Neighbor's dog came back for our ducks today! What to do?

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The only problem with the three S's is that in this scenerio, the neighbor's would probably go to the OP for the first instinct because of what all happened

Do you have an idea how much compost 40 ducks produce? And how bad that smells?
And if the neighbors really dare to ask: "Well i saw three coyotes up that ridge this morning..."

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I am so sorry! It‘s a stressful situation. First write in a dedicated notebook the date and times, including your call to your neighbor and sny future conversations or happenings.
Having a written record will be invaluable should you need proof or history to give to the police.
I hope it doesn‘t come to that.
Your neighbor‘s defensive reaction and accusation, without knowing anything else, makes me think she is scared too for her dog. As a hound dog owner myself I worry they will get themselves into trouble with their nose. They don‘t recognize property lines or pets. I can barely hold my male dog back, if he sees a chicken. But he doesn‘t touch my ducks bc I raised them inside with him.
Are there any other deterrents you (or you and your neighbor) can put up to block the dog from reaching your chickens?
I know our girl got lose the other dax bc the kids had the door open while they fiddled with keys. But other than the accidental release, why are her dog(s) able to get out and into your yard? If she is careless and let‘s them loose, call the non-emergency number for the police. They will have a chat with her. I would try to sit down and talk it out first. And continue to keep records in case you need them. Date, time, and description. Best wishes.

Surely defensive behaviour! She claims that she it is not forbidden to let a dog roam freely and that it is cruel to cage or leash a dog… that kind of dog owner…
I have another neighbor who ran a wire rope line along his property and shackles his dog on , long leash to that line, so the dog has a lot of area to run around, but cannot leave the property.
I thought about fencing in a part of my land since a long time, mostly to keep the deer out but any serious fence could easily cost more than the whole house, because my land is in some parts too steep to bring in any machinery and manual labor is forbiddingly expensive.
I am thinking of placing a couple of Ammonia-water filled bottles along that side of the property. The neighbor is located leeward…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I have had this happen the neighbors dog wiped out all but one of my daughter 4 h project. She is now 31 we live I. The same house with the same neighbor! Think about what your action are you take! Was I mad your damn right I was. But I also want to continue to live in my peaceful neighborhood and enjoy driving up every day! The post above about chopping the dogs head off! Personally I think is better off left out of it this is an animal lovers site I feel terrible for you! But if the dog got in so can a coyote. This is sad but is it worth world war three or DI you go speak to them on one on one and continue to be neighbors.

That's exactly how i think! I don't want to be that neighbor who cause the pet dog to be beheaded and the owner to almost loose their house for the attorney fees…

 

[nuthatched]

I can offer no advice that everyone else hadn't already offered, I don't believe you are remotely in the wrong in the way you handled everything.
However, if your neighbors claim that their dog has bruises, I would ask that they get a vets statement that they are indeed inflicted by a shovel or something l like that.
It's stupid that the law can't do anything unless birds were actually killed.
Unfortunately, knowing how people veiw poultry as not real livestock or pets ( what are they then?) this will probably require you raising your fence from 2 feet to maybe 4 or 5 feet to make it harder to hop over. I suggest deer fencing, it's cheap and comes in long lengths. (I use tennex )

If I had the money, I become a lawyer for people with poultry for situations like this.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Also if you can make a loud noise (i.e., a bunch of metal pans falling, a firecracker) if the dog enters your yard, you may be able to deter the dog. It may take two or three times and require coordination to set the dig free so you expect him and can set up the noise trap, but it will be worth it.

Firecrackers are not an option, i tried that once to deter a family of raccoons and my ducks almost embedded themselves into the walls of our house! And setting up other traps along the property line would require a fence to keep the ducks away, but instead of setting up a fence for the ducks i should better install a real fence, but that will remain an expensive wish for the foreseeable future.

 

[nuthatched]

If she considers it cruel to anyway restrict her dogs roaming, then she might be in for a surprise because loose running dogs ranks somewhere between weekenders on atvs barreling down the road and trespassers to country folk.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

It sounds like the dog may have threatened by the shovel probably should have let it out. As hard as it is to have an invasion of this style it may have been best to let the dog go. If the duck dies tell the neighbor to tie it to the dogs neck. Some folks say crating a dog in the coupe or yard and leash exposure is also good! We lost one to the neighbors dog in our yard tied it to the dog for a day and that dog never looked through the fence again. We’re there is a flock there will be predators domestic and wild. I never saw were the breed of dog was mentioned. Herding, Shepard, putty?

Nope! When i ran out to rescue my duck, i wasn't holding a shovel, i was even barefoot! The dog tried to flee, but ran into the 2' tall fence panicked and turned around at me.
The shovel came into the picture later, after my wife came out and brought me my phone. She felt threatened by the growling and barking dog under my workbench and grabbed the shovel just in case…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Wait I'm confused. Did you have a rabies shot previously? State laws in the US require anyone bitten by a dog to get it (if you have no proof it has had the shot). Just the tetanus shot alone will not protect you from rabies if the dog does have it. They should have sent you for several rounds of it. The hospital will cover the cost.

Nope, rabies shots are not part of the greencard process and i have never had a rabies immunization before. Now don't get me wrong, i am absolutely pro-vaccination, but the rabies vaccination is one of the few that unfortunately can have some severe side effects. I like to know weather the dog had a rabies shot before i take this one.

 

[Kaw]

Surely defensive behaviour! She claims that she it is not forbidden to let a dog roam freely and that it is cruel to cage or leash a dog… that kind of dog owner…
I have another neighbor who ran a wire rope line along his property and shackles his dog on , long leash to that line, so the dog has a lot of area to run around, but cannot leave the property.
I thought about fencing in a part of my land since a long time, mostly to keep the deer out but any serious fence could easily cost more than the whole house, because my land is in some parts too steep to bring in any machinery and manual labor is forbiddingly expensive.
I am thinking of placing a couple of Ammonia-water filled bottles along that side of the property. The neighbor is located leeward…

Our land is the same in that it is uneven, difficult to fence and easily costs more than we have to spend. We didn‘t have a fence for years. We ended up fencing a small area with chicken wire.

I feel soorry for your neighbors dog...they can’t choose their owner. Even if not aggressive, if they bite someone their lives are in danger.
Thinking of other deterrents aside from a fence. The amonia smell is a good idea. Worth a try. But that wouldn‘t stop my American Fox Hounds. I think the only thing that will stop them is a scary loud noise, but I don‘t know how to set it up to go off when a predator gets into your duck‘s area. There maybe motion sensors which sound alarms and can be pointed beyond the duck area.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I find the animal control officers response completely off base... Not just because my husband deals with these situations every day but also because I have PERSONALLY dealt with two dog bite cases myself.

When I was 5 years old, I was mauled by 4 dogs and spent many months in the hospital. Had to learn to walk again. All the dogs involved were family pets of surrounding neighbors.

Also my daughter was attacked by a dog when she was little.

In both of these cases, the owners were held liable. In my case, the city was also held liable because the dogs had attacked other people prior to me and the city did nothing about it. This was before leash laws but my case initiated them.

There is so much case precident that backs YOU up on dog bites, it's overwhelming. That's why I said the city would have your back in a hot minute because THEY don't want to be held liable for mishandling your case

During my high-school time i worked as a replacement postman during the summer vacation, and any delivery person is the natural enemy of a good dog. I almost got mauled by a German Shepard one morning, had the chain been two inches longer… Only time in my life i actually needed fresh pants.
I hope you and your daughter have healed, both physically and mentally!