Do domestic dogs run in packs?

[dainerra]

Quote:
In most places it's not legal to shoot merely because they are on your property.

They have to be in the ACT of harassing or killing livestock, or damaging property.

"Running through the field" doesn't fit that definition

Also, being in a group doesn't necessarily make them dangerous
It could have been one female in heat and a group of males with nothing else on their mnds

Luckily I can here. If they look like the dog that has already bothered or I have "reason" to believe I am in the clear. Of course, I also always get that in writing in the police report.

 

[Gypsi]

One of my dogs is still paranoid (border collies have incredibly long memories and are obsessive compulsive). A large male pitbull showed up wild in my area and while I was walking my 3 dogs on leashes, he attacked. Spike and his sister, german shepherd/border collies, fixed, immediately pinned the pit bull, all 100 pounds or so of him. I gave them their release word and they let him up. He came back in attacking. They pinned him again. I let them hold him while I yelled for a neighbor, eventually someone heard me, and came and pulled the pit off when my dogs released him. I got them home, dressed Val's bleeding ear. We didn't walk again for a couple of weeks.

Animal control was called but never managed to catch him alive.

After an attack on a 13 year old Labrador, the lab's owner shot the pit bull. I do not know where the body went, but authorities were never called after he was dead. He didn't live around here, he was dangerous, and he is dead. That was 2006.

I eventually had to give Val away to break the pack mentality up that came from that incident. It was no longer safe for any dog to approach mine, they had become fear attackers when they were together. Val's main Obsession point was her fear of cats, so I found her a home with a large puppy and kids. Spike does OK, now, barely sometimes. I got a rott mix from the pound, 18 months old but with superb doggy manners toward other dogs, in January 2009. I took in a stray female dog around the time I gave Val away. Between the two of them, Spike learned other dogs were ok. He is 8, and I fear I will lose him soon. But breaking pack mentality is extremely important if you have multiple dogs, mine could easily have killed someone else's pet if they had gotten into my yard. Didn't matter if it was a chihuahua or a coyote, the fear was so thick. It took 4 months, and bringing all of the dogs in the house, controlling feeding, etc. And a piece of 1 1/2" pvc pipe for head thunking as needed.

(not the same as beating the dog, just a gentle thunk on the head to get their attention - I carry scars from a puncture would breaking up a fight between Spike and Betty, the stray. The pipe can also slip in between the dogs and not bleed if bitten)

Would I shoot a pack of wild dogs exhibiting pack behavior. I would certainly shoot at, and deter. If it did not deter, I would shoot to kill.

 

[Mattemma]

They sure do,and as pack animals they can be a threat even to you. I recall watching an animal planet show were a lady was killed by a pack by her home.Later her dh went locking for her and was killed by the same pack of dogs.Shoot to kill if there is any sign they might attack. One of my dogs got attacked by a husky that got lose from the neighbor.He thought it would sniff and play,but it sniffed and bit many times!

 

[AlienChick]

Quote:
In most places it's not legal to shoot merely because they are on your property.

They have to be in the ACT of harassing or killing livestock, or damaging property.

"Running through the field" doesn't fit that definition

Also, being in a group doesn't necessarily make them dangerous
It could have been one female in heat and a group of males with nothing else on their mnds

Luckily I can here. If they look like the dog that has already bothered or I have "reason" to believe I am in the clear. Of course, I also always get that in writing in the police report.

Fortunately, too, where we live we can shoot any stray dog that wanders onto our property.
We are not responsible for other people's animals; only our own.