Trapped a Neighbor's Dog on My Deck....Got an Earful

Quote:
Malarkey. There are definitely bad dogs. They may not have started out bad, but they end up bad. It may be a result of not being trained, it may be due to bad genetics, it may be because it fell on its head as a pup, but whatever the reason, if it's currently a bad dog, it's a bad dog.

I always said I would never be able to shoot a dog. However, in a place where I used to live, our neighbors had a wonderful yellow lab. As all living things do, this dog grew old. It spent its days at our place and the nights at its owners place. This was fine with us. It was a lovely dog & we ended up feeding it as much as our own animals, and even gave it rabies shots to ensure that it had them. (Many where we lived didn't take care of such things.)

Well, we had a problem begin occurring as a result of other people further from us. Peoples pet dogs, when they roam, will form packs. Those packs will often become quite dangerous. People often refuse to believe that their dogs join these "packs" because fluffy and rover are home when they get back from work -- or at least eventually turn back up. This particular incident involved this pack becoming QUITE vicious. There were about 15 neighborhood PET dogs in this particular pack, ranging from dogs that weighed perhaps 15-20 pounds to full grown Rottweilers. These appeared to be well fed dogs, and a number were wearing collars. It was dangerous to step into the yard when they were running. One day I was standing in my kitchen when I heard awful noises. I looked out my kitchen window to see them trying to tear the neighbor's yellow lab apart. Dogs had hold of every leg, ears, and elsewhere and were pulling in different directions. This did not bode well. I marched straight to the gun cabinet & pulled out the 22. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to fire into this mass without harming the yellow lab, though I was afraid that might have been the merciful option. Instead, I emptied the clip into the air, reloaded with a fresh clip, and let loose a string of obscenities with objects thrown in the direction of the beasts. Had they come toward me, they would have been dropped with no mercy. At that time, my child was about five and could not play in our own yard with me watching out the window lest these dogs come in from the other direction before I could get out there.

Fortunately, this was enough to scare the animals off. Thankfully, I had caught the incident quite rapidly and the yellow lab healed, though with scars. We treated abscesses and wounds for some time, though he wasn't ours. Other neighbors had to shoot dogs from that pack to get this to stop.

If this isn't enough to convince you that there are, indeed, dogs that need to be shot:
One day, a stray choc. lab showed up at our house. He was another sweet thing. We took him in, and fed him. Just three days later, my son and I were walking him on a leash, in the field bordering our property. We had owners permission to use the private roadways through the fields and to harvest wild foods from the ditchways. All of a sudden, from across the ditch come two Rottweilers straight at me, baring their teeth and growling. These were stray animals as there were no houses immediately there, but were about 1/8 a mile away. They probably came from that area. Well, this wonderful chocolate lab got between me & them and let it be clear that he would protect me to the death. I was able to retreat safely with my son to our property about 500 yards away, and on into our house. We figured the lab was a goner. He showed up later, wounded, but in fair shape. Shortly after, he came down with Distemper, almost certainly as a result of this incident. We had him for years, until he was bitten by a Water Moccasin a few feet from our front doorstep. We found him dead, and the water moccasin coiled nearby. Those Rottweilers would have been shot had I felt that I could safely leave my son long enough to go do so. However, I was concerned that if I was injured, he would be left alone for days, as his father was away for work. He was not yet old enough to count on him calling for help.

Yes. There are dogs that need to be shot. There are bad dogs. Would I like to shoot a dog? No. Could I shoot a dog? Hell yes, if the circumstances dictate.

Now, out here in the real country, as opposed to Connecticut country,




OK, I took my lumps for my opinion about dogs, but that is my way. I said what I thought, and was mildly insulted, but it was OK. I had moved on but someone replied to my post with the phrase above. I have to shut that notification feature off, lol. Now you went and insulted my state. You think we're not real country here ? Like I said until a few years ago, my address was Rural Route 2. I live in a town whose main industry is farming. My family has been here for 350 years living off the land. My back yard abuts a 400 acre dairy farm. This abuts another big farm, and so. On a summer night I find the smell of manure in the fields comforting. I am forty two, and I have a 17 year old daughter who died in a crash and a 43 year old wife who died of a broken heart laying up in Mica Hill Cemetary, with about 100 other kin folk dating back to the 1700s, just down the road a piece. I have been slopping pigs and milking cows since I was 5. At twelve I had to have surgery because a rusty rotted pitchfork in the hay barn from 100 years ago went into my foot and caused an infection that almost killed me. ( We didn't run to the hospital for a scratch. We are hearty independant New England stock.) I did decide after high school I didn't want to compete with the big factory farms and went off to college. My first car was a pick up truck and every other daily driver vehicle I ever owned, including the one I have now. I bought some land in this town I love, in a state I love, and raise poultry as a side business. I am at the livestock auction 2 miles down the road, every Monday, buying and selling poultry and other livestock with a lot of other Connecticut country folks. Got an old fish camp up in Vermont, do some business there too, and have even been a lobster man too. We have an ocean here. Real country ? My Aunt Fanny. When I lost my child and then my wife, I just lost my stomach for most killing. I didn't say I never did it, I never said there wasn't a part of me that liked it, I never said if there was a perceived threat I wouldn't do it. On the contrary, I would probably be the first one to act against a threat to my remaining family. I am having another child with my new wife in September. I fish, hunt, used to trap and skin when pelts were worth something, butcher animals, and , my dogs are working dogs, nobody rides for free, and I have a lot of time and money invested in training them. They are well acquainted with livestock, and would never kill or chase a critter unless given the command. I usually keep two, one puppy every seven years, the pups learn from the older one. You think living in a trailer in the Nevada desert listening to some redneck princess on the Opry makes you more country than me? Here in the Fake Connecticut Country, I also have the legal right to blast any critter hassling my livestock, and we have a "right to farm law" here that protects us from noise or smell complaints. I also have a carry permit for a concealed weapon, but often wear it on my hip. I think I got my first 410 shotgun when I was 8 or 9. Of course there are parts of the state where New York City celebrity freaks screw things up, and their huge financial donations elect politicians I am ashamed of, but around these parts we don't take much intrusion from anybody, including the government.
In the "real country" dogs may not be as well liked a chickens, but here in the Connecticut country, we value our dogs. They have been protectors, companions, babysitters, guards, hunting companions, friends, and family members for about the last 120,000 years. When I had to put my black lab down a few years ago, I was absolutely devastated, took 2 days off from work and wasn't the least bit ashamed. Poultry is a food source with a brain the size of a pea. A lizard with feathers, with the same emotion and intelligence. Don't get me wrong, I love my birds, I smile when I see them, and watching them is fun. When my mallards see my truck pull into the driveway, they start quite a racket. The chickens and pheasant don't even look up. If something kills one, and it happens, I take it personally, but there is no comparison to the human/canine symbiotic relationship. If your chicken comes on my land and helps itself to my vegetables by your logic I should just blast away. Crazy. I'd just run him off of have the dog do it. If I shoot a problem dog with a BB gun, you guys feel it's cruel, but if I blow his brains out, then it's better for the dog ? Crazy. Dogs can learn. Behavioral modification. I say its better than death. If it were me being the problem, I'd rather get shot with a BB gun. Hey, if a dog is running cows or spooking sheep, he is a problem, big difference between a ten dollar chicken and an $5000.00 cow, My entire point being that I love New England, I am proud of New England, I was raised here, never been more than 100 miles from the Atlantic ocean, and I'll die here, and be buried right in this town. Your other state is pathetic. While northern California is beautiful, and the Pacific is second only to the Atlantic, its still full of simpering commie freaks running around in sandals and beads, smoking dope and it's broke. California is like a bowl of cereal, its full of fruit, nuts, and flakes. Nevada ? Three words " Senator Harry Reid. " remeber, "Better yet, Connecticut." Apologies in advance, this time I really am done with this thread, lol. PEACE.

ummmm backspace backspace backspace

backing out now yes I am

Nope changed my mind....do turn off your notify feature because this one is not sliding by

Wpalmisano; there seems to be so much pain and anger in your words. I'm sorry for your losses; shouldn't have happened to people so young...but did.

I think you see things from a different perspective and many of us will not relate well to your comparison of 'love' between owner and animal. The point of this thread was to highlight a conflict between neighbors where one....and only one...of the neighbor's animals came onto property in an agressive manner and the property owners were trying to make sure it didn't happen again. They were threatened and appauled, as most of us would be, by it. Its not really a discussion of who has the right to do what...

I can understand that you may not want to comment on this post anymore, but I hope at least that you read it. If you make opinionated comments, someone will take offense and tell you. By opinionated comments I'm referring to your reference to who's pet is more important; thats pretty subjective. But this is just a little forum about chickens and how to care for them (and other stuff). Try not to take things personally.

As long as they are both on my place there is NO difference between a ten dollar chicken and a five thousand dollar cow. They are both in my charge to protect and keep healthy. I take that very seriously.

I think what I'd like to do is close this thread so some can take a step back. If there is anything else to report, I will update the thread and reopen it. Thanks for the opinions, advice and support, all.

UPDATE: The neighbor has installed a chain link fence. Now, all we have to do is see if the dog will dig under or climb over. If there are anymore actual developments, I'll reopen the thread.