NEIGHBOR DOGS KILLING CHICKENS:

[Amri]

What are my Rights: I am rather New to chickens and still learning. My neighbor has about 40 dogs. She feeds them once per day, usually at night. So, I think the dogs stay hungry. The dogs bark like if they are singing in a chorus-day and night and much more when she is about to feed them. Suddenly, the dogs stop barking all at once and at the same time. They are reproducing themselves over and over. We live out in the country along the bank of the Rio Grande. Our fence goes all the way to the bank of the river and thru dense cane that grows along the river bank. There are 4-5 dogs, I notice are the same ones that keep managing under the fence to my house. My gardener witnessed her dogs killing 7 chickens out of 16 that I had, plus a beautiful huge Americuana rooster). I buried all my chickens and confronted her. She said if I didn't have pictures of her dogs I did not have proof her dogs killed my chickens and that for now, she was sorry for my loss. She texts me to tell me that while I was gone, she sees other dogs go into my yard. Unfortunately, I am home all week and I never see other dogs other than hers in my yard. Recently, her dogs killed another rooster. My chickens are fenced in to the far end of my yard away from her side of the yard and way from the corner where she keeps her dogs. Everyone along this area has guns, rifles or weapons for defense from people crossing to the USA. Unfortunately, I am the only one, so far, that does not have a weapon because I do not have experience with them and fear hurting myself or others with it. Another neighbor shot and killed one of her many dogs a while back because the dog went into his yard and started biting the legs of a goat. He called the Sheriff and she got a citation for not keeping her dogs in her yard and injuring the goat. The dogs keep coming to finish eating any left over food my cats leave behind at night, sometimes during the day. However, my gardener convinced me to buy a BB Gun to scare the dogs. I did. I shoot at them. They keep coming anyway. The BB Gun is not working. Again, the dogs killed another rooster. I went to a Sports Academy Store in San Antonio Texas to inquire about purchasing a 22. I was told I would be suit if I shoot and killed a dog because a dog is not edible while a chicken can be killed because it is, just like anyone can kill a cow to eat but you can not shoot a horse. I was furious and came home upset because this dogs position themselves like they will attack me should I get near them when they are in my yard and they bark at me. So, can anyone tell me what I should do or what are my Rights or should I just use the 3S Rule?

 

[17 chickens]

If a dog or wild animal comes after you or your livestock and pets you do have the right to shoot that animal. You need to call or go in to your local sheriff office and tell them and talk to them about your rights to protect your animals. Be firm!

 

[Pyxis]

Sounds like you're in Texas. In Texas, you can 100% shoot a dog that is harassing and attacking your livestock. So yes, you are well within your rights to shoot those dogs.

And call animal control on her. It doesn't sound like those dogs are well cared for and it is a hoarding situation. If you're lucky, the dogs will be taken away from her and you won't have to shoot them.

But the next time they are attacking your animals, you can definitely protect your birds and shoot the offending dogs if need be.

Look at 42.092 e 1 here. You are covered under the law if you shoot a dog that's attacking or was attacking your animals. http://www.apainc.org/wp-content/uploads/Texas-Animal-Cruelty-Summary.pdf

 

[sawilliams]

You need to call the police or sheriff and all about your right. Starting with even on farm land she probably has way more dogs then is considered legal or safe. In most cases you have a right to protect your property. If its on your land and a danger to you or your animals it can be shot, but again talk to local law enforcement. You also need to find out what steps to take if you need to report that you shot a dog.

Honestly, she said they aren't her dogs on your land. I would assume they don't belong to any of the neighbors. So then they are wild dogs? And wild dogs are typically legal to kill as they are wild and not native to the area and in most cases can't be trained... which can cuase a huge population issue and upset the native ecosystem... just something you think about.

But do your best to get pictures of any dog on you land ask your gardener to do the same. Truth is with the dogs coming over at random like that you both could be in danger too.

 

[Howard E]

I remember being surprised to hear a friend of mine......from Texas........tell a few of us it was a helluva thing that it had come to the point where it was no longer possible or acceptable to take a guy who deserved to have the everloving crap beaten out of him....and not do it. The John Wayne solution to dealing with problem neighbors was over. Even in Texas. So basically what he was saying is the jerks win. Not much you can do with them.

That is the bad news. The good news is you can do something about this jerkette's dogs....at least as far as your birds are concerned. Build yourself a super hot electric fence to protect them. As you have found, a physical fence won't do it. A BB gun won't do it. An electric fence will. Once they get blasted by one of those, it is a tough sell to get them to go anywhere near it......let alone try to cross it.

The dog's owner has NO complaint against an electric fence. BTW, it is not the fault of the dogs. They are only doing what they are programmed to do. It is entirely the fault of the owner. Yet the dogs are the ones made to suffer......from hunger, starvation, fleas and ticks.....and gunshot wounds. But aside from working within the law to help them, you can't do anything for them. All you can do is keep them at arm's length. An electric fence lets you do that.

 

[centrarchid]

Hotwire fence perimeter to protect remaining and ultimately remaining chickens when you are not present. Then use firearm to get dogs as they challenge said fencing. Work needs to be invested in developing positive relationships with neighbors, otherwise I do not see your efforts persisting with livestock / poultry lasting very long.

 

[andreanar]

Id shoot the dogs that I found on my property and def call animal control about the amount and condition of the dogs. I would first contact the neighbor and tell her that I have a gun and from now on will not tolerate the dogs on my property, killing my chickens. Make it her choice...Keep the dogs off your property or deal with the consequence.

 

[trudyg]

I would NOT tell the neighbor that I now have a gun and will use it. The less they know about that, the better. What if another neighbor shoots her dog and she says you did it? Shhh. My advice is, in addition to all else you are doing and have been advised to do, go to a neighbor that you are friendly with and get them to teach you firearm safety and how to use it. A single shot .22 will manage your problem and be fairly safe, but you need to be comfortable with handling it. Then, practice, practice, practice. There are so many folks out there willing to help you learn! Swing by a rifle range on a Saturday morning and talk to the folks shooting, someone will help you and you'll have a new friend. BTW, i let a 10 year old shoot squirrels in my orchard (yes, he ate them) and now he's in his 30's and brings me venison--what goes around comes around.

 

[lcwmt]

if I read your first note correctly, you have already spoken to the neighbor.

Now it's time to go to the Sheriff's office, ask them what you should do *right now*. Waiting until you get photos of more of your animals being killed is not acceptable.
She has too many dogs unless she is a licensed breeder, and even then she has too many dogs.They should not be loose. Report that concern to the Sheriff and to Animal Control.

Meanwhile, running two lines of electric fence along your side of the fence would be fast, reasonable inexpensive and have an immediate impact. Your Gardener can probably do it in short order.
Getting a .22 and learning to use it might or might not be a good idea, but it would take serious time.
(I do not have a gun for some of the same reasons as you... but folks in my county certainly do. Guarantee you that if my dogs got into the neighbor's sheep or cattle, I'd never see the dog again nor would I hear about it.)

 

[Howard E]

I'm not a big fan of shooting neighbors dogs......has been about 50 years since the last one. But, if you do decide to go that route, DO NOT try it with a .22. Lethal in the right hands........not so much if you don't know what you are doing. If you want to get someone fighting mad at you, send a gut shot wounded dog home to die under their porch about a day or so later.

A better weapon for that work is a shotgun. 12 gauge if you can handle it......20 gauge if not. And use #4 buckshot. That drops them dead in their tracks.