OMGOMGOMGOMG>>>>>> UPDATE!:

[MysticScorpio82]

I am happy to hear there have been no more incidents with your neighbors since last nights horn blowing episode. I have a 2 1/2 year old too and I would be livid if they had done they while she was trying to sleep too. As for compensation, that is completely your call. I honestly don't know if I would or not if I was in your shoes...On one hand you lost 17 pets, and if your daughter sold any eggs, then you have also lost income as well, but on the other hand I would be afraid of escualting your neighbors, since they already sound unstable...again it is your call and you need to weigh the pros and cons and decide what is best.

On a side note, I bet they will keep there other white dog home now, and you may even get a thank you basket from the neighbor whom's horses where being chased by their other dog!

hehe

 

[lickskillet]

MysticScorpio82 !!!!!!
You have hit the nail on the head!!! We are leaning AGAINST compensation for that very reason! If it was just DH and myself, it wouldn't even be a question of paying up. But I have the DD's safety at sake(yet again). I'm trying to be realistic, and assume they are not that crazy, but you never know....and even if they had to pay up, what is to keep them from messing with us other than a restraining order?

on the white dog, we'll be on the look out for that one, now that we know about it!

 

[gaberdeen]

Lickskillet,
So sorry for your and your daughters loss. I agree you and your family did the right thing under the circumstances. I have an 8yr old daughter that was bit in the face when she was 4 yrs old by my sisters golden retriever(whom I loved as if it was my own dog). Just goes to show you can't really ever be sure how an animal will react. I wanted to kill that dog then but I saw the distress in my young nephews and niece that they would lose their dog. I feel bad for your neighbors kids, they're probably ignorant about chickens and how people feel about them. I know I was until I got some for my daughter and spent some time caring for them, Before that they were nothing more than a tasty dinner. What angers me more is that the parents should have apologized and offered to make amends for your loss. Well I hope it all works out for you. I will say some prayers. God Bless.

 

[rbd171]

I've seen too many selfish, self centered, unstable, unreasonable and generally worthless "normal" people who barely integrate with the rest of society. (I am a retired police officer) They act like the world revolves around them and genuinely are incapable of seeing a point of view different from themselves.

Most states have a two year statute of limitations on these types of things. consult with an attorney for exacts.

If you collect enough info for a small claim action and then put it on hold pending a cooling off period of 18 months or so... then reevaluate. If your neighbors remain to be a general pain in the butt, civil action is in order on many levels, the money is the least of the reasons. Public humiliation and validation on who is right and who is wrong is always an important lesson no matter what your age.

On the other hand, if they get a clue and get reasonable and less hostile then it would be reasonable to forgive and let it go.

 

[Boyd]

 

[lickskillet]

Very good information!! Thank you! That sounds like a great idea! I'm going to discuss this with my husband and DD in the morning. Sounds like a good idea from every angle!

 

[NancyDz]

Quote:
My dogs kept losing tags too, I finally started ordering these rectangular tags that attach to the color itself and are flat on the collar, they dont jingle, and they stay put finally! Unless of course you lose the collar !

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

Poor kid, that must have been horrifying for her

I just read this entire thread from beginning to end. Wowsers. I can see how both parties are completely DEVASTATED. This is an all-around horrible situation for everybody involved, especially the kids (whether they are 10 or 18). Kids and teens don't normally think rationally in such situations, they act on emotion. It doesn't surprise me that the neighbor's kids are behaving the way that they are, though it's still pretty darn awful. They don't have their own pet chickens, so they couldn't possibly understand how much your daughter loves hers. It's likely that they just see it as your husband killed their beloved dog and, because of the amount of emotion involved in that, they can't rationalize why. To them, as non-chicken owners, and a family that also obviously loved their pet very much, it probably did seem like a senseless murder, and they are angry.

I would guess that the parents don't know their kids are harassing your family. Or perhaps they did not originally know but caught wind of it and that is why it's been quiet after the honking and whatnot. I don't know how well you know this family, but the rest of us don't AT ALL, so I don't think it's fair that we judge them based on the actions of 18 year old boys in an emotionally heightened state. I also wanted to add, because somebody mentioned something about the parents not apologizing, it's still very early. Everyone handles traumatic situations, loss, guilt, anger, etc differently. Maybe they are still dealing with all of these different emotions and just aren't ready to do so yet. I, personally, would have been apologizing up and down for dayyyyyssss if I was the owner of that dog, no matter how angry and devastated I was. But again, everybody handles situations like this SO differently, I don't think we can say they're horrible toxic people just based on the little information that we have.

Hopefully, everything will work out for your family. I definitely think it's a good idea to do the whole baby monitor and motion light thing. I also wanted to mention that you should be very cautious when you let your own dog outside. Make sure you supervise him when he's out in your yard, as you never know if those boys would try to retaliate in some way. I would guess that if they ARE going to retaliate, since they lost their dog, your dog might be a target. I don't mean to scare you, I just want to bring it to your attention. Your family does not need another loss. Be careful and best wishes to your family, especially the daughter that witnessed it all.



One more thing!
Quote:
I can't remember exactly what they're called, but at hardware stores they have those metal hooks that are like carabiners (I know I probably butchered the crap out of that word!) but instead of the spring-loaded closure they screw closed. If you put lock-tight on the thread and use it for your dogs' tags you should be good to go!

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

Quote:
Though, at that point it doesn't matter what kind of tags you have!

 

[satay]

I feel sorry for your poor daughter and the shock she must have been going through to see this happen to her chickens right in front of her. I have a question though.. Do people not fence their propertys in the u.s very often? I live on acreage here in Australia and my land is fully dog proofed.( Rather expensive to do but then it keeps my dog in and others out) Only reason I ask is that I have read quite a bit on here about people neighbours dogs getting into their yards and attacking their flocks. Anyways I hope you have no further problems and that your poor dd recovers from the shock and is one day able to get her flock up and running again as she would wish.