Lost one of my birds to a dog (He's Back w/ friends)

[marie_martin]

I just think it is rediculous that you have to harm an animal because the stupid owners wont keep them contained. I live in the city limits now, we were annexed so they could collect more taxes. So not sure about shooting the dogs. But may have to come up with something. I want to try to take care of this without harming the dogs if I can. I know some of you don't understand that, but I love all animals and even though finding my chicken like that made me angry and sad and I wanted to hurt the dog at the time, I also know that the dog is just doing what it's instincts tell it to and that the owners have responsibility to keep it contained. I will let you know what I find out and what I end up doing. Thanks for all your support.

Marie

 

[peruvian_princess]

I know how you feel it is a hard choice to make. These dogs were not someones pets they were ferrell(spelling) so we really didnt have a choice in the matter. I have seen some dogs out around the coop before that didnt even look at the chickens they just happened through my yard and nothing became of it but there will be instances when you will be faced with a hard choice. Ferrel dogs are just like wild animals so in a sence i think we done a good thing. MAybe someones child was saved becasue we took initiative.

 

[Guitartists]

Hide in the coop and pepper spray them when they come too close. Maybe that would work??? I dunno. Dogs at large are a problem for everyone who has them. You never know what they are doing from digging in trash cans to killing chickens and cats, attacking others dogs or even in some cases children and people. Dogs at large should really be taken so much more seriously by local officials. So many times when there is a dog attack on humans, the first thing they learn is that the dogs had been reported running at large many times prior to the attack. I think that it should be mandatory for animal control to capture, remove and if it continues destroy the animal. I know it's harsh, but something has to be put in place to make dog owners take responsibility for their dogs, or else NOT have them.

 

[marie_martin]

I agree that animal control should take it more seriously. If that had been my child who was injured, it would have been a dead dog for sure. Thank god it was not. I have not heard back from animal control and will be calling again shortly. The problem is that right now, I don't know when he would be coming around. This time was early in the morning, las time was around 6pm. So not sure if there si a pattern. Will let you know what transpires though. Thanks for all the support. It was awful to hold that baby in my hand and know it was dead. I have not had a ton of experience with dead animals and DH usually takes care of things. But when he brought it back, I did not know if I could save it. So I cradled it in my arms and tried to get it to breathe and stuff. But it was gone. No punctures that I could find. So I am guessing the dog crushed it's chest or gave it a heart attack. The chicken was only about 3 mo. old and I am so thankful it was just the one.

Thanks again.

Marie

 

[Sparrow]

You might get a quicker reponse from Animal Control if you tell them it's now acting aggressively toward you, too. They probably don't care about attacks on chickens, but attacks on humans should get them out there FAST.

 

[flakey chick]

I recommend a paint ball gun. That will do double duty- identify the culprits AND sting some negative reinforcement into them.

 

[chickiemomma]

So sorry for your loss. We had a neighbors Doberman kill two chickens. It comes around when we are not home and the chickens free frange on my property. After the second time I called animal control and told them that they were vicious and I am afraid for the safety of my children as well as my own. The animal control officer agreed they should be on a leash and not allowed to roam free. I have not seen any sign of the dog since.

Good luck!

 

[eggzettera]

Thanks for posting this, you have reminded me I need to go buy some Daves Insanity Sauce & "paint" my run with it. Because..

On 3/8/08 @ 5:00 I look outside and 2 dogs are in my backyard, 1 is inside the the chicken run (they were so big that really only 1 could fit @ a time). I had not heard anything, but they had pulled the front panel off.......I go out yelling at them to “Go on Get” . The big red one takes off.....the 1/2 husky 1/2 wolf looking one (the kind with 2 different color eyes) snarls & snaps @ me, see Sophia & Sir Anthony are just a pile of feathers no signs of life. Thought Tanis was to.....I turn & walk back into the house......Tanis was still alive (could hear her as I walked away – such a coward)......6:00 buried them. Haven't ever seen these dogs in my neighborhood before or since.

Anyhow painting the run with Dave's is the best solution I can come up with. I live in the city and I am sure that eve if I owned a gun that it would be against the law to shot it in the city.(Like I would trust my aim)

When I had a puppy chewing electrical cords I did this with instant results. He didn't eve look @ them again.

Just an idea....

 

[mtcougar832]

Quote:
A dog that did that in my yard would be a dead dog - I have little kids (mine and the neighbor's) that play in my yard. If you want quiet but lethal maybe a crossbow with a gut shot? My neighbor has a rubber blunt arrow that hits very hard, probably lethal on a smaller dog. Do you have any friends (trustworthy of course) that can help you out? And see if there is an exception to firing a gun - being chased into your house sounds like a threat to your health / life.

 

[BeckyBird]

I have the same problem with dogs as the rest of you. Yes, I would LOVE to shoot the dogs who killed my beautiful white silkie rooster (who was in the coop!).....but the reality is that you have to wait around until the dog comes by, and even if you shoot at it, you will most likely miss.
Poison is a no-go too, because an innocent animal might eat it by mistake. ALthough I do love the idea of the doggie laxative in the hotdog! Not poison, just uncomfortable! Haha!

Best solution--tell animal control to set live traps in your yard. Tell them the dogs are aggressive towards people, and they are causing damage to your pets & property. That is why animal control is there in the first place, to help with strays and problem animals.
They will come and set traps, and when you catch something, you call them. They will take it to the pound, where it belongs. The owner has the chance to get the dog, and get a warning as well. They will be told to keep the dog confined from now on, and if it is caught again, it will most likely be euthanized by the pound.

I had a problem this year with my neighbor's roaming dogs. I did want to kill them, because I was so angry. However, I sent the neighbor a letter and told him what happened. I told him politely that if I caught his dogs, then the pound would get them. So, for the past 4 months, I have not seen the dogs loose since!

Any loose dog is a problem. You cannot trust them around children or animals. Even if the dog has a good home somewhere, it may react aggressively toward strangers & pets. So, for the good of everybody, you really need to trap & remove problem dogs from the area.

Good luck with this, and just know that most of us have gone through the same problem)