Neighbors let their aggressive dog free in our yard

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don't take the chance. when we had chickens it was like, well, a dog attraction. every loose dog in the neighborhood flocked to try and eat our chickens. we where there most of the time to save our pets, but one time we were a bit late, and managed to see a dog walking off with one of my sisters favorite hens! not something you want to see after coming home from a nice day at school. the hen survived, but almost all of the birds had lost feathers. we didn't get eggs for a while after that because of stress. after that my dad had to fight off the same dog, again and again, until it got kicked. our neighbors were mad, but we had asked them to be more careful and they hadn't listened. as with you I love most dogs, but enough is enough! if your neighbor is that inconsiderate, don't feel bad about talking to her.
 
Try to handle the dog yourself because all you're going to get is a bunch of flack from the owner (like,"Oh, he's a good dog; he won't hurt anything!" , "Oh NO, my dog would never do that!" or they'll just think you're a grouchy neighbor and hate you.) Get a spray bottle and put some vinegar in it. Dial it in so it squirts a good, strong stream that you can aim well and when the dog comes near, spray him in the face. Then spray around the outside of the chicken coop to remind him in case he comes back. He'll smell it and probably not want to come over anymore. If your neighbors complain about you being mean to their dog, tell them to keep their dog at home and it won't be a problem. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE dogs and would never be without one or two in my life, but they have to behave and be nice to live in this people world of ours. The vinegar won't really harm him--it'll just sting like the dickens!
 
My wife had her girlfriends over for a girl thing around the fire with wine and their dogs. My chickens were all out. I told them the chickens were out so they needed to keep their dogs close and not let them roam too far afield. One woman's dog, a German Shepard mix, kept roaming farther and farther away. Every couple minutes, I kept saying, "Kathy, call your dog back. I don't want it to attack my chickens". Her repeated reply was, "Oh, he won't do anything". I said, "Kathy, it's a dog. When the chickens run, he'll chase them." Her reply "Oh no he won't, he'll be fine". I said, "Kathy, don't make me shoot your dog. Call him back now or I'm going to grab my shotgun". She was incredulous and said, "You wouldn't shoot my dog and they're just chickens". So I got the shotgun and went back by the chickens at about the same time the dog ran at one of the flocks of chickens, cornering them. Luckily, they managed to fly over the fence before he could grab one, even though he tried to. It was total mayhem. To this day she doesn't understand why I would kill her dog nor the value of extremely rare chickens. She's a chef and cooks chicken all the time and doesn't know about anything other than Cornish cross and eggs.
She still says she doesn't believe I would have shot it and I continue to tell her I would if it killed one of my chickens.
Just how many times does a dog owner need to be warned? I pleaded with her a dozen times to control her dog over 20 minutes till all hell broke loose.
 
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When new people first see my Nankins, I usually get an eye-roll and a smart comment. I've heard, "What are they, pigeons?" and "What do they want to be when they grow up?" One "friend" actually offered to let her dog clean them out so we could get "real chickens!" After my first "huff" - and the threat of shooting her beloved monster on the spot - I educated her. By the time she left, she didn't want to put her "favorite" back in the run. She was ready to take him home to live in her rabbit hutch!
So, when people say stupid things about your birds - use it as a chance to educate them. But don't ever be afraid to do it with your shotgun on your lap!
 
We used to have a problem with an aggressive Rottweiler/German Shepherd escaping the property. The only good thing is, he was raised around chickens!
 
How's It going? Did you talk to your neighbor, yet? I am the same way as you with confrontation. I have a neighbor that their German shepherd gets loose about once or twice a week. He's very excitable and curious. Makes me very nervous for my chickens when I let them out even though I have them in a run not free ranging. And for my 2 young children.. I have too many bad memories of myself being chased by dogs like him and them trying to bite me. I hope you find a solution because dogs can be a wild card as can neighbors...
 
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