Dog Attack

[McChix]

Oh, Tara - I'm crying with you. How horrible. I'm so glad two of your little sweeties escaped harm!

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'd betcha the Terrier was the first to attack, but the Heeler was probably trying to herd them...
You could always keep a few of the feathers to remind you of your beautiful babies...I have a memorial box that has Slifer's spurs, her muzzle, her diaper and leash. And some feathers. I used them for a dreamcatcher.

 

[skatcatla]

I'm so, so sorry for your loss.

I'd be absolutely livid with my neighbor, and as a dog-owner, I'd be just mortified if my dog did something like that. I hope your neighbor feels as badly as he ought to. Heck, I don't even let my dog bark at my neighbors, let alone pull something like that!

 

[Wattles]

Thanks again for all the support. I just wanted to tell ya'll that my little Myrtle and Lucille are getting better. As the last remaining two, they are precious to me. I've been reinforcing their run, making it pretty fortified and I hope - safe. I've made up a "bill" with pictures of my girls both before and after with a suggested amount the neighbors pay to compensate me. I'm asking for $200. I know that's high but hey, I probably put at least that into food and shelter - not to mention all the time and love. To me they were priceless actually. I miss that Brahma - she was a special one. I loved her so much. She always stood out in the crowd:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21166692@N00/1941878087/

Here is my Lucille, who survived the attack. I call this photo "Lucille laughs in the face of death"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21166692@N00/1941878121/in/photostream/

I wish I had neighbors as courteous as you skatcatla - we're surrounded on three sides by dogs who bark at me in my own yard every day - it's so annoying.

Tara

 

[picklespickles]

there are people who make a speical kind of pottery where they put hair from a horse's main or feathers on the clay as it is firing and it makes a pattern. it's pretty cool. i have actually thought of doing something like this to remember my faovrite ones, jsut in case. sort of a pre memento i guess. and you think people who eat their babies can't be sentimental.

i think it is called horse hair pottery.

it makes me sick to my stomach about your animals. good luck. and i am so glad not all of them died!

 

[Wattles]

Oh thank you. That pottery idea sounds interesting. Oh, I forgot to thank you SpottedCrow, for the idea of the memorial box and the dream catcher. I think that's a lovely idea. I had intended to bury the feathers but I've gathered them all up and will keep them forever. It's all I have left of them. The Brahma's feathers were soo pretty just like her . . . I'm going to make a nice little memorial box. I just love the poem that Deb wrote. I read it last thing every night before I go to sleep and first thing when I wake up. I keep thinking about that part about feathers in the wind, and green pastures in the sky. I was thinking about it earlier today when one of Betty's (my brahma) feathers actually did float from somewhere and land at my feet. Gosh, here go my tears again.

Tara

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

Tara,
I am so sorry, We all do understand. No one should be judged by thier pets,
"One type Holding more Value than another type in others eyes"

Some posts just seem to get to me this is one.
I was sitting here trying not to cry as if I had known your sweet birds and then when
I read Debs poem that was that had to go get the tissues.
Good thing its 5 am and know ones up..
I have a BIG dog now and a tiny 2 foot flimsy fence around the property,
She would never cross it. I tought her to recognize boundries.

I am Older than a lot of people here My Kids are grown. My point being,
I have had Many dogs over the years, Loved them all and cherish them still.
Teny tiny breeds, Medium breeds and Big Breeds German shepards, Coon Hounds
boarder colies. 12 in all and none of them ever killed a pet of mine or anyone elses.
Even the spaniels & hunting dogs.
Dogs are smart, Not all but MOST dogs can be handled/raised/trained to do or not to do many things.

I like the electric wire at the top of the fence idea.
Maybe your neigbhors will help with the cost, Or even help you assemble it.
Mistakes happen and no one should be condembed for them, but now that they know they
should want to prevent another bad situation from happening again as much as you do.

OT - I am feeling sentamential tonight. Its the aniversay of my dads death and My baby is getting ready to go over seas.

I also always hated the saying Boys will be Boys..
When My son was a teenager I heard that saying a couple times in situations that never should have happened from some
boys in his school and I looked at my son and said
Momma loves you allways, so please let that saying slip from your mind and never use it for yourself or another,
All ways hold your head up and face your mistakes and look for me as I will always be there.
A couple years later my son and a few of his friends did do a high school prank, it did not hurt any one or anything but they did break some rules
and the principle wanted answers. My son was the only one who came forward. He called me told me what they had done and I met him in the office and was there when he confessed his part. He was sent home for the day suspended. He cried that afternoon when he realized he was the only one who was going to confess. I said I was proud and he had to let it go. He did and kept talking to his friends, BUT it was several weeks before any of
the other boys came to the house. when they finally did I could see they were upset and cared what we thought, I just told them I liked them and thought they were all good boys but to please consider this a lesson learned and to always have each others backs in a good ways.
That it was not bad thing to admit to a mistake of any kind.

I feel lost - because I can not be there for him during the next 14 months, like I always said I would.

I HOPE YOU CAN GET MORE BIRDS TARA. GOOD LUCK!

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I flew the coop to soon it seems, to all my human friends.
I know your heart is breaking and will take some time to mend.
Our lives are all planned out you see, no matter how we try.
I know the love you have for me, I saw it in your eyes.
My coop is now in Heaven, my pastures green and bright.
The days are always sunny, warm breezes every night.
GOD saw that my work was done, and called me to come home.
When you see a feather in the wind, remember me....your not alone by Justusnack


Tear jerker...pass the kleenex ya'll......so sorry for the loss, this breaks my heart....makes me want to go hug my own chickens...

 

[jjthink]

Hi Tara, I'm so sorry for your loss and for what your birds endured. It's clear that you love and loved them.
:aww

I want to support you on the money thing. $200 is not in any way too much money. A couple of years ago someone's dog brutally attacked my sweet roo BJ - he took the attack to protect his hen friend Betty. She was fine. As usual, the person said their dog was very nice and had never done anything like this before. That may well have been true but as we all know, it doesn't mean it won't happen.

After gazillions of dollars in vet bills and much time off work for me to provide around the clock TLC, BJ roo rallied and is today well but in the chaos of it all - BJ needed so much care and I had to quickly turn my bathroom into a bird infirmary - I lost the dog person's phone number and never billed her. I should have. Even though she did not intend for this to happen, until a collective consciousness pervades through people with dogs that letting their dogs run free around other vulnerable living beings is a recipe for disaster that will have consequences to them personally, there will be heart wrenching post after post after post on BYC that I believe only represents the tip of the iceberg of what's really happening out there. I was caring for this roo and hen on a property that wasn't mine - the people there were not caring for them properly and let me step in - there was no fencing.

A couple of years before all of this. in the same location this same sweet roo was attacked by a different dog - - BJ was so mauled he looked like he had come off the shelves of the food store. BJ's companion at the time was another sweet roo named Johnny - this roo protected him after the attack by splaying his wings over BJ's naked body. I never saw the dog nor did I ever find out where he came from or where he went. BJ and Johnny were brought into the basement of the home on whose property they resided and I was given access to nurse BJ back to health.

As of July, BJ and a new friend Annie (sadly Johnny and later Betty are no longer with us) live on my property. I have installed a small fenced enclosure but they go nuts in there so I do let them free range a part of each day.

A couple of months ago a dog I had never seen before came barreling through the yard at the speed of light - I had just put BJ and Annie in for the night. Had I not, I know there would have been a massacre - by sheer luck it worked out okay. I wasn't able to catch the dog but I made flyers and posted them on telephone poles for several blocks hoping the dog's person would see the flyer - explained that a very near miss with my pets had occurred and that it well could have been a disaster and to keep the dog on a leash. Don't know if they ever saw the flyers but maybe other dog owner's did!

A nice neighbor with a dog I do know continually lets her dog off the leash and he comes in my yard - I have politely warned her that this is not okay because I have these birds now. She swears her dog wouldn't hurt a fly but I have explained that every person I know whose dog has hurt pet birds believed their dog wouldn't hurt a fly and that it takes only one second for tremendous pain and suffering to occur. After she saw me witness her dog in the yard a few times and dash over to make sure I protected the birds I think she is being more careful now but this goes back to my point.

We must bill people whose dogs hurt our pets - and for as much as possible - and so I heartily encourage you to feel no trepidation whatsoever. We must also make more public the unacceptability of these acts of violence, complete with grizzly photos. Wouldn't it be progress if even those without birds flinched when they saw a loose dog because they know that disaster could strike - maybe they would intervene to ensure the dogs get caught or reported. More stories in the press may help. More education and awareness, any which way we can get it to happen, will hopefully help. Even letters to the editor - they don;t have to name names - explaining what has happened to us and asking for people's help and vigilence.

While I am a huge animal lover - I have never killed anything bigger than a flea - and have rescued many a homeless dog - the damage I have seen dogs inflict is just too horrible to allow any of their guardian's to be anything other than super vigilant. One morning I awoke at 5 a.m. to horrifying screams - the kind that sends shivers down your spine. I ran outside to find the source of the screaming and in the yard behind mine found a chow dog who had gotten loose from its yard - he was tearing a baby spotted fawn to shreds and the fawn was screaming. I threw myself on the dog - would have been happy to kill it actually - and it had to let go of the fawn.

Unfortunately, because I was holding the dog down I couldn't help the fawn and it ran off terribly bloodied, it's back end terrifically injured. I was stuck there with the dog (I had gone into Alpha Dog mode big timeand the chow knew it) until a neighbor heard me calling and provided me with a fenced pen to put it in so I could free myself up to call animal control and to look for the fawn. I never found the poor baby who I'm sure would have needed medical care to live. I posted flyers everywhere to let people know that if they saw a bloodied fawn to please call but I never heard from anyone. The dog was returned by animal control to the owner who lived a block away - the dog is still around - but because of that owner's innocent or otherwise lack of vigilence, a beautiful young animal suffered in terror and probably died a painful death of growing infection and disability. Dogs - most of them - simply cannot be trusted. They tend to get a free pass in human society because of the man's best friend thing, but they inflict too much pain and suffering to enjoy this title unequivocally.

When I think about the fact that I am just one person in one location and have seen or dealt with this many dog problems, and don't believe there are any more dogs around here than average, the numbers of dog "incidents" across the land must be staggering. I bet if we could shed some light on this it might help raise awareness and hopefully with that, increase diligence.

I am very sad for you and your birds and wish you peace. You and they didn't deserve any of this. JJ

 

[SpottedCrow]

Wow, Judy...I don't know if I would've have the nerve to throw myself into that fray....oh Heck, YES I WOULD!!!
Of course, the dog would not have made it though.
My son's been attacked by of all things, a Black Lab and a Weimaraner...they charged right at him for no reason.
The Black Lab, I snarled at and she backed away.
The Weimaraner, the owner said that it wouldn't hurt him...I said, but I will hurt your very mutt if you don't get him away from my kid.
I work at a petshop and the only dog attack on me so far was from a Dachshund that the owner thought needed to be fitted for a muzzle...certainly did, cuz the little $41+ bit me!
Every dog owner that says Fluffy would never do that, doesn't have the brains the Goddess gave a goat!

Hugs to you Flufnstuff!