Dog killed 3 of my girls - Page 3

Last week  I catch a flash out the window and by the time I got my .45, out the door,  and found the culprit he had ripped the tail and butt out of one of our EE's  I tried to chase it off but it kept circling back so I grabbed it's collar dragged it over to my chicken pushed it's nose next to it and squeezed the trigger.   That dog didn't even flinch.  just stood there wagging it's tail.  Then I hear " You didn't shoot my dog did you?  "Not this time." I said. "Come here and get your dog and chicken."  Helluva way to meet the new neighbors.  But now I won't have to convince them that their dog is up to no good.

I am torn on this one.  It can take a lot of training for a dog to *not chase after chickens - so is the dog owner really at fault for anything other losing control of their dog one time?  Out of all the people posting here who have dogs, do you mean to tell me that you have never, EVER, had your dog run off on you, either in the woods, or escape off your property, or anything?

  I have an invisible fence, and it is all about training...once the dog knows the boundaries, that is what is keeping the dog on your property, not the shock.  I haven't put the collars on our dogs for over a year.  

  The thing is, as attached as we are to our chickens, this is a prey animal to a dog.  Would you shoot a dog for eating a bowl of dog food on your front porch?  I Certainly hope not.  Now, if the dog is causing destruction of your property and you fear for your safety, by all means pull that trigger.  
 

  Was your neighbor negligent?  Yes.  Can they ever adequately compensate you?  No.  But will killing their pet, who was only following instincts, make you feel better?....Well, answering that question might tell you a good bit about yourself.

redhead - I've been worrying a good deal about this myself.  We live in a rural area, but our neighbors dogs have been known to "visit" our property.  I went on vacation once and a friend from work was house sitting for us...she came in to work and commented - "I didn't know Sara had three dogs!"  Well, we only had two - there was a visitor who came in through the dog door!

    So it might not be too long before i'm sitting in your boat 

  I hope my DH doesn't shoot first and ask questions later...thinking of electrifying our run.

galanie - Sorry if the comparison I used wasn't the best.  And I totally agree that people with no experience in chickens would undoubtedly like the dogs more - I used to be a rat person, so I am familiar with preconceived ideas about pets.

   For dogs to chase, as you agree, is natural (for some, not all).  I think what makes them dangerous is the lack of supervision and training.  For my hound dog, a running rabbit holds much more interest for her than a bowl of dog food.  I was only trying to point out that the dog was acting out of instinct, and after reading the rest of this post, I felt the dog was not adequately represented.

  Please relax! 

So very sorry for the loss of your hens!   We live in Fincastle not far from Roanoke and there are a few neighbors here whose dogs who run loose a lot.   There are so many reasons I NO LONGER CARE FOR DOGS....mainly that is because of the OWNERS who do not give a hoot as to what their dogs do....BARKING all the time and RUNNING LOOSE to pee, poop and destroy other peoples property...not to mention killing livestock.  Owners need to be responsible for their dogs and so many of them are just so clueless.... they  think it is the dogs right to run, especially here in the country.  I've had dogs in the past but I made sure they NEVER bothered anyone else in any way.  There are indeed responsible owners who do care and keep check on their pets but I have experienced they are few and far between.  I hope this lesson for your neighbors does not go unheeded and they gain some insight from the sad experience.  I will be getting chicks in May and am completing my coop and run now....trying to make it as predator proof as possible.....not sure that it is a possibility anymore.  I have lots of wildlife here to be concerned about and hope to be taking the proper precautions.....should not have to worry about someones pet!   Again, I am so sorry for your bad incident.