German Shepherd Shot

[Clay Mudd]

Quote:
Well said.

 

[kareninthesun]

Quote:
What goes up must come down, you should NEVER shoot a gun over your head, New Year's Eve and the 4th of July, there's always news of someone who ended up in the hospital because of this.

Should one stand back and take notes on the temperment of the given dog before making a decision or hope it will suddenly change it's ways if confronted on it's errors? We're usually talking about dogs whom already have had a taste of chickens, and like hawks or other preditors likes it. What they see is easy pickings if they can find a way in. Dogs, either alone or paled up, or part of a pack are intellegent creatures with strength beyond the chickens. They are hungry. If they are hungry enough, or if they feel threatened, or if they want you to know they are the alpha, they will let you know in whatever way works best. If they're part of a neighbor's ownership, that means about as much as keeping a bear or cougar or fox on their property without being confined. It is THEIR responsibility as long as it is on THEIR property, but if they are on MY property, it is MY responsibility to protect what is mine. My family, anyone whom comes to visit, my livestock including my chickens. If a neighbor's dog came onto my property and for example, attacked the mail carrier or my child, who's responsible? In every case, it is the owner of the said dog.

Now, if it is a neighbor's dog just coming over to visit and I know the dog is waiting for me by the door, knowing I have a cookie jar filled with doggy yummies, (I have a neighbor's dog like that), that's different. I KNOW the dog is going to leave the chickens alone. But politics and dog whispering don't match up well with aggressive dogs with one thing on their minds. If this dog's owner is found, they should be THANKING YOU for keeping them out of the court system!

Kudoes for your wife, and give her time. I think that it just takes time for emotions to catch up and balance with the reality of the situation.

Oh, and I were you and found out whom the owner is, I think I'd bring it up in conversation that you heard something about the dog being killed after killing livestock. You can always say that you heard this while in line at the store or movies or gas station....

 

[fc]

Thanks for the supportive posts. Is this thread worth continuing?
My brother lost all his chickens, plus two cats to either coyotes or wild dogs in his area. His son shot four wild dogs at one time on their property with an AR-15.
Whoever's dog these were don't know who shot and called the pound, yet. We run the neighborhood watch program on our long road. Meeting time is next month- hope this doesn't come up, but neighborhood watch is for more than people, it seems. Our human crime alone is bad enough around here.

 

[ladyride]

FC thank you for serving & protecting our country.

Your wife had a tough decision to make to protect your chickens & from the sound of it herself kudos.

I raise chickens for meat & eggs if a predator takes it that is food off my table. In todays economics that can get costly. It is hard enough pay mortgage & utilities buy groceries without having to replace what you are growing.
I live in a very rural community I have already had to have a discussion with 1 neighbor about their dog since it only got a mouthful of feathers it got to live another day. I don't give 2nd warnings !! Control your dog or I will. I have 5 dogs of my own, I have the only fenced yard on the road. Yes I have fru-fru dogs & 1 of them has a wardrobe he is follicularly challenged.

The point being I control mine you do the same. Around here the neighbors also control the coyotes & fox you can hear shots ringing out at any given time .

Strays don't seem to be tolerated around here as everyone has some form of livestock that needs protecting.
I hope your wife is doing better.

Most of the time the hard choices are also the right choices. She was a brave lady to walk into that pen & face 2 dogs that could have just as easily turned at the same time on her.

 

[debs_flock]

I moved into a new house in the fall and the neighbors let all their dogs run loose, 6 of them. They all would run up behind you barking, if you turned to face them, they would back up and continue to bark. Most days I'd walk from my car to my house backwards so I could keep an eye on the dogs. I did not want to get bitten on the back of my leg. Five of the dogs were small and one large one.

On Christmas morning I looked out the window and discovered the large dog was in my son's poultry yard and killing his chickens/ducks/geese. I ran out and chased him off, but knew when we got home from spending the day with my family, the birds would all be gone.

I too was afraid of neighbor relations. They were never going to fence their dogs and never believe it was their dog. All you have to do is talk to them and you will always be the bad neighbor in their eyes.

Instead I took some boiled liver I had in the fridge and lured the dog to me. I dropped pieces of liver and backed my way into my house. The dog followed me bit by bit all the way into my livingroom. My front door was open with my son standing behind it. When the dog cleared the dog, he slammed it shut. The dog ran around a bit looking for a way out, but once I got a leash on, it became quite timid.

I didn't want to take the dog to the local animal control (they frequently bailed out their dogs), so I called my family and said I would be late for Christmas. I drove that dog an hour away to animal control in the next county and placed it in a surrender box. I did leave a note that it was killing my livestock. I didn't want make a problem for someone else's animals.

I felt a little guilt when the neighbors asked if I had seen "big dog", but I would do it again. They always assumed the dog was shot by the neighbor at the bottom of the hill, because the dog had been chasing his sheep in the past. I always got along with those neighbors (don't live there anymore), and my son didn't have to come home on Christmas to dispose of his entire flock of show birds.

Deb

 

[MamaRoo]

Quote:
With all the different responses, I think it is worth continuing. As you said previously, someone who has not experienced a situation may not understand your response. Other people, like me, will read your story and think 'what would I have done?'

I would have done what your wife did.
The dogs were not with a person, and they were killing livestock. They could have attacked other animals, or your wife. For all she knows, her decision to protect her animals could have saved a child from getting bitten by the same dogs.

I don't think this should be looked at as weighing the value of a dogs life against a chickens, but weighing the value of safety against danger. She didn't remove a dog, she removed a threat.

 

[PattyO]

To epeloquin Dont mean to be offensive but are you some kind of canine expert? The fact of the matter is that a warning shot could have deterred these animals. If that did not then by all means shoot them. What about rock salt? Dont have to be a dead eye with a shot gun.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Quote:
And if the OP had to leave home later that day for some reason? Should his wife just assume that the large dog wouldn't come back in her absence and destroy the rest of their birds? Come on. If the owners care about their dogs, they will keep them contained and they won't have to worry about their dog being shot. The OP's birds are EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT AS THE NEIGHBOR'S DOG.

 

[speckledhen]

As far as shooting guns to scare dogs, we had experience with this on one occasion where DH shot at the feet of two dogs. Didn't even phase them. I rather doubt it would bother most dogs, to tell the truth, since they probably cannot associate that loud sound with imminent pain/harm to themselves.


fc, if you ever want a thread of yours closed, just hit the report button on the first post and ask that it be closed by the first moderator available and he/she will assess the situation.

 

[MamaRoo]

It's pretty easy to come with alternatives while you're sitting at home, with your property safe. In the moment, you do the best you can. All fault rests on the dogs owner. FC's wife did absolutely nothing wrong. She was under no obligation to risk her property in favor of someone else's. If the story had been about someone calmly watching the situation and planning the shot, it might be appropriate to ask why a warning shot hadn't been considered, but this was about a woman who didn't normally handle guns, and was scared to death. You cannot fault her actions. She protected her property.