a bit of a dog problem

[Mattemma]

what should I do to keep her away from the chickens?

SSS

Very simple solution to a common problem. I detest roamers and the owners who allow it.More so the owners,but that does not mean I will tolerate the animal and *beg* the owner to be a responsible pet owner. SSS is best.

 

[JanetS]

Can you put up some kind of a fence? Maybe an electric one.

 

[jellybellyx6]

We had a dog that would get out of his pen and when we found out he was going to the neighbors yard to chase their chickens we were very sorry for that. We told them we were sorry and tried our best to keep the dog restrained but we also told them if it happened again they had every right to shoot him. Not that we wanted our dog shot but we know that if a dog comes on our property and attacks our live stock we will shoot the dog and they have that right as well. Needless to say we ended up having to sell the dog because he would just get out of what ever we put him in. He was a Tibetan Mastiff and he would bend cattle panels and chew through tie outs that we would put him on. It is the responsabilty of the dog owner to keep their dog on their property and if they are unable to do that then they run the risk of losing their dog one way or the other.

 

[Sonia]

I will without hesitation shoot any critter that kills my stock. Even if it is my own dog. Perfectly legal here. Sheriff won't even come out if you call about a stray or even a known animal killing your stock here.

 

[iheartnh]

You need to find out the laws in your area before you do anything - just call your local animal control.

Shooting the dog may not be a legal option, depending on where you live, and stealing it (to rehome or place in a shelter) won't be an option anywhere, and you can (and should) expect your neighbor to take legal action against you. What you could do, if you know the breed of the dog, is check into any local breed-specific rescues - let them know there's a dog being neglected at such-and-such address, and they will likely contact your neighbors. If they care about the dog, they may smarten up about letting it roam, and if they don't care about it, they'll have an opportunity to surrender it for adoption.

That said - I'm sorry your neighbor is a jerk and irresponsible with his/her dog - unacceptable! You just don't want to get yourself into a legal mess.

 

[cosmo1104]

theresa, not sure of your friendliness with your neighbors, but first thing is to talk to them about it. If they're jerks, go to animal control or the cops, if that doesn't work, either get a bigger dog or shoot it.

 

[Kodiakbear]

Our neighborhood has quite a few roaming dogs. We also have many feral dogs in the area. So, we're going to build our coop well and then fence a larger area for them to 'free range' under supervision. In your shoes if I didn't feel talking to the neighbor would help, I'd fence in my yard. I love dogs and have three so I couldn't ever harm a dog. It's a shame that people can't be considerate.

 

[Spookwriter]

Be firm. Be fair.

You have every right to own chickens on your land. And if they
free range, you certainly expect to lose a few to predators. Nature
of the game.

But you also have every right to expect a neighbor to keep control
of their dog. Your chickens are not their sport.

Speak fairly with your neighbor, but firmly. If that has no results, call
your local animal control or sheriff. Force them to deal with the issue.


My neighbors pit bulls got loose and decided to attack my dog one
night. I didn't want to shoot their dogs, but I had every right. I called the
sheriff, who came right over. With intent to kill. But I did not want the
dogs shot in my yard. He called the game warden, who called the dog
warden. Big meeting in my yard.

In the end the pit bulls were captured, taken to the pound and put down.
There was a legal trail of paperwork.

Neighbor was mad. They were registered dogs. High-dollar. But in the
end he was at fault. And his dogs paid the price.


Spook...who still hated it. But I had to do it.

 

[QuirkySue]

Wow I'm shocked and saddened by some of these responses. My dog is my baby! I'd gladly and happily pay any amount to replace chickens and freak right out if she was filled with birdshot or worse, killed, over a chicken. I'm appalled that many would just shoot because you have the right to. A feral dog, coyote, wild cat...no problem. But someone's PET?

When we moved from the city to the country we asked the old timer next door to PLEASE not shoot our dogs, we would gladly reimburse him any losses if we could not break them of chasing calves or bothering his chickens. I hope you can work it out with the owners and it doesn't end in such an ugly way.

 

[bobbi-j]

Wow I'm shocked and saddened by some of these responses. My dog is my baby! I'd gladly and happily pay any amount to replace chickens and freak right out if she was filled with birdshot or worse, killed, over a chicken. I'm appalled that many would just shoot because you have the right to. A feral dog, coyote, wild cat...no problem. But someone's PET?

When we moved from the city to the country we asked the old timer next door to PLEASE not shoot our dogs, we would gladly reimburse him any losses if we could not break them of chasing calves or bothering his chickens. I hope you can work it out with the owners and it doesn't end in such an ugly way.

The thing is, some people consider their chickens as their "pets" and "babies". What makes them of any less value than your dog? If your neighbor's bigger, meaner dog (who was their "pet" and "baby") came onto your property and killed your dog, would their handing you a check for conpensaton make it OK? Would it ease your loss? If your dogs were chasing your neighbor's calves and chickens, you're lucky he didn't shoot them. They may be his livelihood, and not "pets", but most farmers do care about their animals' health and well-being and do or want to see them being terrorized and possibly injured. If they were doing that at our place, they wouldn't be going back home.