Two beautiful drakes (Freya and Marshall Mathers) and a gorgeous rooster (Mozzie) were violently and viciously slaughtered in our yard today. They were all just 10 months old and the ducks had come to us as hatchlings. Had my poor, traumatized Mother-in-law (who lives in a separate trailer on the same property) not happened to come home when she did, our three hens would've died too.
When she came home, she saw Freya and Mozzie dead and two dogs trapping Lil' Debbie in a corner behind our roses so they could kill her. It took FIVE fits of deliberately craxy-sounding screaming to chase the dogs off to the point they didn't try to come right back when the screaming stopped. Once they left, husband's mom knocked on our bedroom window to wake me up and I immediately shoo'd Torchic and Marcie Joy into the house before rescuing and comforting a truly petrified Debbie, who had flattened herself to the ground in the corner she got tree'd in.
These neighbors have allowed all of their dogs to free-range in our neighborhood for years... since long before we moved in behind husband's parents. Also, they do not spay or neuter. For example, the female murderer came back to the crime scene later with nearly-grown puppies in tow to move Mozzie's body.
Our poultry are not livestock, they are pets. Treasured family members who we'd love to have live inside with us if that wasn't so unfeasible. My husband and I both vastly prefer animals to kids - we're approaching 40 with no kids and a full menagerie of animal companions.
"Devastated" does not even begin to cover how I feel right now. I had no idea what a threat those stupid dogs were because they're fairly small and because long before our poultry was even born, the male murderer tunneled under the fence of our next door neighbor long ago - we always see him in their yard "visiting" the german shepherd that lives there and there's a couple dozen chickens that free-range on that property.
It is absolutely unacceptable (and illegal) to let dogs under your care strut around the neighborhood unleashed and unsupervised and brutally murdering other people's pets purely for, by all accounts, sport.
The forum-appropriate version of my mission statement is this:
I want to nail their butts to the wall in every possible way.
We're already pursuing the "county Animal Control" avenue. If I get my wish, all their dogs will be taken away. Hopefully all of their dogs not involved, including the murderers' puppies, can be rehabilitated and placed in loving and responsible homes.
It's not enough for me, though. Animal control seems like it's mostly about dealing with the animal situation and the dogs aren't actually the root of the problem here. I feel like animal control will take the dogs and the owners will get a fine and the next time I turn around they'll have gone out and gotten new dogs and the whole thing will happen all over again. I want to become these people's worst nightmare the way they neglectfully chose to become mine. My MIL said she thinks that it would be possible to file a civil suit against the nightmare neighbors, especially since 3-4 months ago, I spent around $800 I couldn't afford on vet bills fixing our ducks' bumblefoot issues.
We're super poor... but also only work part time and have zero social life outside of our pets and hanging out with husband's mom (who is equally outraged and traumatized by what happened). In other words, we've got the time to pursue EVERY avenue for revenge within the confines of the legal system. I want to go after them for every violation and illegal action I can come up with.
If any of you have ideas, bring 'em on! These people should never be allowed to have animals again.
When she came home, she saw Freya and Mozzie dead and two dogs trapping Lil' Debbie in a corner behind our roses so they could kill her. It took FIVE fits of deliberately craxy-sounding screaming to chase the dogs off to the point they didn't try to come right back when the screaming stopped. Once they left, husband's mom knocked on our bedroom window to wake me up and I immediately shoo'd Torchic and Marcie Joy into the house before rescuing and comforting a truly petrified Debbie, who had flattened herself to the ground in the corner she got tree'd in.
These neighbors have allowed all of their dogs to free-range in our neighborhood for years... since long before we moved in behind husband's parents. Also, they do not spay or neuter. For example, the female murderer came back to the crime scene later with nearly-grown puppies in tow to move Mozzie's body.
Our poultry are not livestock, they are pets. Treasured family members who we'd love to have live inside with us if that wasn't so unfeasible. My husband and I both vastly prefer animals to kids - we're approaching 40 with no kids and a full menagerie of animal companions.
"Devastated" does not even begin to cover how I feel right now. I had no idea what a threat those stupid dogs were because they're fairly small and because long before our poultry was even born, the male murderer tunneled under the fence of our next door neighbor long ago - we always see him in their yard "visiting" the german shepherd that lives there and there's a couple dozen chickens that free-range on that property.
It is absolutely unacceptable (and illegal) to let dogs under your care strut around the neighborhood unleashed and unsupervised and brutally murdering other people's pets purely for, by all accounts, sport.
The forum-appropriate version of my mission statement is this:
I want to nail their butts to the wall in every possible way.
We're already pursuing the "county Animal Control" avenue. If I get my wish, all their dogs will be taken away. Hopefully all of their dogs not involved, including the murderers' puppies, can be rehabilitated and placed in loving and responsible homes.
It's not enough for me, though. Animal control seems like it's mostly about dealing with the animal situation and the dogs aren't actually the root of the problem here. I feel like animal control will take the dogs and the owners will get a fine and the next time I turn around they'll have gone out and gotten new dogs and the whole thing will happen all over again. I want to become these people's worst nightmare the way they neglectfully chose to become mine. My MIL said she thinks that it would be possible to file a civil suit against the nightmare neighbors, especially since 3-4 months ago, I spent around $800 I couldn't afford on vet bills fixing our ducks' bumblefoot issues.
We're super poor... but also only work part time and have zero social life outside of our pets and hanging out with husband's mom (who is equally outraged and traumatized by what happened). In other words, we've got the time to pursue EVERY avenue for revenge within the confines of the legal system. I want to go after them for every violation and illegal action I can come up with.
If any of you have ideas, bring 'em on! These people should never be allowed to have animals again.
