Bad Bad Terrible Day UPDATE post 35

[chickenlorena]

I apologize for not explaining myself better. The law says you are entitled to shoot a dog who's attacking your flock but in this case this cannot apply, since this is after the fact. I don't think you can legally go and shoot the dog, especially not in your property as it would be a misdemeanor or a felony, and trespassing. Please correct me if I'm wrong. You have to wait till the dog comes back and then shoot it for it to be legal, or let animal control deal with it.

Lorena

 

[centrarchid]

If dog of any quality, the next time I caught it, then it would be mine. Chain / pen dog up and start work to transform chicken killer into livestock guarding dog. Will take work, possibly a lot, and you will likely loose more birds in process but long-term losses are what you want to limit. Get consultation from skilled / professional dog trainers if need be. If neighbor wants dog back, then only if losses paid for.

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
You're right. I probably misunderstood what you meant earlier. I apologize. It isn't legal to go hunt the dog down and shoot it. Only caught in the act.
Touchy subject for me, as I'm forced to take care of any dog problem here myself and it is sometimes out of control with people dumping their unwanted pets out here all the time.
I don't WANT to shoot dogs. But Animal Control will do nothing and they've told me that. The Sheriff says it isn't his job either unless he witnesses a dog killing my chickens.
I put chain link fence around my pens, but a determined dog can dig in if I'm not home. I'd like to avoid putting hot wire out there, but it's beginning to look like the best option.

centrarchid: I'm sure it isn't legal to steal the dog either.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
You're right. I probably misunderstood what you meant earlier. I apologize. It isn't legal to go hunt the dog down and shoot it. Only caught in the act.
Touchy subject for me, as I'm forced to take care of any dog problem here myself and it is sometimes out of control with people dumping their unwanted pets out here all the time.
I don't WANT to shoot dogs. But Animal Control will do nothing and they've told me that. The Sheriff says it isn't his job either unless he witnesses a dog killing my chickens.
I put chain link fence around my pens, but a determined dog can dig in if I'm not home. I'd like to avoid putting hot wire out there, but it's beginning to look like the best option.

centrarchid: I'm sure it isn't legal to steal the dog either.

Grey area in law. If animal on your property and not accompanied by owner then ownership is up in air, especially if animal not marked with collar. Neighbor will have burden of proof.

I suggest you look into this option with local law enforcement.

 

[zazouse]

I live on a farm with no close neighbors, i have 6 large dogs of my own so i rarely see a stray dog on my place but when i do i get out my bottle rockets and shot at them, believe me that big bang of exploding lights going off near them sends them running and i have never had one return.

Sorry for your loss, i would ask your neighbor for replacement cost and go from there.

As far as his dog, i don't know what i would do, i never had to shoot anyones dog.

 

[theFox]

Quote:
"Today was a horrible day. I had an appt with the vet for 10 am to put down our Welsummer that has been unable to walk since the end of August. I took her in and had her downed. Kids sad. Driving home and my husband called. He said the neighbors dog had come over for the THIRD time, this time he had killed our roo and a black australorp was injured. He took the dog back to the owners, again for the third time."

The OP's post says that her husband caught the dog in the act, he should have just killed the dog called the law enforcement people and let them deal with it.

It stops all repeat possibilities and is perfectly legal.

That dog owner has likely broken several other laws even before the chickens were attacked.

That is why you dispatch and call the law enforcement folks and that isn't really the AC people.

So my quoting of the law was correct and it did apply in the OP's situation.

Any dog on my property disturbing my chickens gets an unhealthy dose of lead, it will not leave the lot, except by the law enforcement folks calling the owner to retrieve the carcass, and that means they will also get several citations as the dog's owner has broken several Maine laws.

ETA: There is at least one state that requires that a dog's owner put down a dog that has worried, injured, or killed another's animals. At the moment I can't remember the state and don't feel like doing the research.

 

[centrarchid]

I just looked into my Missouri options which give me a lot more rights than I thought. Check following in respect to California.

http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusmost273_010_405.htm


My "stealing" is a lesser of multiple evils that does not appear excluded by Missouri law as I interpret it. My "stealing", if challenged will force owner to acknowledge ownership and I will have evidence dog had access to and was on my property.

 

[theFox]

Quote:
Oh look someone did the research I didn't feel like doing.

Missouri requires that the dog owner put the dog down.

 

[desertskynm]

I have to respectfully disagree...

I live in the city and have a backyard flock. I lost a hen to a cat attack- was told the same thing, cats won't attack a hen , and caught the same bloody cat by the tail when it was sneaking back into the coop and had it's claws outreached for my newest hen- no puncture marks but a lot of lost feathers. In that moment I could easily have killed the cat, but I lost my balance when he bit my leg and then it ran away.

I now have heavy 1 ft. x 1 ft. patio bricks laid on top of the ground, next to the fencing so intruders from the outside can't dig their way in. And bricks under the ground so my ladies can't dig out.

Cats do kill chickens.

M.

Quote:
I've seen many people blame cats for killing chickens, and it turn out not to be true. In fact, VERY few cats will take a chicken. It is rare. I used to live in the city where there were a lot of stray cats, LOTS. I had chicks outside in pens and in the run many, many times. Not once did I loose a bird to a cat. Many times, I observed the stray cats in the run hunting chipmunks and mice. For whatever the reason, it is very rare a domestic cat will take a full grown chicken. The cats seem to run from the roosters and hens which would chase them! With neighbor's and people's own dogs, it is a horse of a different color. Dogs are probably the number one killer of chickens-- just read all the threads on this over the years. I hope any perceived problems with domestic cats will be put in perspective.

 

[70monte]

I live in MO and a few years ago, three dogs were out in the pasture chasing cows. My fiancee got the truck out and I got the gun and a little while later, two dogs had gone on to a better place while the third ran back home to the neighbors. The neighbor had already been warned a few times before about his dogs and one time that day. I felt kind of bad shooting the dogs but there were not too many other options since the owner didn't want to do what he was supposed to do and keep the dogs at home.

Wayne