Roaming Dogs coming in and killing yesterday

[pntdhorses]

I would stop looking at that site. Especially if you're looking for confirmation from anyone that you're "right" in wanting to shoot the dogs. Don't reply to the snarky comments, just let it go and disappear. That way when those dogs return (and they will if they get loose again), hopefully your post will be long gone, and people have moved on. Then when those dogs disappear, you may not be the first place the owners come looking. I understand that dogs get loose and accidents happen. Maybe that's what happened here. I'll give a dog and it's owners one chance. After that, all bets are off.

Yeah, I simply said that her comment literally didn’t deserve a reply and that the thread was officially closed. So I closed and deleted the whole thing. I would delete my account but people are always posting pictures of lost or found dogs on it. Hoping to come across a picture of one or both of those dogs someday so I can maybe find out their owner.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Perhaps the person making the comment about using the meat was trying to be helpful, thinking of the guineas as livestock like turkeys (sorry, turkey owners) or other fowl raised simply as meat, and not realizing that we can actually be emotionally attached to our birds in the same way people get attached to their dogs, cats and other more conventional pets. Closing the thread was probably the best idea. I'm so sorry this whole thing happened. I do hope you can re-home your survivor and the existing flock accepts him.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Why is that?

You don't just kill a dog because it is killing your animals. That is SO unfair. The dog does not know any better, its a dog. The chickens should stay in there run if the OP wants them to live! If its to small, make it bigger. The owner of the dog probably loves it! How horrible that would be to kill a beloved pet!! Thats why.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

What, give the dogs and their owners a chance? Possibly, but like I said - accidents happen, dogs get out, they do things they shouldn't. I'm willing to forgive it once.

No, not that. To shoot the dogs! and !!!!!

 

[bobbi-j]

You don't just kill a dog because it is killing your animals. That is SO unfair. The dog does not know any better, its a dog. The chickens should stay in there run if the OP wants them to live! If its to small, make it bigger. The owner of the dog probably loves it! How horrible that would be to kill a beloved pet!! Thats why.

No, not that. To shoot the dogs! and !!!!!

I’m guessing that you are either young and don’t understand the full responsibility of pet ownership or don’t live in and understand a rural setting/lifestyle. Maybe both. Whichever - let me explain it to you as best I can:
Your dog on your property is your beloved pet. No one would dispute that. But the minute your dog leaves your property and enters mine, killing or injuring my livestock it becomes a predator and where I live, I am well within my legal right to kill that predator.

It’s not “just a few chickens” to many people. They may be rare, valuable breeds. They may also be beloved pets. They may be a family’s source of food for the year.

Sure, keeping them in a run protects them somewhat, but there are cases of large, strong dogs tearing into runs and wiping out a flock. A run doesn’t keep a dog from running around it causing the chickens to panic and kills them selves. A dog will kill a whole flock in minutes where many predators will just kill what they can eat.

Now let’s move on to larger livestock. Cows, horses, sheep and goats. Roaming dogs may not kill a full-grown cow or horse, but they can chase them, causing injuries that can result in thousands of dollars in vet fees. They can kill calves, foals, sheep and goats. If I’m planning on selling any stock, your dog may have just cost me a year’s income.

So maybe it’s your dog that needs to be kept in a run for its own safety instead if my chickens who don’t ever leave my property.

 

[AmyJane725]

You don't just kill a dog because it is killing your animals. That is SO unfair. The dog does not know any better, its a dog. The chickens should stay in there run if the OP wants them to live! If its to small, make it bigger. The owner of the dog probably loves it! How horrible that would be to kill a beloved pet!! Thats why.

First off, it wasn't even chickens, it was guinea fowl. Secondly, the OP can do whatever she wants with her birds on her property. She could give them all little unicycles and teach them to juggle chainsaws if she wanted. Point is, those birds are protected on her property. They don't have to stay locked in a run 24/7 for fear of marauding dogs wandering by and deciding it would be fun to murder them.

If she was negligent (like the dog owner in this situation is) and her guineas were in the street out in front of her property or miles down the road and they got killed by a dog, cat, motorist or otherwise, it's obviously her fault for not keeping them on her property where they are safe/protected, just the way it's the dog owner's fault for letting the dog run wild off of their property where it's not protected.

And like bobbi-j said, once that dog trespasses on someone elses property and starts killing their beloved pets/food/source of income it's a predator that needs to be taken care of. If those dogs had just wandered onto her property peacefully and not done mortal harm to her pets I'm sure she wouldn't even consider killing the dogs, but they're not sweet little pets, they're killers.

If you'd really just stand by and let a dog murder your birds because it "doesn't know any better" then I don't think you should have birds. Our birds are completely dependent on us for their well-being and protection, and if you're not willing to kill an animal that's actively ripping them apart you have no business keeping birds. They're relying on you and you're letting them down in the biggest possible way.

Would you not kill a raccoon or a fox either because they're just trying to feed themselves and they don't know any better? (I honestly feel worse for the wild animals because they don't have anyone to protect them from the natural consequences of their instincts). If the owners of those dogs love them so much, maybe they should keep a closer eye on them/not let them off their property where anything could happen to them.

 

[sourland]

No, you are not wrong. Fact ! This from a dog person with 10 dogs - all contained and under control.

 

[bobbi-j]

No, you are not wrong. Fact ! This from a dog person with 10 dogs - all contained and under control.

Fully contained and under control. Very important. My dog is loose on our property. He also stays on our property. If he were to start roaming, he’d be contained. If he were to go to the neighbor’s and kill their animals, either the neighbor would (rightfully) shoot him, or DH would because the dog has now become a liability.

Back to our regularly scheduled program. Sorry OP, not trying to hijack your thread.

 

[pntdhorses]

Update on surviving guinea. He seems to be taking a bit of a turn for the worse but not drastically. He is more lethargic today and not eating or drinking. I got some Tylan down him and I have been treating his wounds with Vetericyn. I took him out of the house to our totally protected backyard to hopefully enjoy some sun and a nice breeze and I wanted him to try to move around some. He can’t really walk very well at all right now. I’m sure he is also depressed and lonely, poor guy. It’s so sad that their lives were ripped apart by these 2 marauding dogs. They have had such a wonderful place to roam in our yard for the past 4 years. I really miss looking out the window and always seeing them there and listening to their guinea “sounds”. I hope that he rebounds somehow. Any other suggestions on what I could do to help him?

 

[Sue Gremlin]

I am struggling with this same issue myself. We have cameras up and captured a pic of the guilty dog. He came in and killed three of my hens, and has killed a neighbor's chickens and some of his rabbits, too. We haven't been able to figure out whose dog it is yet, sadly.
Animal control suggested I shoot the dog, but it's just not how I roll. I would be traumatized by that forever, I think. I really would like to speak with the owner though.