(GRAPHIC) Neighbor's dog got through my fences, killed them ALL

[Bert2368]

One of our neighbors (or possibly their idiot, home alone older teenaged children) who have been asked several times to keep their dogs (they have 2) off our property has once again decided to just let them run free. I saw one of the dogs a couple of times this week but was too busy to try and get hold of neighbor AGAIN, besides, our birds were inside some good fences (I thought).

About 3:30pm of 5/29/21 I went past the chicken yard and their dog had broken in, it was happily tossing around and tearing up the dead birds. It saw me, ran back out through the dammaged fence and beelined towards its owners home.

I could see feathers and dead birds all over both their yard and the orchard.

We have an 8' tall anti deer fenced orchard next to chicken yard which has a pop door open during summer so birds can free range, safe from anything but hawks. Orchard fence has an additional 4' tall heavy plastic coated chicken wire reinforcement at bottom, dug into the ground a foot.

Only thing that ever penetrated this before was a BEAR last September, which tore open a corner of fence, ate all the windfall fruit + all the low hanging fruit, then wormed into the chicken coop and ate all the chicken feed- But didn't harm any birds. A vegetarian black bear?

Dog had managed to tear the top edge of chicken wire away from the plastic anti deer fence. This break was in the orchard fencing, a section where I had used zip ties to quickly assemble the fences and NOT GONE BACK OVER IT WITH ADDITIONAL STAINLESS STEEL TIES OR WIRES FOR LONG TERM DURABILITY. I found some of the ties could be broken with my fingers now, 3 years later. Guess the dog did too.

*NOTE TO OTHER CHICKEN OWNERS:

Plastic zip ties are degraded by ultra violet light (UV) in sunlight. They get weaker the longer they are out in the sun, DO NOT use them for any long term fence installation unless you follow up with stainless steel wire, hog rings or similar METAL fastenings.

Called the sheriff and showed the deputy the scene. He said he'd talk to neighbor about their dogs running free and get back to me. I have heard nothing more about it.

These two images are of the same flock, one taken Friday, the other Saturday. Less than 24 hours apart. First picture, they are all out enjoying life in the orchard, you can see open door to chicken yard in the background.

Second, I'm about to bury them in the garden. Yes, the rifle is in case rover comes back.

 

[sourland]

So sorry for the inconsiderate neighbors and your loss. You may want to consider installing hotwire around your pen.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

This upsets me. I'm sorry.

 

[Sequel]

I’m really sorry! Thank you for the heads up on the zip ties!

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

So sorry for the inconsiderate neighbors and your loss. You may want to consider installing hotwire around your pen.

Maybe the neighbor should pay for the hot wire setup. Most places you can make them pay for lost livestock. I hope the sheriff negotiates some form of restitution.

 

[Bert2368]

Thanks, but I'm not going to get more birds.

Between this episode, the past eagle, fox and coyote predations and the OTHER neighbor with his two dogs he wouldn't keep on his own property after multiple requests- Which dogs killed 14 of our turkeys- I don't care to continue. It's not the dogs. I like dogs. IT'S THEIR OWNERS.

It's been an interesting 8 years and I learned a lot of things. But enough is enough.

 

[Kittys Coop]

If you do decide to get more birds I recommend first contacting your department of AG. In NY the owners would have to pay for the cost of birds the dog killed

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If you do decide to get more birds I recommend first contacting your department of AG. In NY the owners would have to pay for the cost of birds the dog killed

smidge off topic, but who determines cost of birds killed? Is it the current price of day olds at the nearest feedstore? The current price of that breed's day olds from the nearest supplier (with or without shipping?)? The current price of a bird of laying age if the birds were laying or about to lay? I just ask because I find it had to believe that it would actually be the cost of the birds and not "Here's two 3$ chicks cause my dog ate your extremely rare and incredably expensive dong Tao pair that had gone through 2 weeks of brooding and now they're gone and the nest is smashed" (or some other super hard to get and expensive breed)

 

[AP332]

I am so sorry they are robbing you of the joy of your critters. People are just so inconsiderate and selfish sometimes. I just went through the neighbors dog getting three of my hens about 2 weeks ago. Luckily we were home and the dog grabbed a hen right in front of the living room window. He was playing! We ran the dog off and talked to the owners, and they were going to shoot the dog, but I like dogs also and could not bring myself to let them do that. So far they have kept it out of my yard.
I would not just let this go, you have rights, especially if you have fences and have done all the right things. Not to be vindictive, but because this is just wrong. Dogs MUST be kept under control. It is the law, no matter where you live. You have every right to enjoy your birds and not be hindered by others irresponsibility. (Sorry I think I was ranting). I hope you can again have your birds in the future.

 

[Bert2368]

The sheriff's deputy said he went over to the dog owning neighbor's a couple of times, nobody answered the door. No doughnuts or "Real Police" episode in the offing, not a priority for him. He would not CALL them on the phone either.

In 13 years of owning property next to theirs, they have never answered the door when I knocked either- Which I've done, in relation to a couple of their PREVIOUS dogs which they let run free all day, as those dogs liked to run out 1/4 mile past their property line to come bark at me in my deer stand at dawn during rifle deer season.

They have also never picked up on a phone call, never responded to notes taped to their door regarding their dogs on our property, didn't ever respond to mail sent to their address.

I can see their house from our property. Seen the lights come on/off, seen adults and kids come and go in the driveway. Saw the kids playing with horses and 4 wheelers. Including driving 4 wheelers WAY off their property into ours. Then when we had property surveyed, lines marked and put up "no trespassing" signs- The signs on THEIR border disappeared. None of the others disappeared. That's all in the past 3 years or so. Cost me $100 to get surveyor back out to mark line again, I set up a LOT of stakes on line this time and set some steel in the ground to locate with metal detector if signs "vanish" again.

4 days after the birds were killed, I was working on the garden next to chicken yard/orchard. And that dog ran up from behind me, sniffed my hand, wagged and trotted towards home.

I had a rifle in the truck, 10' away. But instead of shooting her, I took out my phone & videoed the dog while saying "there's the dog that killed all our chickens last weekend". Then I TEXTED the video to the number that never picks up and never returns a voice mail...

2 minutes later, I get a text back asking who the hell I am? We exchange a couple of texts (he still won't answer a voice call). He says he doesn't RECOGNIZE that dog. I send a couple of screen grabs from video and that it's his brown & white German shorthaired pointer. Also the responding deputy's name, Sheriff's office case # and sheriff's non emergency phone #, and that he needs to CONTACT SHERIFF. Silence.

Next day, Thusday afternoon. I send a text saying that unless he has contacted Sheriff by Friday at 4:00pm I will be meeting my lawyer Monday at 10:00am. Also give state and county law section & paragraph references, his exposure being triple damages + all costs, legal fees & any civil suit awards.

He texts back: "It's my FIANCE'S dog, talk to HER". But no name, no phone # for the lady. Big man!

Apparently he is now divorced & the kids with horses & 4 wheelers are gone?

"Fiance" then sends long text about her angel of a dog who wouldn't hurt a fly, she won't hunt, scared of guns, doesn't ever act at all interested in birds, etc. etc.

Friday, about 24 hours later, I send 1 more text asking if they have contacted sheriff yet, as I would like to break my Monday am appointment with lawyer in a timely fashion if they have.

THAT gets a response. One of them finally calls the sheriff within minutes.

I don't want money. What are 10 birds worth? Not much. What I want is to never see their dogs on our property again, been asking for that courtesy for 10 YEARS +.

As part of this, I spoke to a couple of other long term neighbors. They corroborated ID of owner of dog, said "He always has let his dogs run, he won't change because you ask. We've asked too, good luck"

I have not seen their dogs for 2 weeks now. Hope that continues-

And they're not poor people. Really nice big house. He is the heir to the area's largest trucking and construction company, described as "XXXX county royalty" by one neighbor. And described by several others as "he's different, you probably should NOT talk to him". I'm beginning to understand why.