Boss - An Honourable Death

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Don't get me wrong, it was NOT easy to shoot those dogs,even though I did it in cold blood, they were someones pets, the first time they visited I called animal control, turned them over, and took the owner to court (I lost). the second time I shot both of them with paint balls and called the owner. The 3rd time they took out old guy, the 4th time they got away clean but I called the owner again. the 5th time was the end of the line for them. The owner wouldn't confine them and the poor things didn't really know that they were doing wrong so I had to put and end to it. Another neighbor was feeding a fox and wouldn't listen to reason. It was in the road one evening and I accidently run him over. ~gd

 

[Suzie]

GooseDragon,

I admire you for your comments - I can't imagine the horrors you went through to have 5 attacks from these dogs.

One of my GSD's will attack chickens and he is never allowed to roam, if by chance he did ever get out and attack anyone else's animals I would hate for him to be killed by the dog's owner (albeit that they had every right), however if I as the owner would not control their dog(s) I (in a fair judicial system) am failing to control my dog and putting other animals at risk and him at risk also. You afforded these dogs every chance, despite their owner not controlling them adequately, sadly it is the dogs that paid the price for the owners not being responsible.

Luckily the dog that killed our guinea fowl was easy to catch and we secured it until the hunter came to collect it - not the dog at fault, it escaped from a farm nearby and it was trained to kill - the owner told us that he expected us to have killed the dog - it has to be a last resort, if there was any way we could catch the culprit we would (that is if it was a dog) if however we find a fox roaming on our land we will shoot to kill. My car may accidentally kill a fox one day - they do tend to leap out into the path of oncoming vehicles.....!

Although Boss is dead we have been lucky in some ways as the hunting dogs here will kill anything.... some of them aren't people friendly either, I have nothing against hunting at all but some of the owners have no control whatsoever over their dogs and they often lose their dogs for days at a time until somebody finds one and informs the police. Of course a lost and hungry dog will forage for food.....survival instinct.

I spend most of my time now looking for predators......

Suzie

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Auvergne, Suzie, exactly where are you located? at first I assumed it was a smallish town somewhere in the USA, but the more I read from you sounds strangely different, and I am wondering are you in the Auvergne region of France? Not that it makes any real difference, but your "take" on events does not seem to be the typical American reaction. For example here in the American South, Hunting dogs are usually highly trained animals, and due to the expense and time needed to produce one or a pack are the owner's treasure. I have known owners to spend days searching for a dog that disappeared. Pet dogs usually bought for a child are the source of most of our dog problems. The child looses interest, they may be trained to be house broken at most and of course if not house broken they are kept outside and unrestrained. Often the parents assume the child is taking care of it. but they are not, and the dog has to find his own food or the need to breed sends them off looking for a mate. Sometimes they will join a coyote pack and interbreed to produce 'coy-dogs'. (coyote were reintroduced to act as a 'natural' control of the deer population) Coy-dogs or a strong coyote usually lead the packs which are the top predators in most rural and semi-suburban areas (at least in the Southeastern United States) Tt was one of these packs that wiped out my whole flock in one night. Frankly I don't know if I will ever try to own waterfow again...~gdl

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I am sorry for your loss. I know the pain of losing a pet. I was at work one day and came home, my partner did not lock the hen house and it was open and a stray dog came through and killed about 8 of my light brahmas....Ao my heart goes out to you.

 

[Suzie]

GooseDragon,

You are correct - Auvergne is in France and sadly the dogs used by some hunters here are not trained in any way which should teach them to distinguish between what is, and is not acceptable - it is no fault of the dog- it is entirely the owner who should train the dog(s) to hunt for wild boar, deer etc.

Sadly, it is a fact here that some hunting dogs that do not conform to what their owners want them to pursue are discarded as useless ... hence we have a GSD grump, she was to be shot by her owner as she was deemed to be too timid to hunt...she is a wonderful dog, she looks after our animals and is a great asset to us.

France is not too far removed from England (where we came from) - any dog found distressing farm fowl or any animal can be dispensed of without question. In fairness to the dog it is a sad reflection that if they cannot determine right from wrong (through no fault of their own) they face execution.

Some french owners could learn a lot from the way hunting dogs in the USA are nurtured and highly trained, it appears that some hunting dogs are bred to be aggressive here without adequate training - they are a danger to humans as well as other animals.

I cannot say that it was a dog that killed Boss, it may have been a fox but the hunting season here can be a nightmare for us, we do all we can to protect our animals - Boss has become a victim of whatever and my geese will no longer frequent the area where he was killed thankfully.

I am ever vigilant for any threat but if it were a hunting dog - lost for days I accept that it was probably hungry and took a chance for a meal - a fox however will return for more as it may have young to feed.... I am waiting .....

I heard a dog barking tonight and my geese ( although locked securely in their accommodation) were making a lot of noise - they were frightened and I spent nearly 30 minutes with them, calming them down, they are traumatised by whatever hapened Monday evening - I can only hope that life here will get back to the peaceful life we had before Boss died - it will take time but I want them to have freedom without threat... does it exist? maybe in an ideal world!

Suzie

 

[chickensioux]

Hi Suzie, this is where you have to weigh out lifestyle or complete safety unfortunately. I let my ducks freerange and I know how happy they are doing so. When I have posted a loss to a hawk or whatever, some folks have fussed at me that it wouldn't have happened if they had been completely covered, etc. You know how happy your geese are freeranging. Do you want to pen them up? Or do you want to continue with the life they have now. It's a hard choice. Since they are freeranging, there will always be the risk of predators. Whatever took Boss could come back. If it was a fox, you can count on it. A dog, perhaps it was just a fluke. Either way you have to decide what is best for your flock.

In time your geese will settle back down. They have definately been traumatized by the incident. So sorry you are dealing with this. I have been there and I know it is devastating to lose one and then stressful to deal with the aftermath. Hugs to you.

 

[Suzie]

Hi chickensioux,

I will always allow my fowl to freerange our land, my ducks and geese start swimming on the mill pond as soon as they are feathered enough and they stay close to home for some weeks, they then venture further as their parents take them up river ( the river feeds the mill pond ) and they have a wonderful natural life - I do know of the risks and I have been very fortunate so far to have lost very few to buzzards, hawks, dogs and maybe foxes, I love them all as if they were my children and yes it does hurt terribly when one of mine is attacked/killed by a predator, that is nature but it shouldn't mean that we face admonishment for our choices, whichever methods we choose as owners - some of mine have died naturally and that hurts as much as a predator killing one - my garden is full of chicken and duck graves!

I know that predators need to eat but I would prefer they eat elsewhere and not feast on my fowl.....

I keep a watchful eye on the areas that I deem vulnerable to attack, especially the area where Boss was killed - although none of my geese will go there at the moment. The hunting season finishes here on Monday so IF it was a dog the risk will be minimal as hunters come a great distance to hunt in this area with their dogs. I have seen foxes in our fields but none recently, it was just before dusk when Boss was killed and it is wierd - my geese, muscovy, indian runner and barbary ducks are coming home earlier than normal.... they usually are out until it starts getting dark... maybe they have better wisdom than I credited them with.

I would never have had my fowl if it meant keeping them under cover all of their life, my ducks and geese would never have had the fun they do on the pond, I love to see them out in the fields, catching flies, beetles and whatever else they find that is edible, their security is the river, it surrounds most of our farm and keeps most predators at bay. I love to see them coming home in the evenings (of their free will ) to the security of their respective indoor compounds to eat some corn, drink and chat with each other about their days adventures.

You should see my Silkies when they have been dustbathing in wet mud (mine are white - well sometimes) they look like some diminutive prehistoric demons. As soon as the chicks are old enough and feathered they too will be out foraging with Maman and Tweebie and I know that white Silkies are said to be vulnerable but......

I spoke to a hunter today and he is convinced it was a fox, in his opinion a dog would eat some at the site of the kill and leave some of the body behind, a fox however will kill and take the body away ..... I don't have any experience of what a dog versus fox would take/leave..... however, the shotgun is loaded and ready to go if we see a fox.

I lost my Boss and feel so bad that I couldn't protect him BUT I would never have changed his lifestyle here - he had a happy life as I am sure your charges do!

Suzie

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Suzie- you have me in tears here!! I'm so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful bird.

Chickensioux- Great poem- It helped me too, I've recently lost a beloved bird.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh Suzie I just found this and am so sorry to hear about Boss. he was a beautiful goose. I too lost a little hen this week, not a big boy like Boss but no matter it sure hurts when you loose one.. I think we all can feel your pain because we've all been there.. and that poem cs, It had me bawling.. thank you..

Suzie

 

[Suzie]

Thanks all of you for your messages..... last hunting day tomorrow, a week to the day that Boss was killed.... there have been hunters out today with their dogs, my ducks and geese have stayed very close to home - all are safe and sound in their locked accommodation tonight - they are wary of any strange noises around and the honking noise from the geese gets extremely loud... I spend most of my time running around to make sure they are all ok!

My female GSD has spent most of her day with me - she was barking like crazy when she heard the noise from the bells that the hunting dogs have on their collars, I was feeding the horses at the time and even they were looking to where the bell sounds were coming from - my GSD left the field and started to go in the direction of where the sounds were coming from - she is never aggressive but she seems to be ever alert at the moment - maybe she is aware that I am tense!

I am so sorry and sad to hear of your own stories - they made me weep.... so many of us have had great moments, be it a new one to our flock we have purchased, one being hatched or one we have been given, sad moments also when a beloved one has died naturally, been killed by a predator, flies off - maybe never to return or when we have to euthanase one as their quality of life is diminished by illness or injury - the list goes on.....

Thanks again to all of you!

Suzie

p.s. Miss Lydia - I can only hope that PlumTuckered does not see this - I am still very optimistic that Scooter will return and I don't want her to think that Scooter may have met the same fate as Boss - I am so concerned for PlumTuckered - keeping fingers crossed that Scooter shows up very soon!