Big dog after my ducks last night

[FenDruadin]

My (indoor) dog was barking last night, which she almost never does, and it was driving me crazy. She's so good normally, so I'm awfully sorry to say that I sprayed her with the water bottle and locked her in her crate, thinking she was just being naughty. When I should have been cuddling her and telling her what a good job she was doing--because she was trying to tell me there was something after my ducks!

Anyway, I did end up hearing the barking in the backyard--NOT my dog--and going out to investigate. As soon as I did so, I was sorry I hadn't brought a weapon, because it was HUGE and not especially afraid of me. I hollered & waved my arms & carried on until it finally bounded away. I never saw the dog itself--just its eyes glowing in the light of my flashlight--kinda creepy.

This morning, there were dog prints around the duck pen, and mud all up the side of the gate, where the dog had evidently been jumping on the gate trying to open it. Thank goodness I lock it with a bike lock every night. He had also torn up the bark path I have been gradually laying down.

Stupid dogs. Stupid owners letting their dogs run loose at night.

It makes me want a perimeter fence--even though the ducks are quite tightly protected, another fence around the property line would provide more security.

Also, note to self: Praise my dog when she barks at night--and then go investigate!

 

[horsejody]

Are you sure it wasn't a coyote, and the barking outside a neighbor dog?

 

[Brindlebtch]

Wow, sounds like The Hound of the Baskervilles or something. Creepy.

 

[FenDruadin]

Thanks for the responses!

Would a coyote's tracks be the same as a large dog's? Because it had rained softly through the night, the prints were quite clear in the mud. They looked like a very large dog's tracks, but could have been coyote--I know we do have them around these parts. We have every predator that's currently available for North American temperate regions.

Whatever it was, it understood that the gate was the weak point--there were no muddy tracks elsewhere on the pen, just the gate. I am thanking my lucky stars I took the time to check every connection and noticed that the gate could be pushed open even when latched. That's why it's locked shut at night.

Whew. Well, at least I know my security measures are working!

 

[farmin'chick]

A relatively inexpensive addition to your setup without having to pay for a line fence -- if you run an electric fence wire on the outside of your pen area. They even make solar powered chargers. The instructions are usually available with the fencing materials.

 

[FenDruadin]

farmin' chick--that's a really good idea. That should discourage anything from probing for weaknesses, which is how I've lost birds in the past, even though I thought I had my bases covered. I'm going to be ordering some portable electric net fencing for my goats soon, so maybe I'll check out how much it would cost to add another charger and some wire to my order.

Thank you!