Dogs more important than Chickens?

[JacinLarkwell]

You kill my dog, and I become John Wick...and I'm not the only person that feels this way, just saying...

Amor et melle et felle est fecundissimus

Then control your dog and don't let it get to my birds

 

[TOMTE]

I don't know why we can't all agree that it's subjective and nuanced and leave it at that

It's an understandably emotional topic and it's not black and white. No reason to raise hackles over it.

 

[fowltemptress]

I don't know that emotion has any bearing on it, really. I could absolutely hate my chickens and only grudgingly keep them for eggs, but I'd still be within my rights to shoot dogs that don't belong on my property. People who don't want their dogs shot are careful to not let them wander where they don't belong. It really is as simple as it sounds.

 

[Sic]

Then control your dog and don't let it get to my birds

Priorities friend. Chickens are prey animals and dogs, regardless of their domestication or training, are predators. It's nature. Expecting dogs to always resist their inherent nature is futility. Things happen. If the chickens are running loose and the dog is running loose, nature happens. My dogs don't bother my poultry. I've invested more than 25k on each of my dogs, purchase and import, training, show handling fees, doesn't even include feed or vet care. I spend 24/7 365 with my dogs, more time together than I spent with my human family. I've risked my own life to save my dog's many times. I fought off a mountain lion with a buck knife, jumped into a raging river to save my dog from going over the falls, pulled one out of a frozen pond when it fell through the ice, and jumped into quicksand when my dog was going down in it. My dogs have reciprocated on two occasions. One fighting off a bear. If I say my dogs are like my children, it doesn't mean I think they are children, it means I would sacrifice my own life to save them. I would not sacrifice my own life for a chicken, doesn't mean I don't love my chickens, ducks or goats, but it's different. If my neighbor (if I had one) let their dog(s) roam, then it would be my responsibility to ensure that my animals were contained in a predator proof enclosure or I assume the risk. The comparison that was made by the OP was a neighbors dog killed their chicken, as ghastly as that might be, nature is brutal, does it justify a person killing the neighbors dog? In our society, I would say no it doesn't, regardless of what the law allows. If a dog can get to your chickens then your chickens are not secure from any predators and that should be the lesson learned, as the OP stated, they installed an electric fence.

 

[Squawkers]

Priorities friend. Chickens are prey animals and dogs, regardless of their domestication or training, are predators. It's nature. Expecting dogs to always resist their inherent nature is futility. Things happen. If the chickens are running loose and the dog is running loose, nature happens. My dogs don't bother my poultry. I've invested more than 25k on each of my dogs, purchase and import, training, show handling fees, doesn't even include feed or vet care. I spend 24/7 365 with my dogs, more time together than I spent with my human family. I've risked my own life to save my dog's many times. I fought off a mountain lion with a buck knife, jumped into a raging river to save my dog from going over the falls, pulled one out of a frozen pond when it fell through the ice, and jumped into quicksand when my dog was going down in it. My dogs have reciprocated on two occasions. One fighting off a bear. If I say my dogs are like my children, it doesn't mean I think they are children, it means I would sacrifice my own life to save them. I would not sacrifice my own life for a chicken, doesn't mean I don't love my chickens, ducks or goats, but it's different. If my neighbor (if I had one) let their dog(s) roam, then it would be my responsibility to ensure that my animals were contained in a predator proof enclosure or I assume the risk. The comparison that was made by the OP was a neighbors dog killed their chicken, as ghastly as that might be, nature is brutal, does it justify a person killing the neighbors dog? In our society, I would say no it doesn't, regardless of what the law allows. If a dog can get to your chickens then your chickens are not secure from any predators and that should be the lesson learned, as the OP stated, they installed an electric fence.

I do see your point, but a dog is the owners responsibility and if that dog is on someone else’s property killing their livestock then they need to be dealt with. Whether that’s by contacting the owners and warning them of future repercussions or doing away with the dog. Although I would never kill a dog before warning the owners.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

If a dog is on my property its bye bye mutt... I do the same with cats.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Expecting dogs to always resist their inherent nature is futility

No, but I'd expect a responsible owner to keep their dog on their property at the very least if not actively contained in a run or om a lead.

 

[TOMTE]

I don't know that emotion has any bearing on it, really. I could absolutely hate my chickens and only grudgingly keep them for eggs, but I'd still be within my rights to shoot dogs that don't belong on my property. People who don't want their dogs shot are careful to not let them wander where they don't belong. It really is as simple as it sounds.

You're not everybody else. For a lot of people, emotion very much does play a part in it.

 

[Worm94]

But what if your own pups were the villain and your own hen flew into the very space that keeps them seperated? That’s a hard one to answer, right.

not really, because I don't own a dog. But I know dogs are predators so if that hypothetical happened I'd understand that was my fault and I'd up security for the chickens and get rid of the dog if it was unable to be trained to be safe for chickens.

 

[fowltemptress]

You're not everybody else. For a lot of people, emotion very much does play a part in it.

They can emote all they want, I'm not denying them that right. But it does not play a factor in people's rights to defend their property. That's all I'm saying.