RebelEgger
Free Ranging
This afternoon I had been sitting out on the deck, listening to music, having a drink, and enjoying the beautiful day. It was pretty hot out and I had been out for a couple of hours so I decided to come inside. Before I went in, I walked up to where my 10 littles were relaxing in the shade, dust bathing and just escaping the heat the best way they could. I always do a head count on them before I go in the house, just to make sure everyone is present and accounted for. I noticed my 5 big chickens were hanging out in the shade of our trailer.
I went inside, walked in the bedroom, turned on the tv and laid on the bed, then I heard my rooster Phillip freaking out. I have never heard him make these noises before. I looked out the window and saw him in the yard flapping and screaming. Then something caught my eye in the chicken coop, the neighbor's dog. I ran out of the house and screamed at it, ran back inside to put my shoes on, in the 2 seconds this took, the dog had come out of the coop and down by the house. In one motion I grabbed a big walking stick that I had leaning against the house, jumped off the deck and ran after the dog screaming at it the whole time. It took off running across the yard and back to it's own house. I am sure I looked like an absolute lunatic while this was happening.
When it crossed over the small path that leads from their property to ours the youngest daughter (who is maybe 10-12) got the brunt of my rage. Now let me say I know it's not her fault, she's a kid. It's not even the dogs fault. It's the tit owners who don't control their dog. We had many problems with this dog coming onto our property last year. The chickens weren't on our property then as we were just building our house and to be fair, I have not seen this dog at our place since last year (when a friend of ours chased it back while holding a 4in piece of PVC piping. And this friend is a giant bear of a man.)
Once it was back in it's yard I turned and went to check my birds. Phillip was still screaming, he was up on our deck hiding behind the bbq. I picked him up but he just panicked. I then heard one of the girls screaming down in front of the house. I went and got her and carried her back up to Phillip, he calmed down once he saw his favorite girl. Then I went back up by the coop and called for the other 3 big girls. The 2 white girls came running from under our deck and idk where Berta was hiding but she came waddling out from near the woods.
Then I had to go check the littles. I found them hiding behind a brush pile. 9/10. I counted again. 9/10. I kept counting thinking I was miss counting but no, my JG hen was missing. I walked through the woods the whole time cursing, thinking if I find her dead, she's going on their doorstep and they owe me a hen. My husband arrived home shortly after this all went down and he helped me look. Then our niece and her boyfriend showed up and they helped look too. We couldn't find her, but I also didn't see evidence anywhere of an attack, no puffs of feathers laying around.
We went in the house and after an hour or so visit with our niece and nephew-in-law we went back out and all 10 came waddling out of the woods. Everyone was present and accounted for and unharmed.
My major rage is with the owners. They never come to get the dog themselves. They always send the kids. They never have once come to apologize. This dog has been aggressive with us in the past. Now that it knows we will chase it with large objects, it doesn't get aggressive anymore, it runs. I have screamed at their kids, they haven't even come over to tell me not to speak to their kids like that! I know I should not yell at the kids but in my moment of rage from this beast being in our yard, I just lose it.
What can I do? These people don't listen and they don't get the hint. They are very irresponsible dog owners, and clearly irresponsible parents, if they allow some crazy woman to scream and their kids. We have 2 dogs, our dogs do not go in their yard. Our dogs don't leave our property. If they did I would take measures to make sure they didn't. I'm considerate like that. Our dogs don't bother our chickens. They can be our=tside laying on the deck or playing all day, we don't even put collars on them. We spent the time training them. I am just so frustrated.
Here are a couple of pictures I took of the littles just before this all went down.
I went inside, walked in the bedroom, turned on the tv and laid on the bed, then I heard my rooster Phillip freaking out. I have never heard him make these noises before. I looked out the window and saw him in the yard flapping and screaming. Then something caught my eye in the chicken coop, the neighbor's dog. I ran out of the house and screamed at it, ran back inside to put my shoes on, in the 2 seconds this took, the dog had come out of the coop and down by the house. In one motion I grabbed a big walking stick that I had leaning against the house, jumped off the deck and ran after the dog screaming at it the whole time. It took off running across the yard and back to it's own house. I am sure I looked like an absolute lunatic while this was happening.
When it crossed over the small path that leads from their property to ours the youngest daughter (who is maybe 10-12) got the brunt of my rage. Now let me say I know it's not her fault, she's a kid. It's not even the dogs fault. It's the tit owners who don't control their dog. We had many problems with this dog coming onto our property last year. The chickens weren't on our property then as we were just building our house and to be fair, I have not seen this dog at our place since last year (when a friend of ours chased it back while holding a 4in piece of PVC piping. And this friend is a giant bear of a man.)
Once it was back in it's yard I turned and went to check my birds. Phillip was still screaming, he was up on our deck hiding behind the bbq. I picked him up but he just panicked. I then heard one of the girls screaming down in front of the house. I went and got her and carried her back up to Phillip, he calmed down once he saw his favorite girl. Then I went back up by the coop and called for the other 3 big girls. The 2 white girls came running from under our deck and idk where Berta was hiding but she came waddling out from near the woods.
Then I had to go check the littles. I found them hiding behind a brush pile. 9/10. I counted again. 9/10. I kept counting thinking I was miss counting but no, my JG hen was missing. I walked through the woods the whole time cursing, thinking if I find her dead, she's going on their doorstep and they owe me a hen. My husband arrived home shortly after this all went down and he helped me look. Then our niece and her boyfriend showed up and they helped look too. We couldn't find her, but I also didn't see evidence anywhere of an attack, no puffs of feathers laying around.
We went in the house and after an hour or so visit with our niece and nephew-in-law we went back out and all 10 came waddling out of the woods. Everyone was present and accounted for and unharmed.
My major rage is with the owners. They never come to get the dog themselves. They always send the kids. They never have once come to apologize. This dog has been aggressive with us in the past. Now that it knows we will chase it with large objects, it doesn't get aggressive anymore, it runs. I have screamed at their kids, they haven't even come over to tell me not to speak to their kids like that! I know I should not yell at the kids but in my moment of rage from this beast being in our yard, I just lose it.
What can I do? These people don't listen and they don't get the hint. They are very irresponsible dog owners, and clearly irresponsible parents, if they allow some crazy woman to scream and their kids. We have 2 dogs, our dogs do not go in their yard. Our dogs don't leave our property. If they did I would take measures to make sure they didn't. I'm considerate like that. Our dogs don't bother our chickens. They can be our=tside laying on the deck or playing all day, we don't even put collars on them. We spent the time training them. I am just so frustrated.
Here are a couple of pictures I took of the littles just before this all went down.
