Dog Attack

[jc12551]

I need to vent, because all my real life friends think I am nuts for caring about my chickens.

This afternoon my son and I were in the living room when we heard the chickens and turkeys screaming. I ran out to find my neighbor's red hound dog tearing through the yard with a cuckoo maran in his mouth. The roosters were attacking him, the turkeys were flying on top of buildings and fences, and other chickens were flying into trees. I screamed at him as my 10 year old son goes sprinting off after him with the bb gun. The bb's didn't phase the dog. I lock the baby in the house and put on my shoes. I grab a shovel as the dog is jumping up and pulling turkeys off the top of the five foot tall coop door. He gets one of my blue slate hens and is mauling her while one of the toms is attacking the dog. I pummel him senseless with my shovel. He tries to bite me and gets away. I jump in the car and try to run him down (ok, I was ticked!). I follow him to his house where the owner's son/daughter-in-law/grandchildren are in the front yard. I chase him up on the porch and beat him while tying him back up. I told them I would kill him next time he came in my yard. I was screaming at the family and I think I burned rubber as I left the driveway

. He has killed before and they LET HIM LOOSE today so he could run. If they hadn't been there I would have killed him. If I could have found the key to the .22 I would have shot him in my yard! I am not a violent person, but I am tired of it! Now they think I am a nut and my husband is worried that they will call the cops b/c I came on the property and was beating the dog in front of them. We finally found all the chickens. Two of the hens are not bleeding, but they seem like they are in shock. The blue slate hen is bald in spots, but she is not bleeding. The maran hen's head is bloody and I can't tell if her eyes are gone or if they are just swollen over.

 

[NovaAman]

OMG! I would have loved to witness you going crazy! Only I am afraid I would have beat the dog owner too and went to jail, and got an assault and battery charge and paid the fine and maybe went to jail overnight... I think a judge might be a bit lenient considering you were temporarily insane at the moment.

Good birds, attacking the attacker too.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

I shot my neighbor's malamute three weeks ago for the same thing. He knew it was a killer and he kept letting it run. It was after my pet goat and I had no choice but to shoot the dog.

Call the police, make a report. You may have laws that will allow them to have the dog impounded as a nuisance animal.

 

[FlyRobinFly]

I don't know what the leash or other laws are in your area but they shouldn't allow their unsupervised dog to wander onto your property and molest your stock. I agree that you should file a report, so that this is on record.

Robin

 

[Ole rooster]

Wow, what a mess. You're the first person I've ever heard of that needs a key to make the .22 shoot. All I have to do with mine is take it off safety and it shoots. I've just never understood the folks that have guns and can't get to um when needed.

I think you're lucky the dog didn't attack you. Very lucky. Now you find the key that turns you rifle on and prepare for that one to return.

 

[speckledhen]

I'd make a report, then I'd get ready to drop the dog the next time he shows up; and he will, because sounds like the type of dog owner we hear about ad nauseum here on BYC.

 

[theoldchick]

Next time it happens get documentation(photos video) and go from there. That way if you dispose of the dog and the owners want to press charges (you put yourself at risk by trespassing on their property), you have proof the dog was harassing your livestock.

 

[Sjisty]

I agree, photo documentation, plus call Animal Control and get it documented.

Animal Control here in my county told me to take a picture of our neighbor's dog attacking my chickens. She said I should sacrifice one chicken to get the camera and take a picture. Of course, I can't just run to the house to get the camera while my chickens are getting murdered! Anyway, after about the fifth time these three dogs came to play and eat chicken, the representative from Animal Control told the dog owners that she recommended I shoot the dogs on site if they come back onto my property agaim. We haven't seen them since (it has been almost a year).

I hope your chickens/turkeys recover!

 

[P-Funk]

Definitely call animal control. If the neighbor dog won't stay in his own yard - they will show up and remove it. I know from experience. I don't talk to the neighbor any more.

 

[mamachicken888]

What bothers me about a dog coming into another person's yard and attacking their property is that most of the dog owners are que sera sera about it! If my dog did that... oh honey, he wouldn't see daylight for a week... that is, if he didn't get shot in the process. And some people have a warped sense of value, like a dog is worth a lot more than a dumb old chicken.

Obviously, they have never been in this neck of the woods!