OMGOMGOMGOMG>>>>>> UPDATE!:

[ke_ben]

Quote:
We have both dogs and chickens. For you to say that the dog owner lost as much is a false statement unless the dog was being paid stud fees. In this country, as a general rule, dogs aren't for human consumption and don't lay eggs! To carry your thinking farther, my wife and you (judging by your next comments) have better chicken than dog 'friends'. I'm quite sure a lot of other people would agree that any pet, no matter what species can be best friends. It was a dog lover that called it "man's best friend."
Quote:
With age will also come maturity and wisdom, your thinking will 'modify' on lots of things with experience. Just look at what the veterinarian and animal behavior people had to say here.

As for the "roped it, dragged it away, chases it off, tackled it, done practicly anything but shoot it."; they are all good options as long as you never let lose of the rope, never stop dragging, chasing it to get a closer shot, are in full protective gear and a knife is you weapon of choice, and you make sure that it isn't breathing or it is already buried when the neighbor arrives. You're probably better off just burying it and keeping you mouth shut!

You just can't take chances on a blood thirsty animal in midst of the 'kill' especially when human life is involved, and the animal will come back.


edit for spelling

 

[horsejody]

Send them a polite letter asking for a specific amount of compensation. Clearly state that you expect the compensation within 10 days (or some other reasonable amount of time). If they do not pay, file in small claims. Also, inform the sheriff's dept that you wish to press charges. In most places that is your right. Yes, they suffered a loss, but the loss they suffered was from their own negligence. You should not be expected to suffer a financial loss, along with your emotional one, just because they didn't contain their pet.

Here is a copy of the letter I sent to my stupid neighbor when his dogs decimated my little flock. He ignored the letter, and we went to court. I won. He paid.

my name
my address
my phone #

November 24, 2008

Neighbor's name
neighbor's address

Re: Damages incurred from your dogs attacking my poultry

Dear Neighbor:

The purpose of this letter is to attempt to resolve the issue of damages arising from your dogs attacking my animals.

As you know, the incident happened on October 23, 2008 in the following manner. Your dogs left your property, entered mine, attacked and killed my birds. Thirteen birds were killed, a vet bill was incurred, I had to leave work early, a cage was damaged in the coop and a lot of feed was spilled. The information about the incident was confirmed by witnesses.

You are responsible for this incident because your dogs were not contained on your property.

As a direct result of this incident, I have incurred losses in the amount of $XXX.

In addition to my costs, I have suffered another loss that in many ways has been more hurtful. The birds were hand raised by my family and me. They were all healthy. Some were rare breeds that are expensive and difficult to obtain. Our birds have great sentimental and emotional value to my entire family. Their suffering and death has caused a great deal of pain in this house. Because you also are a pet owner, I assume that you understand the terrible ordeal that a pet owner incurs when an incident like this takes place, so I will not describe the details, although I could.

In order to avoid the time and expense of formal civil court proceedings, I suggest that we resolve the issue of restitution. You clearly are responsible for all of the losses that resulted from this incident. There is no question that my losses total $XXX. There also should be little doubt that my family and I have suffered greatly because of what happened. Instead of civil court proceedings, I propose that these damages be paid by you to me by December 5, 2008. I believe that this amount is less than what I am entitled to receive, but I would give up the rest if it were paid by that date.

If you intend to accept this settlement proposal, you must sign the bottom of this letter and send it back to me within one week from today. Should you need further information [or more time for payment], or if you have questions or comments, please contact me within one week from today.

Sincerely,


Me

 

[lerose78]

I am so sorry for your loss. I was raised to think that if your dog got into someones livestock of any kind that they had every right to shot it because that is what would happen if their dog got in ours and that was just part of life. I do not understand though how you could say that they did not lose just as much as you. especially if it was a dog they had for a long time. I think the best thing to do would be to reconcile with them maybe by getting them a puppy or whatever so you do not permanently lose friends. People are the most important. I am sorry for you loss!! I know it is heart breaking!! I hope all is well with you now.

 

[shaggy]

i would shoot the dog as well. i believe most other places allow you to not only shoot it, but to be compensated for any and all losses.


if the neighbor were to "offer" to replace your lost livestock --- then i would also "offer" to replace their dog with a puppy.


seeing as the neighbor is not likely to do so, i would not push the subject.


unless you just don't like your neighbor and would like to cause them some sort of additional suffering, and in that case --- don't bother writing them a letter --- just file a claim.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
Pet chickens can, and often do, mean just as much to their owner as any other pet. We all get to to choose what kinds of pets we keep. The pet value of a trespassing dog does not trump the pet value of the OP's chickens. The OP lost 17 pets. The dog's people lost 1, and they were the ones responsible for the problem. The OP's DD had to physically combat the rouge animal and witness the massacre. Because of the attack she has lost her sense of security in her own yard. The OP's husband had to go through the drama and angst of knowing his daughter was harm's way and handle the situation. Yes, the OP and the OP's family has suffered more than the dog's family.


Quote:
It wouldn't be a good idea to give these people a puppy. They didn't care enough about their last dog to keep it in. You can bet that any future dog they get will be just as much of a problem. They should be buying new chickens for the real victims and apologizing. If they are blaming the OP's family for this incident and harrassing them, they aren't worth having as friends. They are unreasonable and toxic.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
You have to notify them of the amount of damages for them to be able to pay. If they don't receive a bill or some type of demand letter, then you have no case in small claims. They can't compensate you if you don't notify them of the value of the property destroyed. The letter/bill is a necessary formality.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Wow! If I ever need a serious letter I'm going to ask horsejody to write it! She wrote another great letter on a differentthread, too.

 

[kinnip]

I'm still stuck on the fact that the dog wasn't wearing a collar. In my ind, that means you don't give two shakes what happens to that animal. Someone could steal it, animal control could pick it up. No collar = no owner, in my yard.

 

[CallyB57]

I am so sorry that happened to your birds...I have taken so much time and care with my 6 birds and built a new henhouse for the 6 chicks that are living in crates in my dining room. I have a horrible fear that something will get to my birds, even though they are locked up tight at night - hardware cloth everywhere, covered top on their fenced pen. I think I would find it hard to shoot a dog, but I would definitely do it if they were taking out my birds. Sure, your daughter is devastated..it's easy to love these birds as much as you could love any other pet, and I'm sure those neighbors loved their dog, but they were not responsible and you had every right to shoot the dog. My sympathies to you all.

 

[lurky]

Quote:
I agree......i was very impressed with horsejody's post as well. Sometimes its hard to word what you want to say because once you remove the words we are not allowed to use, then it usually does not make much sense