Is this Immature of me or is this acceptable? Long but please read

[birdbrain2]

Quote:
sorry, my last comment.......................but if your chickens or quail are not safe from dogs the they are not safe period. evryone that lives around me have dogs and do their best (not all of them) to keep dogs away from my chickens, but nobody is perfect and accidents will happen.
now if i lived in a very secluded area and if there was a predator attack or dog attack i probably would shoot and kill , but that would not get rid of the fact that my pets/livestock are in danger and or vulnerable to attack and would be forced to make adaptations.

at this point i guess i am being the devils advocate, i do think if you end up shooting your neighbors dog you would be doing so rightfully, but still shooting a dog will not solve your problems and just make things worse between neighbors. best of luck solving your problem.

i also have a friend/neighbor that has dogs that get out all the time and cause problems with other dogs and neighbors too. and he couldn't undertsand why people would get mad at him, after all it was an accident. I explained to him that a dog and a gun are the same, its your reposiblity what happens to it. you will go crazy trying to get people to do the right thing but they won't always do so. so just protect your self.

 

[redhen]

Nikki, Dont send the note with your writing on it. YOU know the law..thats all you need. Dont give them anything to use aganist you! Good luck

 

[Sitka]

I completely understand your frustration, anger, and protectiveness you feel about your birds (and that the guy was a jerk). If you feel it is crucial to send them one of the letters, I would send the one without the writing. Your note makes it sound as if you will shoot his dog even if it just comes on your property, which is not what you mean to say. Actually I think that sending him even the blank one keeps the focus on "I'm going to shoot your dog" --- legal or illegal, understandable or not, this is what they will focus on --- a threat.

I'm not saying to wimp out, but I agree with some of the posts above that say not to throw gas on this fire. This guy may not be one you can talk to reasonably, but I just think that having an escalating threat contest is not going to accomplish anything constructive. I hope that it all works out and that his dog stays on his side.

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
but nobody is perfect and accidents will happen.
now if i lived in a very secluded area and if there was a predator attack or dog attack i probably would shoot and kill , but that would not get rid of the fact that my pets/livestock are in danger and or vulnerable to attack and would be forced to make adaptations.

if niki lived in a very secluded area, would it be different? Because I believe she does. Shooting an already hostile neighbors dog can cause you more problems than it's worth niki... but maybe trap it and then call AC to pick up a dog at large. Personally, I don't worry because I really don't have neighbors, and the ones on the road that know me think I'm a little coo coo

Those critters only get so many chances. I doubt the neighbor is going to believe you or the AC when they have to pick the dog up from the pound, but it doesn't matter anyways cuz the neighbor thinks the dog never leaves the property.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Hi,
I don't think you should pass on the note. I would wait. If you do see the dog on your property - be ready with a camera. Document, then involve a third party like the local law enforcement or the county AC person. In the mean time, make sure your coop is secure. I know if it were me I'd have a hard time not confronting and sticking it to them. However, long term it might be better if you just "bide your time" and use a third party. I wouldn't want this to spin out of control and end badly for you or your family.

I don't think the note sounded immature at all. I would just use caution right now. That's just my two cents...good luck with this. Take care...keep us posted.

 

[horsejody]

I would give them a print out of the law but with a different note.

I would write:

I know you had some questions about the laws pertaining to dogs harassing livestock. I hope this copy of the law answers any questions you might have. I greatly appreciate that your dog has not been free roaming for the last few weeks. As a pet owner yourself, I know you can appreciate how much somebody's animals can mean to them. In the past, I, and other neighbors, have lost poultry and waterfowl to loose dogs. It is very heartbreaking when those things happen. Unfortunately, your dog has been involved with some of those past incidents. Loose dogs are a hazard to themselves, other people and other people's pets and livestock.
Have a nice day.


Give a copy to the neighbor and keep a copy for yourself. That way, if there is ever a problem in the future, you have proof he was warned. Not only was he warned that his dog was in danger, but he was also notified that his dog was previously involved with livestock attacks. Be cordial but firm. I don't know how old you are. I assume that you are very young because your mother is handling a lot of this. You don't have to kill them with kindness, but you don't have to antagonize them either. Just give them the necessary information. On a side note, setting up a target and doing a little practice shooting in the backyard every so often is a polite and legal (as long as you are allowed to discharge firearms in your area) reminder to neighbors.

 

[monarc23]

Hey Jody,

I really like that letter you wrote for me thank you!!! I think I'm just going to let it go for now BUT keep that paper handy, and if there dog comes over im going to pounce on my camera for pictures... (as long as he's not attacking my fowl i cannot shoot him but I can get the dog warden involved for him being "off leash" and in my yard). So either way if his dog is in my yard, it's illegal. So after that happens, IF I get him out before he does anything, with pictures and that paper handy I'll get my countys dogwarden involved which sadly takes about 2 weeks for her to come out (but mind you she has a huge county to roam all by herself). I'd rather this be the situation then me feeling the need to force shoot their dog....for anyone thinking so I DO NOT want to shoo their dog... even if he was attacking my birds pulling that trigger would be really scary for me.... I am a hunter but shooting a game animal and someones pet are two different things. What my neighbor doesnt seem to realize is I agree his dog should be allowed to roam their yard....but what happens is they get bored watching him and then viola guess where he ends up??

SO! Jody!

I will be keeping a hold of that letter you wrote for me that's perfecto!

So if he comes over here again I can hand it to my dog warden to hand to him.

Also, someone mentioned seclusion... well does living partially in the woods in a valley on the top of a mountain...is that secluded enough? The only close neighbor is the one with the dog... and he's about an acre away. We have a decoration sort of pvc pipe fence up about 6 foot away from our property line (that way he couldnt plant gardens right along the property line against the fence which would look nasty).


and also yes, my birds are ALL in a fence surrounded by 2 strands of hot wire, with no tresspassing signs and warning electric signs, my birds are in enclosed pens inside the fence itself, the brooder is inside the fence and two other pens are inside the fence connected to a barn. My birds never leave their fenced-in area

Free ranging would cause way too many problems here and the fenced-in area is large is IMO the birds are pretty much free to roam that area...if I only had an acre of land and could only house my birds in the backyard and "free ranged" them there it'd be the same thing

The only animal on our property that roams is my moms cat, but atleast now there is NO law here in PA for roaming cats I personally wish there was I hate making cats live outside but that's my oppinon.

I may not come on here much anymore to reply to these as for some reason I think these posts could become heated and I just dont feel like anymore frustration haha my neighbor is frusterating enough

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
Let's see. I have horses out in a pasture. In the past, neighbor dogs have gotten in the pasture and attacked the horses. I guess that was my fault because they should have been in fully enclosed stalls rather than out getting exercise in the grass. After all, it could have been a mountain lion (yes, they are in our area) or a rabid coyote. You just never know. The horses are more healthy out getting exercise and eating grass rather than being confined to a small area, but that doesn't matter. Even though I have a lot of pasture, expecting to use my land to feed and benefit my own animals is just unreasonable by your way of thinking. A neighbor dog was was killed in it's own yard because another neighbors's dogs were running loose and went in his yard and attacked him. Was that was the fault of the elderly woman that owned the attacked dog? After all, it was little and could have been attacked by a coon or a coyote. What was she thinking? Using her own yard to let her Pomeranian out to go potty when she didn't have a 10 foot fence with razor wire to keep stray dogs out made it her own fault maybe. Yes, there are wild predators. They are actually much easier to deter than dogs. Even if a wild predator kills, the norm is to just take what's needed. Dogs massacre. Wild predation is a risk all pet and livestock owners take. Expecting people to accept that Fido from next door is just another predator and should be expected in everybody else's yard is ridiculous. They can keep their dog in their own yard.

And insinuating that shooting a neighbor's rogue dog because it attacks chickens is the same thing as shooting a child is so ridiculously insane that it isn't even worth responding to.

BTW if I'm sitting sitting outside at my picnic table eating my potato salad and fly come near it, I'll swat the fly.

 

[keystonepaul]

I like Jody's letter. I would have already called the SPCA, the local police and talked to the board of supervisors as well. Killing his strawberries or damaging his property just puts you in his class and could lead to a needless escalation of hostilitities and kinda changes how the authorities might view things. I might bake a cake but I'd be eating it myself the heck with him.

As for shooting the neighbor if you do this can I have your chickens. I'll take good care of them when your "on vacation". I do have a LTCF permit for PA so they'll be safe and even if you don't go on vacation you'll be too busy in court to enjoy them.

Good luck, Keystonepaul

 

[Sillystunt]

Quote:
Let's see. I have horses out in a pasture. In the past, neighbor dogs have gotten in the pasture and attacked the horses. I guess that was my fault because they should have been in fully enclosed stalls rather than out getting exercise in the grass. After all, it could have been a mountain lion (yes, they are in our area) or a rabid coyote. You just never know. The horses are more healthy out getting exercise and eating grass rather than being confined to a small area, but that doesn't matter. Even though I have a lot of pasture, expecting to use my land to feed and benefit my own animals is just unreasonable by your way of thinking. A neighbor dog was was killed in it's own yard because another neighbors's dogs were running loose and went in his yard and attacked him. Was that was the fault of the elderly woman that owned the attacked dog? After all, it was little and could have been attacked by a coon or a coyote. What was she thinking? Using her own yard to let her Pomeranian out to go potty when she didn't have a 10 foot fence with razor wire to keep stray dogs out made it her own fault maybe. Yes, there are wild predators. They are actually much easier to deter than dogs. Even if a wild predator kills, the norm is to just take what's needed. Dogs massacre. Wild predation is a risk all pet and livestock owners take. Expecting people to accept that Fido from next door is just another predator and should be expected in everybody else's yard is ridiculous. They can keep their dog in their own yard.

And insinuating that shooting a neighbor's rogue dog because it attacks chickens is the same thing as shooting a child is so ridiculously insane that it isn't even worth responding to.

BTW if I'm sitting sitting outside at my picnic table eating my potato salad and fly come near it, I'll swat the fly.

Horsejody, your going to hell for killing that fly.... ROF, LMAO

Great letter, i agree!!