On Mother Earth News' website, they had this topic posted. I thought I would start it here to see what others think.
Should dogs be allowed to run free on the farm? (not confined to a kennel or house or on a leash or tether)
I'm lucky in that our property is surrounded by very dense forest so it forms a natural border. Our lab/husky Trailblazer, or Blaze for short, roams our property during the day and comes in at night. She keeps deer from our garden and wild rodents from our chickens. I had to live in a suburban area last year and when we returned up north, Blaze was starting to go out on little forays to the neighbors so we had to start keeping a closer eye on her though after a few weeks she returned to her usual self. I know others are not so lucky--Blaze's sister Cleo for one who was shot by a hunter when she wandered off my friend's 80 acre farm during rifle season. Another friend of mine lost her German Shepherd in similar circumstances. Some people I know in southern MI cleverly designed their chicken run/sheep pasture with a "dog moat" so their aggressive dog would not run at large but could still protect their chickens and sheep.
Anyone else?
Should dogs be allowed to run free on the farm? (not confined to a kennel or house or on a leash or tether)
I'm lucky in that our property is surrounded by very dense forest so it forms a natural border. Our lab/husky Trailblazer, or Blaze for short, roams our property during the day and comes in at night. She keeps deer from our garden and wild rodents from our chickens. I had to live in a suburban area last year and when we returned up north, Blaze was starting to go out on little forays to the neighbors so we had to start keeping a closer eye on her though after a few weeks she returned to her usual self. I know others are not so lucky--Blaze's sister Cleo for one who was shot by a hunter when she wandered off my friend's 80 acre farm during rifle season. Another friend of mine lost her German Shepherd in similar circumstances. Some people I know in southern MI cleverly designed their chicken run/sheep pasture with a "dog moat" so their aggressive dog would not run at large but could still protect their chickens and sheep.
Anyone else?