- May 29, 2012
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The general consensus is your brother did wrong... And that is correct. The undertone is that the dog was also wrong.
The dog did what it did because it was ALLOWED to do so. Improper supervision and a poorly constructed coop allowed this dog to do what dogs will do naturally if given the chance. You were both at fault. The dog was not, considering she was untrained and unsupervised and given access to a structure that was not sound enough to keep her out. And it's not as if this was the first time it happened, either.
You punished your brother by punishing the dog who is unable to control the variables that ALLOWED HER to kill your chickens. And frankly if your brother cares so little about the dog as to allow her to roam free in a residential area, the only consequence he cared about was probably the cost of taking the dog to the vet. For certain if the dog is allowed to roam again once she heals, what you did won't keep her from your yard or your chickens. She doesn't know what she did was wrong and doesn't have the intelligence to know WHY she was shot. She won't realize that maybe the next time she goes to visit the treat factory next door she might not come away alive. You didn't teach her anything or construct a way to keep this from happening in the future.
If you ask me, the wrong party here was shot. I can't imagine ever doing something like that, and I HAVE been in that situation before. It's ridiculous to me to think this is what you would even consider doing.
I'm sorry your chickens died, and I'm sorry your brother's dog was shot. I feel no sympathy for your brother, you, or your guilty conscience, though. There were alternatives to shooting the dog. Unless you carry around a loaded .22, you had time to consider those alternatives. You knew what the dog was capable of and the fact that she wouldn't be contained, yet your coop was obviously not well built enough to keep her out nor did you take any other measures to insure she wouldn't be able to get to your chickens (such as a fence, electric wiring, etc). Your brother knew what his dog was doing and allowed her the chance to roam and the chance to do it again. Irresponsible and reprehensible.
But what it all boils down to is this: build a sturdy coop, or don't bother keeping chickens in the first place. If she can get into it, so can a number of other predators. Be responsible for your chickens' lives; don't ever expect someone else to be. This doesn't mean you get to shoot dogs whose presence and reputation you were fully aware of but didn't take the proper or enough steps to keep away from your chickens.
The dog did what it did because it was ALLOWED to do so. Improper supervision and a poorly constructed coop allowed this dog to do what dogs will do naturally if given the chance. You were both at fault. The dog was not, considering she was untrained and unsupervised and given access to a structure that was not sound enough to keep her out. And it's not as if this was the first time it happened, either.
You punished your brother by punishing the dog who is unable to control the variables that ALLOWED HER to kill your chickens. And frankly if your brother cares so little about the dog as to allow her to roam free in a residential area, the only consequence he cared about was probably the cost of taking the dog to the vet. For certain if the dog is allowed to roam again once she heals, what you did won't keep her from your yard or your chickens. She doesn't know what she did was wrong and doesn't have the intelligence to know WHY she was shot. She won't realize that maybe the next time she goes to visit the treat factory next door she might not come away alive. You didn't teach her anything or construct a way to keep this from happening in the future.
If you ask me, the wrong party here was shot. I can't imagine ever doing something like that, and I HAVE been in that situation before. It's ridiculous to me to think this is what you would even consider doing.
I'm sorry your chickens died, and I'm sorry your brother's dog was shot. I feel no sympathy for your brother, you, or your guilty conscience, though. There were alternatives to shooting the dog. Unless you carry around a loaded .22, you had time to consider those alternatives. You knew what the dog was capable of and the fact that she wouldn't be contained, yet your coop was obviously not well built enough to keep her out nor did you take any other measures to insure she wouldn't be able to get to your chickens (such as a fence, electric wiring, etc). Your brother knew what his dog was doing and allowed her the chance to roam and the chance to do it again. Irresponsible and reprehensible.
But what it all boils down to is this: build a sturdy coop, or don't bother keeping chickens in the first place. If she can get into it, so can a number of other predators. Be responsible for your chickens' lives; don't ever expect someone else to be. This doesn't mean you get to shoot dogs whose presence and reputation you were fully aware of but didn't take the proper or enough steps to keep away from your chickens.
