Just need to vent......bad,bad neighbors

[lil'turkeymama]

I have had to deal with free ranging dogs for years.I know the score.I've spoken with the sheriff's office and a/c.We have a lease law.Most people understand they can't let their dog run loose and kill livestock,chickens.They understand what will happen to such a dog.I know alot of folks that will shoot their own dog over such a thing.I have a neighbor that has a very pretty pitbull male.I love all dogs and own pits myself.This neighbor dog has been raised by teenage boys and it has no manners at all.I have to go within feet of the fence between properties everyday to feed my horses.This dog charges the 4 foot fence barking,growling and slobbering.Very,very scary.I keep a ballbat by the gate and I am now carry a 9 mm in my pocket at all times while in my yard.I hate to have to carry in my own yard.My husband I have both called and talked to the parents.The kids are really hard to talk to.They run in the house if they see us coming toward their place.Over the past 6 months this dog has taken to getting out of its fenced yard and running at large.We had already talked to them about making sure the dog could not get out because it was so vicious to us over the fence.The dad said well,its in our yard.OK so now its getting out and killing my chickens.I forgot to mention the mom did have laying hens she took good care of until the kids got the dog and he finally killed all of her chickens.I found a dead hen again this morning.I didn't see the dog kill the chicken.But I ran him off last evening before dark and called and told them he was out again.so I caught up my free range hens and there are 7 hens missing total.4 young pullets and 3 hens that were laying.Well,I hate to to admitt it,but I kinda came un-glued,for lack of a better word.I came into the house and hubby was already on the phone calling them.I'm sure they heard me yelling I am though playing and the dog is as good as dead.Late this evening he's back.He was playing with my female dog that was on a tie-out.I couldn't get a clear shot because of my own dog and it was kinda towards the fence.I grabbed the 20 ga shotgun and fired at the base of a very large tree thats growing on the bottom of the hill by my house.Very safe shot,but also very loud.The dog leaves fast and I go look 10 minutes later and sure enough hes now tied.I just want to scream and jump up and down.They heard me shoot and called the dog.I am just so sick of this.Its just so stupid.I am going to get my shot and this dog will be gone for good.And then I'm gonna have to deal with why did you shoot my poor dog.I have a real hard time dealing with folks like this.This is a family I'll dealing with.Parents,kids,and grandkids.Its like there is no hope any of them can figure this out.They act like I'm so mean and evil and all I want is to protect my birds.I do not want to have to shoot their dog.That will hurt me.I can do it and live with myself but it will hurt anyway.I'm gonna stop now.But thanks so much for space to vent.I feel better.

 

[melody123]

I've been where you are now, including the point of walking around outside with a gun. Hopefully this ends well, but sometimes these stories get messy.

I hope that you have called animal control or the local sheriff's already. Even if they do nothing, it will help in case you have to shoot the dog. Then there is already a record of complaints to back you up.

Emphasis that you feel personally threatened by the dog. In my area, they won't come out for a chicken killing dog, (but they will put a dog down for killing a goose - go figure.) but they will if the dog threatens a person.

If financially possible, remember that fences make good neighbors. Or see if you can borrow someone's large no kill trap. (Check craigslist, someone might lend one to you. Or you can try to make your own) Then you can bait it, catch the dog, and drop it off at a shelter as a stray.

Your story brings back bad memories. For some reason, it's always the named birds that get killed. The unneeded roosters always make it. But the pet ones with cute names that I was going to let die of old age, always get eaten first.

Good Luck.

 

[crj]

Geeez lil'turkeymama, I would have snatched up that dog and brought it to the pound in another county. Have a Merry Christmas

 

[True Grit]

Uh huh. Good luck snatching up a pitbull. Anyone who knows their dog is a killer and lets it escape is a criminal. Anyone who knows their neighbor will shoot their dog if it comes on their property and does not confine it is negligent. That dog is a tragedy waiting to happen. Not his fault but he is the one who will have to pay. You have to do what you can to protect yourself.

 

[MTopPA_18707]

Well . . . . I'd say things that need to be taken care of . . . . need to be taken care of . . .but I don't recommend posting details in public as they can come back to haunt you.

 

[patvetzal]

Venting is good, lousy neighbours aren't.....Hang in there and make sure that a wounded dog doesn't crawl home....

 

[radiodog]

I go out of my way to make sure my dogs stay in their yard and do not become a nuisance to the neighbors. Its called 'caring about my dogs' and being a decent neighbor. I ticked off everybody years ago that moved out here and thought they could let their dogs roam freely. Big a b*tch if you have too but get your point across. Load up with some rock salt...the dog won't come back if hit but you won't kill it. Pitbulls are smart and that dog will take the hint.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Your neighbors are lucky that it wasn’t a few other that post here or me. We aren’t bad rifle shots and close to our dog or not it would have been history. I just don't understand some people and it seems like there are more and more like your neighbors these days.

Fellow down the block plays/played with his three-year-old daughter in the middle of the street a lot and quite often she's out there and he isn’t paying a bit of attention. Some times there are speeders around here. Last week she was wondering around alone. Woman stopped her car, he came out of the house and he and she had a shouting match ending with her driving off yelling, “I’m calling child services”. Few minutes later his wife came home and they had a shouting match. Haven’t seen him or the child out of the house since.

 

[Baralak]

When my family and I moved to our 2 acre slice of heaven, we were the only ones around, except for an across the street neighbor. They let their dogs run around, and heck why not, nobody lived around here. Well when we moved in, they chained their dogs up, every once in a while they get loose, but don't do any damage. We bought our home, and land and moved, leaving us kinda light in the wallet, but we saved up and put up a fence in our back yard so that our chickens, and dogs could have an area that they were safe. It's not the best looking fence, but when TSC had their 4' welded wire on sale, we got two rolls, 2 corner posts, a bunch of culled fence posts/landscape timbers and boom.. a fence

We now have new neighbors, who let their dogs run.. I've hinted to them about putting up a fence. I told them about how nice the dog owners around here about keeping their animals, and I also talked with them about the 44 magnum that I don't mind using if any animal attempted to kill my Livestock, other pets, or family. In fact we have a nice dirt pile that we enjoy target practice with (smaller caliber of course) to ensure that everyone knows that we have em, and we know how to use em. B4 any one has a tissy, our gun rules require 200 foot from any home, we shoot 201 feet from ours.. Marked.. Now noise.. well that would be kinda hard to enforce since the back side of my property is on a pipeline, and the other side of said pipeline for about 50 acres is a hunting club.