A question on loose dogs

[FarmerChick]

Go to the closests neighbors house......describe the dog, ask them. If they don't know, go to the next house.....if they don't know.........for me, it would be over then.

I practice 0 tolerance for my animals, whether my livestock or my livestock dogs. Life is not to be annoyed by a loose mutt. If you can, do you have a live humane trap? If you can trap it you can take it to the pound.

But me, I don't have the time or the effort to worry about such things. I give a little, ask a few closest neighbors, then it is over....simple as that for me.

hope you get it under control cause I do understand how annoying it is to you and your animals.

 

[ametauss]

Had a similar issue at my house....

I asked a few neighbors and I sort of thought it was one down the road a bit and when I asked if they had a dog as I described it she denied it but each one I talked to, I explained the issue and with me the dog was killing my chickens and said if the dog comes around again I would kill it....

Hasn't come around again.... so maybe one of the folks was lying or they repeated my story to the right person.... either way dog didn't come back.....

I do like the live trap idea and I would have done that had I had one. Animal control in my area will only respond if you have the animal in custody for being a nuisance....

If the dog is actually trespassing on your property and harassing your dogs then he is percieved as a potential threat to your animals and you would be within your right to kill it.

Good Luck!!

 

[Fredster]

I have a couple of Havahart traps, and one of them is a pretty good size, but this is a BIG dog, maybe 80-90 pounds. I think even if he wriggled in, he'd be too long for the front plate to snap down behind him.

And again, at the risk of sounding like a jerk, I don't feel like I should have to go buy a bigger, more expensive trap to stop someone else's dog.

I'm not positive he actually has a home; there are two other dogs that sort of roam the area. They both have collars, but have that stray look about them. Rumor is that they belonged to the people we bought our house from, that they just let them go when they left.

Yeah, I know.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

If you can not catch him. Wait until he is aroung your other dogs.
Just sit there awhile. After he become uninterested in you, call your dogs over to you. He may follow, give them treats and pets. It sounds like this is a good dog and maybe you can get your hands on him. I generally am not that gracious with dogs, as many on here will tell you, but I think a good dog deserves a good chance a bad dog deserves a bullet.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Quote:
If they were former residents of your home, they may be easier to catch! A local shelter might also be able to LOAN you a large crate, get the dog used to going in to get a meal, and then using string pull it shut behind him! Then use the crate to take him to the shelter. I dont think they make traps big enuff for a big dog like that, but a big airline type crate works great, and often has a latch that closes securely with a click!

Good Luck, and Thank you for expending the extra effort to not SSS.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

Take a pic of it and post it in a central place, like mailboxes or corner store...make it very clear on the poster you have had it and there will be consequences! Hopefully someone will see it and take care of the problem.
Also as for catching it...send a woman/girl with a big bone from the butcher and a slip lead. You would be surprised how many "uncatchable" dogs I've caught when even their male owner couldn't!

 

[Bettacreek]

If you have a paint ball gun, shoot it with a nice bright color. If you don't have one, see if you can borrow one. It will send a message to the owners that the dog is going places where it isn't wanted, without you having to spend a lot of time trying to catch it, and it will just sting, not actually hurt the dog. Win-win if you ask me. If you don't have a paintball gun and can't borrow one, maybe you can figure out some other way to obviously mark the dog and send a clear message to the owners that it isn't wanted, without actually hurting it.

 

[Fredster]

Bettacreek, I don't have a paintball gun.

While that idea is intellectually appealing, I think there would be a chance of an animal abuse charge if I were to do something like that (yet it would be legal to shoot and kill a dog for harassing my livestock).

And speaking of harassing my livestock, when it rains it pours. I was out in the field today, working on the fence, when I heard one of my roos sound the alarm. I turned to look, and saw all the chickens running under the coop like they do when there's a hawk. I scanned the sky but saw nothing. Then, on the other side of the coop, I found a Jack Russell terrier and weiner dog right up against the fence, pacing back and forth. They were alternately looking at the chickens and the bottom of the fence, searching for a way in.

And my idgit Great Pyrs were in the coop, passed out in the pine shavings and completely oblivious to the situation.

(they're still puppies and learning)

I went into the coop and herded them out so they could do their job. Once they caught sight of the other dogs, they faced them down through the fence, barking like mad. They didn't scare the little dogs at all. Neither did I, as long as I was in the chicken yard. When I went out to confront them directly, they ran away at full speed.

What sucks is I know where they live...and their owner is kind of, well, scary. I suspect any sort of telling him about his dogs and that I'd have to do whatever I thought necessary to stop the threat would be viewed as some sort of confrontation.

 

[FarmerChick]

oh man I hate neighbors like that.....just knowing their type of personality, even saying your dogs are loose could set off a time bomb....UGH

I feel for you!

And yea them little dogs can reek havoc on your birds!

You just got it rough!

Maybe some outside electric fencing....like where the dogs were looking to get under the fencing, put up 2-3 very tight high tensil lines on the outside and throw them a good shock, Might help you!

I guess small farming is under attack from more than just the economy..lol