Years ago I had a farm and the chickens were let out of their coop each morning to range. I had an Alaskan Malamute and a collie when I bought the farm (along with about 9 chickens). First I had a weanling pig get out and the AM caught her, but no harm was done, but a few days later I heard the chickens squawking and looked out in time to see the AM grabbing the 5th hen, shaking it, then going for the next one. By the time I got to her we had 2 chickens left. As much as I hate to tie a dog up I tied her up and started looking for a city home for. She was adopted by a great young man who loved her dearly, so that ended well. Living in the country means you will always have a good supply of dogs whether you want to or not.
So we had many, many dogs over the years that we took in. Recently, as I am back in chickens again this time with a loving 7 y.o. lab and a 2 y.o. beagle cross (both dumped dogs) that would chase and kill the chickens in a heartbeat, I realized that none of the dogs that were dumped on me on the farm ever gave the chickens a thought. No hidden message here, but just realizing I'd never worried about my dogs and stock in the past. Oh well, such as life. The collie wouldn't kill anything, but she would run circles around coyotes when they came too close and bark to let me know I needed to do something. I also had a young stallion who I watched chase a coyote across the pasture striking out at with his front feet finally hitting it. The coyote rolled about 3 times and came up running at right angles from the direction they'd been going. Animals are an education to any who care to pay attention.
