Dog problems and animal control is not helping.

SouthDakotan said:

Animals that kill livestock shouldn't be tolerated. Sorry, but if animal control takes a full grown dog, what do you think is its fate? Its likely going to be put down.

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That's what I always thought. My neighbor recently adopted two large dogs from the shelter. They are a Black Lab and Great Dane mix. Beautiful dogs, and huge!

He told me he had to pay an extra "insurance" fee to adopt them, as the pair are known livestock killers. Then he brings them to this vicinity, where there is livestock everywhere. Not to mention that every dog he has owned for the past 10 years has always been running loose.

So apparently, animals with a killing history can be adopted around here, provided you want to pay the fee/bribe.

wilbilt said:

I'd rather hunt with Dick Cheney than ride with Ted Kennedy.

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Well, Ted Kennedy is dead, so you don't have to ride with Ted Kennedy. You can go with Dick Cheney and get shot.

I disagree that any dog that has killed chickens or other small livestock or that demonstrates behavior indicating they would, should neccesarily be destroyed for that. Dogs have many different purposes and have different traits. Some breeds are simply predatory by nature. As well, any particular dog can be 'ruined' through circumstances and events....ie a dog that had it been raised around livestock might have been fine, but for not have been isn't.

That said, it is humans that choose and keep dogs, for whatever their own needs or preferences, and humans that have the responsiblity for makingsure that dog is in proper facilities in a compatable lifesyle. I myself kept Malamutes AND chickens andother small stock for many years, and Malamutes are about as predatory-natured breed as you can find. In their native environment, that is a definite survival advantage. And it is NOT true that just because a dog will kill chickens or other small stock means they will also attack a human!
But I knew that and accomadated that in how I kept and managed them, for safety of my own livestock as well as others. And ironically, while my Malamutes were safely confined, I lost chickens and rabbits to other people's dogs that included cocker spaniels, border collies, Irish setters, German shepherds, terriers of various sorts, coonhunds, black-mouth cur stock dogs, peke-a-poos....and mixes thereof and others.
I might add,bythe way, thatover my 30+ years of keeping Malamates in a rural environment, I am unaware of in a single incident of anyof my dogs,the Malamutes or any other I've had, ever killing someone else's chickens or other livestock, and there were only very few mishaps with them,with my own,such as when a muscovey duck flew over the outer perimeter fence of the kennel and proceeded to stick its head into a kennel run to snatch morsels of dogfood. And, of course, promptly lost its head. Tragic and painful, for that duck was one of my kids special pet, but also her fault for having been careless not making sure it was secured safely in its normal enclosure after she'd had it out to play with.

I think re-homing a chicken predatory dog into a home where it will be securely kept and away from chickens and other small stock is an entirely acceptable option,whether done privately or thought a shelter, as long as that is considered in its placement and adoptees are aware of it.

I'm sorry I haven't read every answer, but I really have to recommend the electric in addition to making the coop as secure as possible. The reason is that not only will it keep the dogs out it will also punish them without you having to get involved at all. Our dog accidently brushed against our electric fence to our corrals a couple years ago. Poor thing ran ky.yi-ing down the drive and now when we go out to feed he won't come anywhere near the corral. Just sits in the drive watching til we are done.