Neighbor dogs

[nova022]

If I were you I would go to my parents with the solutions you have researched and let them know the options. Explain to them that because you are not an adult most of the solutions are not available to you and ask them to help you with the one you as a family agree is the best solution for the situation. It is good that you are taking responsibility for your chickens, but there is nothing wrong with seeking help when you need it.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

I wouldn't touch the dogs you could be bitten, as for the pictures or video just take them and keep them on your computer or whatever way you store them, make note of the date and time the picture was taken, I don't know how your area works, in my area our township doesn't have an animal control officer, so the duty falls to the County Sheriff's department to enforce our county's animal control ordinance. Where you are there will either be city, township, or county animal control ordinances, the county ordinance will be followed unless your specific town or city has it's own ordinance. I would start by calling the Sheriff's Department, I actually started by sending an email directly to my Sheriff explaining the problem, he gave my email to one of his Lieutenants who called me as I left my phone number on the email. He explained how they would handle the issue and that I was to make sure and leave my name when filing complaints against the dogs so I could be called on to testify in court and if possible to get pictures. The pictures can be given to the cops in the event they write a citation so they can be used as evidence if the dog owner goes to court to fight the citation. The Lieutenant also emailed me a full copy of our county's animal control ordinance, it covers everything from abuse and neglect to viscious animals and livestock protection. When you call or email the Sheriff's dept tell them where you live, give them your address and they will know whether they can handle your problem or they can direct you to the appropriate authorities be it animal control officers or city/village police department. It is too bad you are not from a gun owning household as many times the authorities are very slow to act on these issues, at least in my case they were/are. Taking physical action of some sort against the dogs is going to be the only answer if the authorities don't help you and they keep coming and harming your animals.

One other option is filing a lawsuit against the owner of the dogs, if they do damage to your animals you can sue for damages, also if they don't do damage but continue to come and harass and the authorities refuse to help, you can hire an attorney and seek an injunction against the dog owner, in this case the judge would make an order much like a restraining order where the court would be ordering the dog owner to keep their dogs away from your property and prevent them from running at large at all or they would face a consequence such as jail time or stiff fines or possibly surrendering the dogs. This is an expensive way to go as you need an attorney but if the authorities don't help and you cannot shoot the dogs this may be the only sure way to go.

You could also write an anonymous letter explaining that you are 14 years old and enjoy keeping your animals and inform the dog owner that their dogs have been coming and chasing and trying to kill your livestock on a regular basis and if it doesn't stop you will be forced to take action against her legally or otherwise. You may find that the dog owner has a heart for 14 yr old kids and their pets and will start locking up the dogs?

I see you are in Michigan and I believe I read a thread on here about Michigan having "right to farm" laws, those laws could very well have stipulations about being able to protect livestock from dogs, and they also may supercede any local laws which would contradict them.

Alright. I might go with the anonymous letter first, before I take action against her dogs. If the owner still lets the dogs loose, I will call the animal control office. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[blucoondawg]

Don't do anything to get yourself in trouble with your parents or the law, see what the laws are first and see if you even have an animal control officer in your area, I am not talking about the person running the local humane society, they aren't dog catchers, it would be an actual county or city office for the authority of animal control. Just hang on to the pics and tell the Sheriff or Animal control that you have them and will gladly give them over as evidence of the problem. They look like nice dogs, too bad the owner is so irresponsible. One thing that may make your issue with the dogs worse is one is a yellow lab and the other looks like some sort of bird dog as well which may make them even more apt to want to chase your birds.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

If I were you I would go to my parents with the solutions you have researched and let them know the options. Explain to them that because you are not an adult most of the solutions are not available to you and ask them to help you with the one you as a family agree is the best solution for the situation. It is good that you are taking responsibility for your chickens, but there is nothing wrong with seeking help when you need it.

Thank you

I am going to talk to my parents and let them know the options, and we will decide what to do from there.

 

[blucoondawg]

If I were you I would go to my parents with the solutions you have researched and let them know the options. Explain to them that because you are not an adult most of the solutions are not available to you and ask them to help you with the one you as a family agree is the best solution for the situation. It is good that you are taking responsibility for your chickens, but there is nothing wrong with seeking help when you need it.

This is good advice as well, but if your parent's don't want to get involved and leave it up to you the Sheriff's Dept or any other law enforcement agency is required to investigate complaints regardless of whether they come from a child or adult, complaints can be called in anonymously and they still are looked into. I would not go the anonymous route, it makes it harder for the DA to prosecute such things, my DA will not even bother pursuing a ticket realted to problem dogs on anonymous complaints because there are no witnesses to testify and the dog owners often win in that case. If you call the authorities don't just say you are filing a complaint about your neighbors dogs coming in your yard as they won't take it seriously, tell them the dogs are coming and attacking your livestock or pets, they will take that complaint much more seriously. Let us know how it turns out, these issues are of interest to me as I too have to deal with a problem neighbor, though I know mine and he is not an upstanding citizen.

 

[Fentressfarmer]

Hi, I just saw your post and was going to let you know you can also contact your local constable, many times they are more helpful than the sheriffs department! If you don't feel comfortable making the first contact let the police do it, it is their job!!!!! Make sure when you talk to the police that you let them know the dogs are chasing your livestock and you don't want anything killed because believe me if they are chasing its only a matter of time before they kill one of your animals. Best of luck though

 

[blucoondawg]

Hi, I just saw your post and was going to let you know you can also contact your local constable, many times they are more helpful than the sheriffs department! If you don't feel comfortable making the first contact let the police do it, it is their job!!!!! Make sure when you talk to the police that you let them know the dogs are chasing your livestock and you don't want anything killed because believe me if they are chasing its only a matter of time before they kill one of your animals. Best of luck though

This is true if your town has a constable, mine does not, depends on your township.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

I did some research, and there is a law in Michigan that states that dogs are not aloud to be off their property without a lease, unless they are police dogs, hunting dogs, farm dogs, etc. Our law in Michigan also states that to protect my live stock and poultry, I am aloud to shoot the dogs. I think I am going to print the leash law and take it to my neighbors house and let them know that what they are doing is technically against the law.

If confronting them about the issue fails, I will take these dogs to our local animal shelter. I can't risk my chickens getting killed or injured.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

I talked to my parents. They said not to print the leash law and give it to my neighbors. My mom said that I should call animal shelter and see what they say. I tried calling but they are closed for the weekend, and I can't call until the dogs are back again.

 

[CASDOG1]

Would your parents consider livestock guardian dogs? I have two Central Asian Shepherds for my small holding of a dozen birds & 2 goats. My co-breeder has two Central Asians as well as 3 Anatolian Shepherd/Pyr crosses for her herd of 12 goats, 2 horses, 2 cattle, & multiple chickens & guineas. We have never had a single animal lost or injured by a predator, including neighbors' loose pet dogs.

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