Oh, I'm so mad

[TransplantedTexan]

Take some pics of the doctored fence as well to show before and after.
It sounds like it will be hard for them to dispute this.


So, say this gets brought up that your coop is not far enough from the other neighbors residence. Is it moveable? If so the worst that happens is you get a little fine and a demand to move it? I don't know. Look into worst case scenario if this gets brought up.

 

[luvzmybabz]

If it is not movable then could you put up a temporary divider and use the other 1 to 3 ft for storage?

 

[ameador1]

I think not taking them to court may be a bad move. I doubt that they will ever become your loving neighbors, so the idea that somehow not pushing the issue will improve relations seems mute. I agree with some of the other posts. Their dogs came into your yard and killed your chickens and caused injuries requiring vet care. Their dogs are responsible thus they are ultimately responsible.
My understanding is that you had you chicken roaming in your yard when they were attacked - right? If that's the case, how would the location of the chicken coop have anything to do with it? Are you required to keep them in their chicken coop/run all the time? My guess is that the coop is supposed to be far enough away from neighbors houses that they chickens will not disturb them in the mornings when they start crowing (if you have roosters anyway). But, if you are allowed to have them loose this issue seems irrelevant.
Like the others said, lawyer or not, they are responsible for damages caused by their dogs. My grandparents had a dog in their back yard - fenced in. The dog had never gotten out before, but one time it got out and ran out into the road after a lady riding her bike. The dog was a big dog and it scared the lady. She lost control of her bike and wrecked, breaking her hip in the process. The dog never actually touched her, but they sued for medical bills, pain and suffering, and the husband added to the suit for lack of 'spousal attention' if you know what I mean. They won the case. They won because the dog caused the situation. They got over $250,000! The dog did cause the accident and thus my grandparents were responsible - they argued based on the the fact that the dog had been fenced and had never gotten out before, but that didn't change or negate the costs to this lady. I think the husbands added cost in the case was a little extreme, but whatever...
Point is, if you 'let them off' they will not have learned to respect the law, your property, and their resposibility the keep their dog contained. If they want the dogs, it is their responsibility to make sure they cannot get out and cause harm to anyone or anything else.
The vet bill is good enough to veryify time frame. Like someone else said, I'd tally costs involved in bringing them up, expected egg production value, proportional cost of ckicken coop/chicken run, etc... Maybe they will take those costs into account, maybe they won't, but I'd try.
Let these people know you will not tolerate this and that you will not settle for petty offerings. Small claims court is not that time comsuming to deal with - I'll used it before on other issues. Just explain your case and back it up. I'd imagine the judge will rule in your favor.
That's my 2 cents!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I don't know if this helps, but...
a roaming beagle tunneled under my fence and taught my dogs how to get in the neighbor's pasture. (THankfully it was full of cows and my idiot dogs are scared of cows!) That afternoon I picked up an electirc fence at Tractor supply. It was a self-contained set up designed for gardens. Instead of hard wiring it to something, it runs off two D cell batteries. It took three brushes up against it for my older dog to finally figure it out (she's not terribly bright), but now neither dog will go near the fence. THank heavens!

I don't think it's strong enough to really kill an animal. It is strong enough to zap them though. I think the whole thing cost maybe $60 and it came with everything except the batteries. The batteries are lasting around three months.
It might help solve your problem.
I'd hate to shoot a dog, but I'm all for scaring the snot out of them!
Good luck.
CG

 

[Wattles]

Thanks Ameador. You make a great point. What really bothers me about this whole thing is that I think these dogs are unsocialized and may be dangerous. They actually snarl at me through the fence when I am up close to it and bark constantly. I think they may not be well taken care of.
My sense of justice and fair-play drives me to want to take them to court. People shouldn't cause damage to others and get away with it - especially when they are obnoxious about it and are not apologetic. It really does contribute to a worsening of society - a fostering of no accountability, no respect for the law and for justice.

Thanks everybody, you all have contributed some valuable advice and info,
Tara

 

[jjthink]

Tara, thank you for your super nice note - so thoughtful of you. Thesis eventually got redone but it took another year and a half - I think were it not for my advisor at the school nudging me along, I might not have succeeded. I don't usually even watch movies more than once so doing a thesis twice was a heavy lift for me! As to the truck driver, he got off with just the "improper passing" ticket. He hit us at 88 mph and was also asleep till swerving upon impact. It was an 18 wheeler, I might add. And we were in a tiny convertible 2 seater~!

You are wise to think big picture in terms of progress through history - so many things do evolve at a glacial pace, don't they? It's just so true. Including human behavior, to be sure. Just wish our collective ethic re: treatment of other thinking feeling beings would fast forward already!.

I am not aware of any dog repellents that have been touted as working - unfortunately.

I am sorry for your troubles there and wish you resolution soon.
JJ

 

[SpottedCrow]

My Goddess, Judy!
Someone really WAS watching over you...you're lucky you guys weren't road pizza.

Glad that you got your thesis redone...I hate how wrongdoers seem to get the weakest punishments.

 

[dbjay417]

I love dogs, but I wont tolerate a chicken killer. A little rat poison goes a long way.

 

[jjthink]

Poison is cruel. The people should be fined heavily. And the dog probably should be spirited away and rehomed.

So sorry you have to be enduring this trouble and such inconsiderate people.
JJ

 

[Wattles]

Thanks JJ. Oh I would never put out poison. I love dogs - all animals in fact. This is not an issue with the dogs - it never was. This is an issue with people - with irresponsible pet owners. It's in a dog's nature to hunt and chase. It is the dog owner's responsibility to undertstand this and harness/curb that intstinct. These people are jerks who just don't care. I feel sorry for the dogs because they're losers in this too - it's obvious to me that these aren't really pets - they're just dogs thrown in the backyard, left to their own devises, suffering from boredom. I plan on getting my own dog soon and he'll be a well-loved pet, one who I'll train to respect and protect my chickens and cats, and if necessary, beat the stuffing out of any animal who enters our yard with the intention of getting at my chickens. I wish my big fat cat would stop pounding on the keys and blocking my view of the monitor with his huge butt as I'm typing this

Tara