OMGOMGOMGOMG>>>>>> UPDATE!:

[horsejody]

Quote:
Best of luck to you with that. JJthink has another thread going right now because she tried to physically restrain a large dog attacking her chickens. She now has broken bones to show for her efforts. Now she will probably have to hire a lawyer just to get her medical bills paid. A dog exercising a strong prey may also choose to exercise it's instinct to fight off a stranger trying to take its prey away in the heat of the moment. It is a very volatile situation. I know people that have been nipped by dogs just because they got too close to their food bowl or removed them from the bed. Just imagine how a large dog might react if somebody tries removing it from its very exciting prey.

edited because I didn't proof read

 

[CityFarm]

I have been following this post since the beginning and just want to say that I am glad things are calming down. It is good to see such support on this site and this thread is a good reflection that all points need to be considered before taking action. Lickskillet best wishes to you and your family, I can see a lot of similarities in how my own daughter would react in that situation and this has been a good conversation point for us.

I tried to quote but am still getting the hang of it! A few posts back someone said,

"humans that are not the alpha when it concerns their dogs don't deserve to own dogs."

This is so true, it is a foundation for understanding behavior and had the neighbors thought this way the ensuing harrassment would not have been present.

But enough, I will continue to watch for updates and send good wishes as you move beyond this event!

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
Best of luck to you with that. JJthink has another thread going right now because she tried to physically restrain a large dog attacking her chickens. She now has broken bones to show for her efforts. Now she will probably have to hire a lawyer just to get her medical bills paid. A dog exercising a strong prey may also choose to exercise it's instinct to fight off a stranger trying to take its prey away in the heat of the moment. It is a very volitile situation. I know people that have been nipped by dogs just because they got too close to their food bowl or removed them from the bed. Just imagine how a large dog might react if somebody tries removing it from its very exciting prey.

That's why you don't stick your head in the lion's mouth. One of these days, he's going to be hungry

 

[TheDuckCrew]

omg, i am sooo sorry for your daughter. i could not imagine. i lost two of my ducks to predators, and if i had been there when they were attacking, i would have protected my babies. i'm 15 and i am so very sorry for your loss. i'm glad you shot the dog, if i had a gun, that would be the first thing i would do. i hope the neighbors learn and i'm glad everything is calming down. tell your daughter that we are here for her and are very very very sorry.

and tell your DH bravo for getting the dog. i hope your daughter is okay and i know it must be very hard after losing her babies, and so many of them at once. i do not even know what to say. this is just so terrible.

 

[got2bskilled]

I am really sorry about this whole thing- I hope your daughter takes this terrible experience and learns from it.

If I was hitting a dog with a shovel and it ignored me while attacking my flock- that means I would not have much of a defense against the dog if it turned on me. I might just tick it off more.

I would suggest that you teach your daughter how to kill in an emergency to keep her safe. I know it is gross and scary- but it can be life saving.

I'd keep a pitch fork in the barn or coop near the door.

As for the neighbors dog-

Ask law enforcement to investigate if those folks kept the dog up on his rabies. It seems strange that a dog would ignor screaming and a shovel...(could be early stage rabies) you need to be sure because a single drop of rabid blood or spit is enough to kill. If not up to date, law enforcement must ask for the dogs body to examined. Its law everywhere. The sooner the better because it is a risk to everyone including your neighbors and their kids.

Again, you did nothing wrong. No lawyer would ever point a finger at you- You were protecting your family. I dont care if you were hanging raw steak out in your driveway- its your farm- its America!

God bless you all!~

 

[Buster52]

Okay, I said I would shut up, but apparently that is just beyond my will power.

I want to join in the condolences for the loss of these pet chickens, the daughter's trauma and her grief, what the parents are going through, and the aftermath of the whole thing.

I'm also sorry for the loss of the dog, and the understandable grief that family must be going through. It is a very emotional time for them, too. And when high emotions are involved, it is usually difficult to remain rational, as has been demonstrated by some in this thread. I would council leaving them alone as long as they leave you alone. They have suffered a loss in this, as well. There is no lesson they can learn from this greater than the death of their dog.

I find no fault in the actions of the father. With a child involved, I very well may have done the same thing. Add to that the fury I would feel (as I have experienced first hand) at seeing a dog in the process of killing my chickens, I understand his actions completely.

I just hope all who read this thread will take the necessary precautions to protect your birds, to council your children never to try to stop an attacking dog, and think hard before you kill someone else's dog, whether it deserves it or not. It may be necessary, but just consider the possible consequences. If there are effective alternatives, take them (I don't get all the fear of dogs demonstrated by some in this thread, but I guess that's just something I can't relate to and is probably unfair for me to judge).

Lickskillet, I feel for you and your family, and I'm glad things are calming down. I hope it is all over for you. You have a very brave daughter, but I hope she never tries something like that again.

 

[lickskillet]

Hi everyone! Nothing new to report here!

Hope it stays that away! Thank you for all of your well wishes for our family too! The PO's asked the neighbors about last vaccinations, and they have called us and verified with their vet that they had been within the time frame of a 3 year rabies vaccination (they/PO called and let us know).

 

[KattyKillFish]

Quote:
yes, i would in an instant. then i would feel terrible for being such an irresponsible dog owner in giving my dogs the opportunity to harm other animals. if my dog attacked my own chickens, i also might not think it was a dog worth having.

mixed feelings, but i would have to.

~

some dog owners are ridiculous though! yesterday i was biking home and i saw a dog dragging a leash. it came up to me and i didn't want it following me home, so i kind of skidded my bike at it to scare it off. people ACROSS THE ROAD, far away from the dog said "hey, don't do that to our dog!" i was surprised. i thought it was a stray, wouldn't you? dragging a leash like that? who walks their dog like that? i told them i thought it was a stray and they said "well, he's got a collar!" so what? lots of strays have collars. it was dragging a leash. i got in a huge argument with them over the leash laws. they said that as long as it had the leash on it was obeying the leash laws. some idiots they were, ey? if their dog comes into my yard and attacks my birds, which strays seem to like to do, it will get shot. as my father always said, and as i say now,
some people don't deserve to have dogs, and some dogs don't deserve to live. here, kids like to get puppies. as soon as i grows up and isn't cute anymore it roams the streets looking for food, and when it finds my birds it thinks "hey, easy meal!"

but what's WORSE is when dog owners act like they take such good care of their dog and how much they deserve to have that dog, but they do nothing to restrain or protect their animal. i do my part to protect my chickens from predators, they should do their part to protect their dogs from other humans. am i right?

anyhow, i am very glad everything worked out for you lickskillet! i wish i could say the same for myself. you are a very strong-minded person, and i'm glad you were able to keep your cool and keep your sense! i couldn't have done the same

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
yes, i would in an instant. then i would feel terrible for being such an irresponsible dog owner in giving my dogs the opportunity to harm other animals.

Well, first, I think it is kind of a trick question. Hopefully an owner would have enough control over his or her dog to stop it without killing it. Easier to control your own dog than someone else's. Once the dog has been stopped and removed from the situation, I should hope a good dog owner who loves the dog will try to find a new home for it somehwere it doesn't have access to chickens rather than kill it. If they don't, they probably shouldn't own dogs in the first place.

But if my dog attacked my chickens (talking mature trained dog, not pups), I would question my abilities as an owner and the training tactics used on my animal. Me, I would put more effort into training her, even after an attack, rather than get rid of her or kill her. I love my chickens (the layers, not the meaties), but my dog is my pal.

I think I would also question my chicken-raising tactics, since I apparently left them vulnerable to attack. In fact, I've done just that.

 

[ginbart]

Well I think we have just about everyone’s opinions now.

Can we stop.

Lets hope for the best for them and see what happens.