Neighbor dogs

[MsChickenMomma]

I have a neighbor down the street who owns two big dogs. Every day for the last three months, she has been letting her dogs loose when she goes to work. These dog have terrorized my goats, chased my cats up trees, and chased my chickens all over the yard.

This afternoon has been really nice, and my chickens were wandering around the yard. Then these two dogs ran up and started chasing them. My chickens all ran into the barn and started freaking out. I'm just lucky that the dogs didn't catch my chickens, or they probably wouldn't be here.

We rent our house, and we don't know any of our neighbors. I know who the dogs owner is, because I have seen her stop and pick up the dogs on her way down the street when she gets home from work.

My question is, what do I do about these dogs? I have considered calling animal control, but I don't know what to say. My mom and dad told me that because they are my chickens, that I should solve the problem. My chickens free range, and I'm really worried about this Spring when they start spending the day outside again. Does anyone know what I should do?

edited by staff

 

[aart]

Your parents should call the police, sheriff, whatever is appropriate in your area.
I can see them wanting you to be responsible and you have researched it, but they should be making the phone call or communicating with the neighbor.

 

[hrhta812]

I'm really sorry to hear your story. People need to restrain their animals. That's just plain rude, and probably against the law; even my county has a county wide leash law and it is pretty lame otherwise insofar as having any animal laws. Since you mention your family is renting this property, maybe the landlord would speak to the neighbor?

With no wish to offend, I must say that is it inappropriate for your parents to expect you to deal with this on your own. It would be fine to say let's build a good sturdy chicken tractor and you have to help, but this is a problem that requires adult leadership, in my opinion. They should first speak nicely to the neighbor about what's going on and make it clear that the dogs can't be on your place or there will be consequences, i.e. they'll be taken to the pound, or whatever.

We had a neighbor who let their dog loose all the time and it tried to kill out chickens one day. Luckily our rooster did his job and we intervened in time to save him; my husband fired a shot in the air and the dog ran off. Before this incident, I had actually driven their dog home a few times, and told them he was at our place and I didn't want him to get hit by a car or anything. So, they knew it was a repeating issue. My husband went down there and politely told them that if something like that happened again, he very well might shoot their dog. They were nice, apologized, offered to buy a new rooster if ours died, but they didn't keep the dog locked up. Finally, someone did shoot their dog and it wasn't us, but I'm sure they think it was, so now they keep him tied up.

This is an adult problem and it's something your parents really need to take charge of, dealing with the neighbor, talking with the authorities, etc. I understand they want you to be responsible, but this isn't something a minor should be handling.

 

[CASDOG1]

I sometimes wish people who are living in livestock country for the first time had to take a test. 8-/ So many seem to believe "the country" is just one big dog park & no one has to worry about leashes or fences. And then their dogs come home full of birdshot or BBs, or covered in pepper spray, or mangled up from a livestock guardian dog, they get all upset that someone was "so mean" to their pet. They refuse to believe that their pet would ever hurt a fly even if you have video footage of their dog chasing, biting, & killing your animals.

Bottom line: If you love your pet dog, keep it at home. The law allows my working dogs to kill your pet if it enters my property, & that is not a nice way for your pet to die. Neither is being shot, hit by a car, bitten by a snake, trampled by a horse, gored by a bull, eaten by a pack of coyotes, bitten by a rabid raccoon, or mauled by a feral pig. My pet dogs stay on my property at all times unless they are leashed.

 

[blucoondawg]

When the dogs are loose call the sheriff's department and report them for harassing your livestock, tell them the name or address of the dog owner and that this is a daily problem and explain how she lets the dogs loose and leaves them to terrorize your animals. Tell the authorities if this activity continues next time you will shoot the dogs. Maybe you have animal control officers in your town/county, if so the sheriff's department will tell you to call them instead, either way you will have complaints on record about these animals. Call them every time they come to your property, and if possible video tape or get pictures of them harassing or killing your livestock, even pictures or video of the dogs on your property not harassing anything will be in your favor as evidence that these dogs are allowed to run at large. After that if the authorities aren't of any help, which in some areas they are not, I would shoot the dogs, in my county of Wisconsin it is legal to kill dogs which are attacking you or your pets or property. Though I would only do that if I caught them in the act of going after my animals or after the police or animal control was unsuccessful in dealing with the issue.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

I can call and report the problem. I can't shoot the dogs though. I am too young to handle a gun, and my parents would never do something like that. Even if they were attacking my chickens.

I tried to take pictures of them this afternoon. I was only able to get a picture of one of the dogs. What do I do with the pictures I take? Do I give them to the owner of the dogs, or the animal control officer?

 

[bwahk]

I agree. Its legal here in CA too, it happened to my friend.. his neighbors dobermans were attacking my friends horses. He warned them multiple times and finally called the police, they told him it was within his legal rights to shoot any dog that came onto his property and was harassing/killing his animals.

Anyway, kudos for handling this yourself! You're very mature for your age. I hope the cops help... don't delay in calling them. If any of your animals die they could be liable for damages.

Please let us know the outcome.

 

[bwahk]

id go straight to the animal control... the owner clearly doesn't care what damage her animals cause.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

Okay. I'll see if I can give the animal control officer a call today. What do I do if they say they can't do anything about it? We have reported a different problem to them before, and they said they couldn't do anything about it. Rather than call them, should I just ask my dad to help me take the dogs there?

 

[bwahk]

Will the dogs bite if you try? You could call and ask their advice on how to handle it... see what they say.