Heartbroken - need to rehome dogs

[ranchhand]

To be perfectly honest and hopefully not sound rude, I think it's not so much heartbreak as it is guilt that you feel. Do your best to rehome the dogs to good homes, meanwhile, take good care of them and keep dogs and birds separated. I wish you all the best.

It sounds like having dogs is just not a good thing for your family.

 

[Bengalcats1]

Edited to remove unhelpful comment

 

[amynbrent]

Quote:
I agree. Dogs get bored and cause trouble. My beagle killed my first batch of chickens. I couldnt get mad because that is what dogs do...especially hunting dogs. With the new ones we kept bringing them around her one at a time and saying "be nice to the baby" now the chicks are 6 weeks old and in the coop as of last weekend. She barked the first day and now has no interest. She is on an electric fence and still has no desire to run and get them. Both of my dogs are crate trained and they know as soon as we way "go nite nite" they better go and stay. We use that command for many things, people coming over and dont want them jumping, chickens in the house, when we sit down to eat. Crate training is great!

 

[Okie Amazon]

Contact Lab Rescue in your area. The running on a ine is a great suggestion for the mean time. Whatever you do, do NOT give your animals away for free on Craigslist or anywhere else. ALWAYS ask at least a $20/ dollar rehoming fee. You do NOT even want to know what happens to some animals placed for free. There are some sick, sick, people out there.

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
i was given a doberman years ago who was a sereious chicken killer. The original owners broke her of it by tying the last bird she killed around her neck and left it there till it was just too nasty to stand for 1 more second...it worked.She still went after birds but NEVER another chicken...

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
Having done dog rescue for 40+ years and having a sister who worked for years in a higher up position at an animal control center,I'll tell you what happens....bait dogs for fighting Pitbulls and also used for medical laboratory experiments. Taking them to Animal Control/"Humane" Societies are an almost sure fire way to have them suffer HUGE stress then euthanasia as "give ups".
Rescues are your ONLY safe option really and i would BE CERTAIN they are reputable and not over extended. There REALLY ARE some "sick,sick people out there".....

 

[Bengalcats1]

Quote:
Having done dog rescue for 40+ years and having a sister who worked for years in a higher up position at an animal control center,I'll tell you what happens....bait dogs for fighting Pitbulls and also used for medical laboratory experiments. Taking them to Animal Control/"Humane" Societies are an almost sure fire way to have them suffer HUGE stress then euthanasia as "give ups".
Rescues are your ONLY safe option really and i would BE CERTAIN they are reputable and not over extended. There REALLY ARE some "sick,sick people out there".....

YES be Very certain they are Reputable, the Only time I ever rehomed a dog I attempted to rehome it to a newfie rescue, she was a purebreed newfie and young, spayed etc, this rescue was ALL over me to take her and like an idiot I let them take her. I had second thoughts the min she walked out the door, the woman claimed she wanted her for herself cause she just lost her landseer, I knew she was lying and another red flag was she insisted on coming to my house to pick her up over an hour away and I tried hard to take her to the womans house, nope. I called her a few hours after her coming and getting her and all I could hear was Horrible barking, sounded like Tons of dogs were in that house. I had a terrible feeling and told the woman I had mixed feelings and wanted her back, she then told me she had plans ALL weekend and I couldnt come, After she had told me she would be home ALL weekend just so she could spend time with her. I called her the next morning and told her I am Coming to get her she said you dont know where I live, I said YEA I do I called a favor in to a PI friend and she gave me your address from your cell number, I will be there in just over an hour. Needless to say she Met me up there but in another location and even tho the weather was frigid out we drove home with the car windows down cause after only One night the dog smelled so bad I thought Id puke....Oh and this woman was the president of newfie rescue!...I have a very bad attitude towards rescues because they are in it for the $$$$$, my dog I found out was already going to another home the next day and they were charging 300$ for her. They did Nothing to that dog, no vacccines, Nothing...........Go to see where your dogs will be going and don't take no for an answer. My newfie is now with a friend and an only dog which is what she needed, she was dog aggressive with my collie and a BIG chicken killer, but she is spoiled rotten and when he took her I breathed a sigh of relief, that dog stressed me to the Max she was so bad ..

 

[Mzyla]

Just to be clear; none of my dogs are tied up - I have no need for it. Although, not every dog is happier inside of a house. For example, my little ones are mostly "inside" dogs, but my big Livestock Guardian(s) prefer to be outside. The "outside" dogs does have a DOG house.
In some situations tied down or locking in a kennel is necessary. I did this couple of times; when I was leaving or when some guests are afraid of dogs, etc....

For the original poster a "tie down" is one of her better options - a necessity as of right now, until better solution comes along.

 

[Mama_Chicken]

Quote:
I got my second Husky off of CL, listed as free (pure bred, registered). As soon as I saw that add I called and told the lady I wanted to pick her up ASAP!! I wouldn't think someone would fight a husky, but being the breed they are I was sure some unknowing person would think it would be so cool to own one. If you're not prepared to have a husky.....

That being said... both of my pups are killers. When we're not home, they get chained up (with their water to play in and cool down! You'd think they were labs the way they swim!! And before I get yelled at for having them outside, their coat insulates them from cold AND hot weather and they do get AC in extreme heat.) As long as we're home, inside or out, they won't even go near the coop. It's whole other story when they know we're not there to catch them in the act! I am all for having them on Runners when the time calls for it!! They get a LOT more room to stretch their legs and you don't risk them being twisted around the base that you've got the chain tied to. Is there anyway that you could set up a system like this? Also keep in mind that if your hyper pups are young, they'll grow out of that and calm down in time! Whatever you do, good luck!!

 

[SilverPhoenix]

With all of the animals currently looking for homes, I think it's time for you to step up and work out a solution, OP. These are your family's dogs and, while I understand the sadness and frustration of losing birds, ultimately I agree that it's partly because of poor training and boredom, and a lack of coop security. Of course they want to go chase chickens when they don't get to go do anything--they're bored and need some stimulation!

Get those dogs to obedience classes, start taking them on long walks, and fortify your coop until no dog is getting in it. Will it be hard work? Maybe. Will it be worth it for you and for the dogs and for your chickens? I think that's absolutely a yes.