions I easily could have done this), I hope there’s a lesson in it for her.
Why does she have so many dogs? I think only people with significant knowledge and experience should take on an entire pack.
Anyone know what happened to her maltipoo, Sophie? She got her around 2006 and I cant find anything on her since 2010 🙁
This is sad. Losing a dog can be just as traumatic as losing a person.
The only thing i have a problem with is the fact that Miley’s mom admits her daughter is not ready to talk about it and yet she feels the need to announce to the public what happened.
It’s disrespectful to her daughter. The world, her fans, whatever, did not need to know what happened. Even if they’re getting questions about it, she could have respected Miley’s feeling sand just said it’s a private matter and left it at that.
Now, say Miley does an interview, she might have to talk about this even though she is not ready or does not want to because her mom put that information out there.
“Miley still isn’t ready to talk about it, but I thought you guys should know what happened.”
So Trish posting to your blog is really a good idea. Her mother and father are insane. Poor girl doesn’t have a chance at being normal.
How does her mother’s bad judgment make you think her father’s insane?
“Miley still isn’t ready to talk about it, but I thought you guys should know what happened.” So Trish posting to your blog is really a good idea. Her mother and father are insane. Poor girl doesn’t have a chance at being normal.
Glad you brought up that point about the mother. Some kind of passive/aggressive move that appears to be behind Miley’s back. She had no business telling the world because she “thought we should know” even though Miley won’t discuss it — what?? Imagine having a mother who blabs everything in your life to the world just to generate publicity. She is desperate to keep Miley relevant.
Why does a 20-year old (or however old she is) have a half dozen dogs or more? If this was only a playful accident, why did they give the older dog away? Something stinks about the whole situation.
And I know fans will say “give her the benefit of the doubt” — but why should I? She has NEVER shown any maturity or intelligence – from the underage drinking and smoking, to the p-nis cake, to the racist slanty-eyed jokes, to shacking up with her live-in boyfriend while still a teenager. She has not shown any reason to give her the benefit of the doubt.
More likely, she collects dogs as accessories; each dog doesn’t get the training it needs/deserves; one of the pack killed the runt of the pack; and the family was afraid of that dog and gave it away. That’s just as likely (if not more so) than the “the dogs were just playing” scenario (given the sheer number of dogs that an irresponsible teen owns, and the fact that they felt compelled to get rid of the killer).
I’m not saying that an innocent explanation is impossible, only that it’s not as LIKELY.
On the one hand, I think that 6+ dogs is too many in any household. Especially when their owner is young. Dogs need constancy in training and schedule. I just don’t believe that this is happening in Miley Cyrus’ home.
That being said, Miley did the responsible thing by removing Ziggy from the pack and having him be rehomed by an experienced organization who is familiar with his past. I won’t condemn Ziggy based on how little we know about the scenario. Small dogs often over compensate for their stature with aggression. A dog who is the recipient of small dog aggression is NOT going to modify their response because the attacker is a smooshie lil’ cutie fur baby who mommy carries around in her purse.
Also Trish Cyrus really should’ve kept her mouth shut if ” Miley isn’t ready to talk about this.” Futhermore she should stop abusing ellipses.
Not enough is known to be able to say whose fault it was. Well socialized dogs typically “self handicap”, which means they are able to modify how they play with other dogs, etc. based on things like the other dog’s size, etc. They also should have good “bite inhibition”, which means they control the strength of their bite – this is something dogs learn (or not) as puppies and is also the reason why, many times when you see what seems like a knock-down, drag-out, loud/intense dog fight, both dogs come out unharmed or with simple puncture wounds. Often, the worst dog fights are silent and lightning fast. My point is that for Ziggy to do that much damage by grabbing the small dog seems cause for concern. But I agree with what someone else said also, which is that these things usually don’t happen out of the blue. Similar to how people always comment that the serial killer next door “seemed so normal”, there are ALWAYS signs of this type of thing brewing. It’s likely that Miley and family just never saw the signs – often they are subtle, and they probably have no idea how to read dog body language and signals, etc. Sad.
How rediculous of Miley to fashion together a pack of dogs without due experience. Maybe Cesar Milan or someone even better can help her out. Unfortunately when you treat dogs like babies, not dogs, this is the end result. I hope Ziggy found a good home after being left at the dog pound and RIP Lila.
I worked with the rspca for about 2 years and we were always told never to play any kind of tug of war game with a bull breed I.e. Bull terrier, bulldog etc. purely because they were originally bred for fighting/baiting and they didn’t want to encourage any of that kind of behaviour. Not saying anything about this dog’s temprament but he looks like a bull breed to me and it seems to highlight what others have said about knowing your breed. Poor dogs at the end of the day
I worked with the rspca for about 2 years and we were always told never to play any kind of tug of war game with a bull breed I.e. Bull terrier, bulldog etc. purely because they were originally bred for fighting/baiting and they didn’t want to encourage any of that kind of behaviour. Not saying anything about this dog’s temprament but he looks like a bull breed to me and it seems to highlight what others have said about knowing your breed. Poor dogs at the end of the day
Oh god everyone here is ridiculously judgemental… You have NO IDEA how she manages her dogs (or doesn’t manage them).
It’s pointless to go ranting about how irresponsible she is and stipulating the exact number of dogs it’s ‘acceptable’ for someone to own.
It’s horrible losing a pet – it can often hurt more than when a person dies. Leave her alone to grieve.
+1
She has a history of stupid/immature decisions. And, one dog is now dead and another gotten rid of. It’s more reasonable to assume that she had more dogs than she could handle, than it is to assume she was perfectly on top of the situation with her dogs (and WHAT, exactly, would THAT assumption be based on?!)
It’s not just the number of dogs, but the types of breeds mixed together, the nature (aggressive or not) of each breed, the amount of training and socializing the dogs get, etc. Owning a dog (or ESPECIALLY multiple dogs) isn’t something to do on a whim, and RESPONSIBLE people would take all of these considerations into account, plus more (do some breeds need to work, need lots of running, etc., more than others)? Dogs are not just accessories or cute toys.
And nobody is preventing her from grieving. I’m pretty sure a grieving pet owner is not reading some gossip site about her dead dog. I never understood why posters think the object of their affection is actually READING THEIR POSTS – OMG! Because they’re not.
Just so y’all know, no one should take Cesar Millan’s advice. The “pack mentality”/”alpha dog” thing was debunked DECADES ago. Most dogs behave badly for the same reason as everyone else – not being taught boundaries or appropriate behavior. The problem is, it’s very difficult for your average layman to determine play vs aggressive behavior and what to do with it when you see it.
But also when you get a dog, you HAVE to consider that dog’s personality. Dogs are like people – some are energetic and friendly, some are introverts, etc. People just assume they can throw a dog into any situation and it’ll be fine, and many are, because they’re forgiving and resilient, but many are not, especially rescues.
My dog is a rescue, and she is terrible with other dogs – she’s bossy and rude and noisy. I love her to bits, and have worked extensively on her manners, but she’s just not a “people person” so to speak – she only needs a couple of trusted people in her life and zero interest in anything aside from that. If I took her to a dog park or got a zillion other dogs, that would be insanely selfish – she doesn’t benefit from it at all.
The problem with having a million dogs is that there are SO many complicated nuances in the interaction between them – every time you get a new dog, you have to make sure it has a place in your family based on the dog’s needs and personality.
Celebrity dogs I just feel bad for – they often don’t seem to have the consistency, routine, and boundaries that many critters (and hell, people, myself included) need to succeed.
It’s okay.. she has many and can adopt more.. she loves her doggies very much and worries not they won’t be compatible because all doggies love each other..
Jesus, some of you on here are really hateful.
I do not see it as being her fault unless she allowed it to exhibit aggressive behavior, and I feel bad for her.
But, that dog should have been put down.
Also, bulldogs are jerks. You shouldn’t have small children or animals around them.
How is 5 dogs too many? Are people with 5 or more children irresponsible hoarders?
If a 20-year old had 5 children, yeah, I’d call that irresponsible.
I was going to go into a long explanation about Ceasar Milan but an above poster did it for me so I’ll just say PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t listen to his advice. It is outdate, dangerous and half the time borderline abusive. If you try his methods on a dog that doesn’t fear you, you may end up ruining the relationship. If you try half the stuff he suggests on a fearful/aggressive animal you will more than likely get bitten. Dogs in no way misbehave because they don’t respect you … or because you have to be more “alpha”.
I recommend Ian Dunbar or Sophia Yin. Not just my opinion but the whole veterinary profession …
One summer, my dog killed a half-dozen groundhogs for no reason other than… ?? His doggy, hunting instincts”
Yeah my dog Coco (a Scottish terrier cross) was kicked out of her old home for eating several baby chicks. Although it’s not a nice thing to imagine, sometimes dogs just can’t help themselves, it’s not about them being “nasty” it’s just instinct.
That type of behavior doesn’t surprise me at all. Many breeds were “ratters” or specifically bread to eliminate vermin (including many terrier breeds). That’s just what they do, it’s in their blood.
However, what happened here is different. Dogs (even vermin hunters) should know who belongs to the family, and who doesn’t, including other dogs. And adjust their behavior appropriately. If they don’t, they haven’t been properly trained and socialized. That’s what I find so sad here – in the end, it’s the dogs who pay the price for human negligence.
True that, when we first got Coco she was not at all trained and was quite emotionally damaged (after the chick incident with the old owners we were told she was hit and locked in a garage for 3 days) we took her to puppy training to stop her snapping at our other dog and we all learned so much from it. She’s a good girl now 🙂
What type of dog is ziggy it looks like a pit bull.It looks like the Cyrus family is hiding something.For some unknown reason, Ziggy…….. grabbed Lila. Not really sure if she was playing or what? She grabbed her in just the wrong spot and Lila didn’t survive.If dogs are going to attack another dog.They don’t do it playfully.Cyrus family shouldn’t of gave it away.They should of had it put down.Once a dog gets a taste of blood there f**ked