Dog killed my chickens, I killed the dog

[jennifersmith326]

A bull dog came up in my yard, killed 19 of my chickens and I had to take care of one other one because it's back was split wide open. I killed the dog. Shot it dead. I was so mad I was shaking and crying at the same time. I called the sheriff's office and filed a report and animal control came to get the dog. The owners met animal control at the end of my driveway and animal control allowed them to have their dog back so they could take care of the body.
I lost 20 birds and I have one other missing that I can't find the body or the live bird.

I lost:
Cuckoo Marans
Salmon Faverolle
Mille Fluer d'Uccle
Rhode Island Reds
Jersey Giants
Chocolate colored game hen
Buff Orphington

 

[speckledhen]

I fail to see why a dog owner cannot contain one single canine with their own dig barriers, just like us chicken owners who put dig barriers on the outside of our pens to keep them out. It's not rocket science, really, folks. I had dogs for 30 years and just lost my last one at the age of 15. Not once did I ever lose track of my dogs. I put up an appropriate fence at every house we lived in and managed to keep them all contained and away from my own chickens, even the one with a high prey drive.


I really do not care that it's someone's pet if it's on my property, killing or trying to kill my chickens. The law backs me up on that, too. My birds are in my care and most are older than the dogs around here, and have been with me since hatch day. That is my priority, keeping them safe, not some irresponsible dog owner's feelings. I take care of my animals and they ought to figure out how to outfox their own dog, if they even care in the first place (most just don't care at all, I've found, at least in the country).

 

[speckledhen]

NEVER under any circumstances should anyone grab the collar of a strange dog, especially one in the process of increased andrenaline killing spree!! That is never, ever advisable.

I won't take a chance on being bitten. Even usually friendly dogs can snap at someone they don't know grabbing their collar and I will not put myself in danger along with my chickens. And, dogs when packing up with other dogs, have behavioral changes and become completely different animals than they are alone. They are extremely dangerous. Anyone living in the country and having seem roaming packs of "pet" dogs knows this.

 

[speckledhen]

Poor Dog!!!!!!

oh and sorry about yuor lose... but killing a dog how could you????

That comment is inappropriate for this section of the forum. Please review the rules stickied at the top of the section. Maybe this isn't the best place for you to hang out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/5808/predators-and-pests-forum-please-read-here-first

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Quote:
Should the dog's owner say that to you, look them square in the eyes and tell them "It was just a dog".

 

[Mikedero]

So did you take them to court? did you win?

I have a person that lives about 6 houses down the road, they walk their dog up to my house he does his thing in my yard and they walk away. Well after a month of this I walked down there with a 5 gallon bucket full of their dogs poop. Knocked on the door and handed him the bucket saying these words " I think you left this in my yard by mistake, being a good enighbor and all I did not want you to go with out" you should have saw the look on their face.

He went to say something I interuppted and stated. " No need to thank me, your welcome" Not another word was said

He has not pooped in our yard since then, Turns out they had no clue that it was rude to do this. My other neighbor told me that they now pick up their dogs poop

 

[ozarkchicks]

We live out in the country and have about 20 acres. We also have four dogs who we let roam (one is tied up because he is too young to find his way home). We are surrounded by woods on 3 sides of the house and fields on the other side. Out where we live it is very common to let dogs roam free. We see our neighbors dogs on our property at least once a week. Our dogs have yet to get in a fight with them and our cats (we have 4) have always been left alone. There are a lot of stray cats who live in the woods behind our house and our 2 tom cats spend 98% of their time in the woods too. Our two tom cats have probably got into a few fights with other cats out in the woods, very minor injuries. We have 5 chickens we hope to free range but we aren't sure how our dogs will react to them. Our dogs are very protective of the cats and everything else we own. We have never had any issues of our dogs bothering anybody or their pets. Where we live it is understood that IT IS THE COUNTRY and dogs will be dogs. The only complaints that we have ever heard about dogs walking around on somebody's land is from people who moved from the larger cities out to the country. We live way out in the middle of nowhere. I am a huge animal lover and would be crushed if one of my dog's was shot. I would also understand 100% if one of my dogs was shot for killing pets though. Before I had chickens I must say I probably would not have understood, now I realize how much chicken's mean to people, including me! All I am saying is I don't think it's right to tie somebody's dog up and give it to animal control if all it's doing is walking around your property. If it attacks anything or is destructive then I 100% agree but dogs are pets too and I don't think anybody should lose a dog like that without knowing what happened to it.

I have had neighbors chickens wander into my yard and I return them to their rightful owners, I DO NOT capture them and get rid of them. We have also had cows and mules and horses who have escaped their fields come through our yards. My thoughts are, and always will be, if they're JUST passing through leave them be.

 

[shelbydog]

Roostersandhens, I know where a dog is that is a dog and chicken killer. He's friendly when he's not busy killing someone else's pet and he's under a year old so plenty of pet killing years left in this one. Can I bring it to your house for you to keep as a pet? If it kills your dog and chickens you can't do anything but love on him. No rehoming. He's yours forever. You would be a terrible person if you did not keep and love this dog. B/c dogs will be dogs and should never ever be destroyed, right? Now what's your address so I can deliver this bundle of murderous love to you.

And he doesn't have a bad owner. The dog is just a POS on its own accord.

I don't think the predator and pests forum is for you. You can't post on everyone's thread that they are a terrible person for shooting a PREDATOR or nuissance animal. Unless you are 100% vegan raising your own veggies you are an accomplance in the death of animals that pass through a slaughterhouse every time you go grocery shopping. So you are an animal killer too even if its not by your own hand. Oh and let's think about all those dogs you didn't adopt from the kill shelter. Poor poor souls.

 

[anthrochick]

What a terrible loss and my heart goes out to you.

I am sure this was not the case with the dog you shot, but we have a dog that we struggled mightily to keep at home. We paid $1000 to shore up our existing fence (mostly a 6 ft. privacy fence)--and then she learn to climb over the top of it. Then we paid another $1000 for a heavy duty high quality invisible fence. It works... most of the time, with occasional lapses when the battery goes out or the line gets broken. As soon as it stops working, she is out of the yard.

If she could catch someone's chickens she would. Instead she goes from garbage can to garbage can and comes home when she is utterly exhausted.

I say all this because we love her so much and if she killed someone's chickens and they shot her, well, I might understand but my children and I would be devastated. She would kill chickens if she got the chance but she is so loving with our kids, never ever aggressive with people or other dogs.

Our own chickens are protected from her and our other dog by our pen.

Anyway, I am not criticizing or saying you shouldn't have shot the dog. But it does make me sad all for all.

 

[AVintageLife]

I am so sorry for all of the losses described in this thread. My pet peeve is when I hear someone say "they're just chickens". Unless you have them, I don't think anyone can understand the time, energy, expense, labor of love that goes into caring for them OR the value of their eggs and meat.