Dog killed 3 of my girls

[Strikefalcon]

Last week I catch a flash out the window and by the time I got my .45, out the door, and found the culprit he had ripped the tail and butt out of one of our EE's I tried to chase it off but it kept circling back so I grabbed it's collar dragged it over to my chicken pushed it's nose next to it and squeezed the trigger. That dog didn't even flinch. just stood there wagging it's tail. Then I hear " You didn't shoot my dog did you? "Not this time." I said. "Come here and get your dog and chicken." Helluva way to meet the new neighbors. But now I won't have to convince them that their dog is up to no good.

 

[galanie]

I think the main problem is, people like dogs. Here's this predator killing your birds and it's all "Oh the poor dog" with little thought to the animal that was horribly maimed and killed by that "poor dog." If an animal were to kill my birds, I'd rather it was a raccoon or possum cause at least it was doing it for a reason and not just sport. And no owner or dog lover to have a fit if I eliminated the threat.

I have a dog myself so I'm not slamming dog lovers, just people who seem not to understand life.

 

[Aeropennchick]

I am torn on this one. It can take a lot of training for a dog to *not chase after chickens - so is the dog owner really at fault for anything other losing control of their dog one time? Out of all the people posting here who have dogs, do you mean to tell me that you have never, EVER, had your dog run off on you, either in the woods, or escape off your property, or anything?

I have an invisible fence, and it is all about training...once the dog knows the boundaries, that is what is keeping the dog on your property, not the shock. I haven't put the collars on our dogs for over a year.

The thing is, as attached as we are to our chickens, this is a prey animal to a dog. Would you shoot a dog for eating a bowl of dog food on your front porch? I Certainly hope not. Now, if the dog is causing destruction of your property and you fear for your safety, by all means pull that trigger.

Was your neighbor negligent? Yes. Can they ever adequately compensate you? No. But will killing their pet, who was only following instincts, make you feel better?....Well, answering that question might tell you a good bit about yourself.

 

[real_redhead]

I think the main problem is, people like dogs. Here's this predator killing your birds and it's all "Oh the poor dog" with little thought to the animal that was horribly maimed and killed by that "poor dog." If an animal were to kill my birds, I'd rather it was a raccoon or possum cause at least it was doing it for a reason and not just sport. And no owner or dog lover to have a fit if I eliminated the threat.
I have a dog myself so I'm not slamming dog lovers, just people who seem not to understand life.

This is totally how I felt, if it had been a wild animal I still would have been devastated but would have felt a little differently, Especially since I knew exactly whose dog it was and when I went to tell her the electric fence collar was just laying there on the porch. 2 seconds to put on teh collar and this may not have happened. And I still fell she feels bad but I think its just a chicken to her.

 

[real_redhead]

I am torn on this one. It can take a lot of training for a dog to *not chase after chickens - so is the dog owner really at fault for anything other losing control of their dog one time? Out of all the people posting here who have dogs, do you mean to tell me that you have never, EVER, had your dog run off on you, either in the woods, or escape off your property, or anything?

I have an invisible fence, and it is all about training...once the dog knows the boundaries, that is what is keeping the dog on your property, not the shock. I haven't put the collars on our dogs for over a year.

The thing is, as attached as we are to our chickens, this is a prey animal to a dog. Would you shoot a dog for eating a bowl of dog food on your front porch? I Certainly hope not. Now, if the dog is causing destruction of your property and you fear for your safety, by all means pull that trigger.

Was your neighbor negligent? Yes. Can they ever adequately compensate you? No. But will killing their pet, who was only following instincts, make you feel better?....Well, answering that question might tell you a good bit about yourself.

Agree, killing their dog would not have made me feel better, it is their pet too! My friend who I sometimes walk her dog for her does the same thing, we come back from a walk, she lets Sammy off his leash in his yard without immedialty putting on his electric fence collar. And sometimes he runs off, she now doesn't do that! I can totally understand. The hard part is the girls were in the run, in my fenced in yard (And yes one side has only a 4 ft fence) and I fell violated. There is no right or wrong answer, my husband is glad that when I came running in the fence I left the gate open. He would feel terrible if he killed the dog but at the moment he wanted to do it!

 

[Aeropennchick]

redhead - I've been worrying a good deal about this myself. We live in a rural area, but our neighbors dogs have been known to "visit" our property. I went on vacation once and a friend from work was house sitting for us...she came in to work and commented - "I didn't know Sara had three dogs!" Well, we only had two - there was a visitor who came in through the dog door!

So it might not be too long before i'm sitting in your boat

I hope my DH doesn't shoot first and ask questions later...thinking of electrifying our run.

 

[galanie]

I am torn on this one.  It can take a lot of training for a dog to *not chase after chickens - so is the dog owner really at fault for anything other losing control of their dog one time?  Out of all the people posting here who have dogs, do you mean to tell me that you have never, EVER, had your dog run off on you, either in the woods, or escape off your property, or anything?

  I have an invisible fence, and it is all about training...once the dog knows the boundaries, that is what is keeping the dog on your property, not the shock.  I haven't put the collars on our dogs for over a year.  

  The thing is, as attached as we are to our chickens, this is a prey animal to a dog.  Would you shoot a dog for eating a bowl of dog food on your front porch?  I Certainly hope not.  Now, if the dog is causing destruction of your property and you fear for your safety, by all means pull that trigger.  

 
  Was your neighbor negligent?  Yes.  Can they ever adequately compensate you?  No.  But will killing their pet, who was only following instincts, make you feel better?....Well, answering that question might tell you a good bit about yourself.

Be real. Chickens aren't usually food to a dog, they are sport. This is not a good comparison. Would I shoot a dog that I never saw before, or my neighbors dog that never had gotten out before? Of course not. Unless, as you say, I feared for my safety. Yes, it takes a lot of training for one to not chase chickens, I'm training a dog now. The problem I pointed out is that people like dogs and don't understand that chickens aren't just some comedy relief to come clucking off a pickup on a country highway. Just because it's natural for them to chase does not make them innocent. It only makes them more dangerous.

 

[Aeropennchick]

galanie - Sorry if the comparison I used wasn't the best. And I totally agree that people with no experience in chickens would undoubtedly like the dogs more - I used to be a rat person, so I am familiar with preconceived ideas about pets.

For dogs to chase, as you agree, is natural (for some, not all). I think what makes them dangerous is the lack of supervision and training. For my hound dog, a running rabbit holds much more interest for her than a bowl of dog food. I was only trying to point out that the dog was acting out of instinct, and after reading the rest of this post, I felt the dog was not adequately represented.

Please relax!

 

[Kay56]

So very sorry for the loss of your hens!

We live in Fincastle not far from Roanoke and there are a few neighbors here whose dogs who run loose a lot. There are so many reasons I NO LONGER CARE FOR DOGS....mainly that is because of the OWNERS who do not give a hoot as to what their dogs do....BARKING all the time and RUNNING LOOSE to pee, poop and destroy other peoples property...not to mention killing livestock. Owners need to be responsible for their dogs and so many of them are just so clueless.... they think it is the dogs right to run, especially here in the country. I've had dogs in the past but I made sure they NEVER bothered anyone else in any way. There are indeed responsible owners who do care and keep check on their pets but I have experienced they are few and far between. I hope this lesson for your neighbors does not go unheeded and they gain some insight from the sad experience. I will be getting chicks in May and am completing my coop and run now....trying to make it as predator proof as possible.....not sure that it is a possibility anymore. I have lots of wildlife here to be concerned about and hope to be taking the proper precautions.....should not have to worry about someones pet! Again, I am so sorry for your bad incident.

 

[galanie]

Aeropennchick: I'm as relaxed as I can be.

I just get mildly irritated when people say "It's natural instinct, don't blame the dog!" In a wild setting, it is natural instinct for a dog to chase and kill any creature they feel is a threat or is in their territory. This includes small humans. I don't excuse all crimes because it's "natural instinct." Sadly, that is often the only way a livestock owner can ensure the safety of their livestock, to kill the intruder. Sure it's ultimately the fault of irresponsible dog owners but I still refuse to call the dog completely blameless.