My friends beagle has just turned six months and was off the lead in a park when he suddenly mounted a black lab. ( she said he was on for 20 mins or so but didnt try to pull him away because she had heard that it could damage the bitch or dog).  I said if lab was in season (which she was) then it was it her fault.  The lab owner got aggressive toward my friend and started a big row.  I said that if the owner of the lab was responsible then she would know to get vet advice.  My question is is my friend be at fault seems her dog mounted and is there a chance he would not be old enough to father at such a young age.

What a foolish person to take an in-season bitch out! If this has only just happened the bitch should be taken to the vet for the 'morning-after' injections, as it's quite possible for a 6-month puppy to sire a litter. I've had bitches for many years, and the onus is very much on the bitch owner to keep their bitch safe, especially when out in public.

your friend was not to know this bitch was in season.  The bitch owner did know.....

I imagine the Lab was on a lead at the time and the owner should certainly have been watching out for other dogs as she was in season.  I can't understand why the Lab owner did not make any attempt to stop the dog mounting.  What an odd situation.  If the Lab was off lead too then I would say the case is cut and dried.  It was her owners responsibility to keep her safe.  If she was on lead there may be a blurring of responsibility here. 

I wonder what beagle x labs look like. Let's hope the lab was castrated, as the rescue homes are bursting at the seams with puppies. How many resposible owners will want a beagle lab cross? Poor puppies they are not born yet and their outlook doesn't look good. Well, let's hope there are no puppies.

Hopefully, your friend has learnt her lesson - keep bitches in season well out of reach of any male. The lab's owner was not to know, it is your friend's responsability.

Good luck,
Patty

patty im not sure if you read that wrong i though the beagle was a male, her friends and the black lab bitch in season someone elses! so then it wouldnt be her friends fault she wasnt to know!
Fiona

Hi Fiona, thanks for point that out, Ooops! :-(

Apologies to your friend, please turn my post around to replace beagle with lab and vice versa :-D

Phew! :-)

Dont worry Patty we are all here for each other we all have off days lol
Fiona

If this was a public park or ground where dogs are allowed off lead then the Lab owner was at fault as they knew (or should ahve known) their bitch was in season, your freind did not ahve this knowledge.  What did they think woudl happen the moment the bitych met an entire dog.

The pup is plenty old enough to sire a litter.

Thery shoudl take their bitch to the vets for a morning after jab, and your freind shoudlb e the one annoyed at them.

I own bitches only and only walk mine when in season on the lead where dogs have no business being off lead (pavement pounding in other words).

Call me dumb if you like (go on I dare you :p) but cant male dogs smell a bitch in heat from like miles away? If this was the case if a dog was near by and got a whiff of your bitch would he not run from say a near by park to get to her? Sorry never owned a bitch. And wouldnt even a very well trained dog be quite capeable of ignoring their owner to get to her? :) Whether she was on a lead on the path or not... I'm really not starting something so please dont get mad I'm just interested...

It is very unlikely that the precise monment that my bitches are walking around town, with all the polution fo car engines etc etc athat a dog in some Park a mile or so away will suddenly look up and think Ooh bitch in season and leg it :D

It certainly hasn't happened in 17 years of owning entire bitches, and many of my neighbours have dogs, some of them no doubt entire males, but I ahve never had any encamped outsdie my soor even with the local recreation ground only a few hundered yards away.

In fact only four doors away my friend has a young entire male dobermann that I walk with most days, he will sniff me when one of teh girls is in season, but doesn't get unduly concerned and he is only 75 feet away with width of three gardens between us :D

ok thanks for that :D

My boy jumped on a staffy bitch once who was off lead in season, luckily he didn't manage to tie and I never saw the people again so assume there were no consequences. I checked with his breeder if she said it is the bitch owner's responsibility. Imagine a Cav/Staffie cross!!

Well unless the beagle was super size or the lab was small then it didnt happen in seconds so I am assuming the lab owner must have had the bitch of the lead.  I dont  think the beagle owner has anything to reproach herself for.