Neighbor Has A New Dog. Our Chickens Attacked Twice in Three Days

[CapeReds]

I guess I'm looking for advice on how to handle this. We have had chickens for five years. Our neighbor used to have chickens, but no longer, now has a new dog. It's more or less a black lab however the dog is psycho and probably a puppy farm frankenstein. It barks incessantly when put out on a run and has destroyed much of their furniture. Now twice in three days it has got free and come into our property nearly killing two of our hens. Today it happened again,right on our back deck and there is a big pile of feathers remaining. We haven't been able to find the hen and address her wounds. The same thing happened two days ago and our hen lost all her tail feathers and has a patch of flesh pulled off under her wing. We dressed that with triple antibiotic ointment and are hoping for the best.

The neighbors are nice people and apologetic. That said, we feel that the first time was an an accident and after that negligence is the only explanation. Any advice towards a firm, but diplomatic resolution would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[IceAngel]

Chasing livestock is a big offense. In some areas it's actually legal to shoot a harassing dog. I am not suggestion this because it really isn't the dogs fault. Your neighbours may seem nice but they are irresponsible dog owners. Since this has happened twice now, I would suggest to your neighbour that it can't happen again. Just as they love their dog, you love your chickens and you must look after their welfare. They must either pen/chain up the dog or keep him inside until they have taught him to stay in their yard.
Read the local by-laws to them. In my area there is a $350 fine for a dog chasing livestock.
Be firm. If it does happen again, they are not as nice as you think and you should just let the local dog catcher do his job.

 

[dekel18042]

If it does happen again, they are not as nice as you think and you should just let the local dog catcher do his job.

Since it has happened twice I would definitely report it to animal control. I would also give them a bill for any killed chickens and wouldn't hesitate to take an injured bird t the vet and present them with the bill.
Haven't checked lately, but years ago a dog owner was liable for treble damages, which means if a pullet is worth $30.00, the dog owner could be on the hook for $90.00 per chicken. I believe certain things had to come into play for that number to be in effect. (Perhaps multiple attacks by the same dog after the owner was warned?)

 

[IceAngel]

Since it has happened twice I would definitely report it to animal control. I would also give them a bill for any killed chickens and wouldn't hesitate to take an injured bird t the vet and present them with the bill.
Haven't checked lately, but years ago a dog owner was liable for treble damages, which means if a pullet is worth $30.00, the dog owner could be on the hook for $90.00 per chicken. I believe certain things had to come into play for that number to be in effect. (Perhaps multiple attacks by the same dog after the owner was warned?)

Well I always advocate the most diplomatic route possible. Disgruntled neighbours will find something about you to complain about next and pretty soon you have a war. In our area it's the dog catchers job to keep the peace in the neighbourhood. That's why we have by-laws. Maybe they just don't know them.

 

[clairabelle75]

I'm so sorry to hear about your chickens, I hope they are all okay. Our own puppy has injured one of our chickens and one chick, despite there being 2 fences in between them. My chicken and chick are both fine now, I used honey, lavender oil and colloidial silver on them and I'm sure the antibiotic cream will work well too, the chick injury was pretty minor, but the chicken was really messed up around her wing and she still lays eggs for me every day. I don't like that this happened, but recognize that it was my fault, not my dog's. The puppy probably will get better (my 14 year old dog chased my cat at 2 years old but is now totally fine around my chickens (a little scared of them actually), but it is not okay for your chickens to get injured in the meantime, it takes YEARS for them to calm down! We keep our "puppy", now 2 years old well away from our chickens, locked in her kennel or inside the house if we are not home and at night and have reinforced the fence with smaller wiring (the chick got out of it's pen and into the dog's area). We have neighbours who for years let their dog roam the neighbourhood and the reason they stopped is because somebody called bylaw on them several times and he hit them hard where it counts - in the wallet! They are also very nice people... and I didn't call bylaw, but I'm not surprised someone else did. I think that is a great suggestion, because as nice as I'm sure they are, they didn't change anything after the first incident and they don't have the attachment that you have to your chickens. I'd call the bylaw

 

[Folly's place]

My dogs love chicken too, and I have invested effort and $$$ to keep them fenced safely! You've had THREE attacks already??? I'd be calling Animal Control if a civil chat with them hasn't fixed the situation. They owe for your birds and should have already apologized, paid, and fixed the problem. So sorry! Mary

 

[CapeReds]

Two attacks so far. The neighbor came over last night and explained that the leash broke. He was apologetic and said that he was going to have to put in an invisible fence for the dog. Realistically, our neighbor has been "going to do" allot of things and none has ever materialized. We weren't really buying the leash broke excuse either. For me, we chocked up the first attack as an accident. Another attack two days later can not be an accident again.

This leads me to be somewhat pessimistic about the outlook as far as our neighbors being proactive or making any real effort to resolve this. In fact, I think they are overwhelmed by the dog and this is just one more thing after having their furniture destroyed and dealing with all the other hyper behavior disorders the dog has.

In both attacks, the dog hit and ran back home when confronted. It's doubtful that animal control could be at the right place to catch the dog in the act. I don't know about the law, but it would be a civil action. Really, we're not interested in the money. We just don't want our pets ripped to shreds in their own yard. The property boundary on that side is about 400' so, the cost of a fence would be hugely prohibitive.

Looking ahead, all I can see is more attacks, more injuries, and eventually a few kills. Each time it would be followed up with a pathetic useless apology. After enough of that, I would at some point get out the high power pellet gun and end the problem. This is an outcome that I would really, really, really want to avoid.

 

[IceAngel]

Pelleting the dog is a very bad idea. You could easily be charged with intent to inflict injury on an animal by animal welfare organizations. Imagine if you accidentally took out the dog's eye. That's thousands of dollars of Vet costs and the Judge isn't going to care if you were just protecting your chickens. He is going to tell you that's what the By-law officer is for. Furthermore, instant i-phone pictures of you discharging a pellet gun can be posted to the net and be a source of embarrassment to you for life.

The By-Law officer doesn't need to catch the dog in the act. If you complain, he is forced to contact the people and at least warn them. This is generally followed by a fine which goes up exponentially with subsequent offences. You need to phone each time you see the dog out and about. If they don't have a fence the dog will most likely greet the dog catcher on the street, lol. Take pictures of the injuries to your chickens so you can show him the damage. He knows dogs and chickens don't mix very well and he is going to take your word that this is happening.

Civil suits only benefit the lawyers. Even if you represent yourself and can convince the judge that damage has been done to you, it's still up to you to collect on the judgement. It's just not wise to get into conflict with a neighbour - nobody comes out winners.

I am not sure but I believe an invisible fence should function over large distances. Two electronic devices are mounted at each end and the dog is forced to wear an electronic collar. If he steps into the fence, he gets an electric shock. When your neighbour promises you something, pin him down to a date. Tell him to keep his dog contained during the hours that your chickens are outside. If not, you have no alternative but to report him.


This is a job for the By-law officer, let him do it.

 

[dekel18042]

Quote: I get it that your interest is in keeping your pets safe and not in any monetary compensations, but sometimes you have to hit people where it hurts them the most and that might well be their pocketbook.
Unfortunately there are huge differences in the quality of AC in different states, in different areas of the country. They range from excellent to some you are just wasting your time calling. Depends on your area and depends on their priorities. Sometimes having the authorities just talk to them may help.
But what I really wanted to mention is their "gonna get an invisible fence." I'm very familiar with invisible fencing. In some cases it can work, depending on the dog and the motivation of the owners, but it is not a be all and end all. Some you can install yourself, but the better ones (and more expensive) are installed and they do provide a level of training for the dog to go along with the fence. However....if the electricity goes out, so does the electric fence. If the batteries in the collar run down, so does the level at which it woks. Depending on the nature of the dog, they may run through it, get shocked, and then they will not risk the shock to go back. Other dogs, again depending on their personality, will steel themselves and race through it to be free. You may tell them to look into the pros and cons and perhaps their money would be better spent on a better dog containment system like a fenced in area or run if they can't fence their whole yard.
I love dogs and have little sympathy for owners who do not hold up their half of the human-canine relationship.

 

[CapeReds]

I talked to animal control today and they emailed me the relevant bylaws. There is a leash law and, even with the invisible fence, the dog must be supervised. Nuisance barking (we get that too) is also mentioned. There are also provisions for lost livestock. I think it's a little different from livestock when your pet gets ripped apart, but anyway........ AC seemed to be totally supportive of our situation. I did not go ahead and report them. Bottom line - I think the only real solution is if the neighbors take ownership, Otherwise it is either an unhappy ending or never ending situation.

For now our best plan is to put up 100' or so of 4' wire fence with pressure treated posts. Call it due diligence on our part.

Until finding out our son was allergic to dogs, I have always had dogs growing up. I really like them very much as I do all animals. For me, that stops when one becomes a predator or is totally crazy as this one is - both. I agree about the responsibility of the owner, but also think that some animals are not capable fitting in.