Same dog attacked my chickens AGAIN

[epeloquin]

My grandfather had a problem with a neighbor's dog coming and crapping in his yard every morning and going up on the porch and banging on the window. Like so many ignorant dog owners, the neighbor wouldn't do anything about it. I guess he figured it was one less dung pile he had to deal with.

So, one morning my g'father got his BB gun out and waited. When the dog came over to pinch a loaf on his lawn he slid the barrel out the window and put the iron sights right on the dog's bojangle as they were swinging in the breeze. He squeezed off a round, that little copper sphere whizzed through the air and with a satisfying slap! caught the offending pooch right in the batteries!!

Ask me if that mutt ever tried to hang a rat on my g'father's lawn again!

 

[TigerLilly]

I say who gives a rat's behind if they know if was you that called on them? THEY are the ones breaking the law & YOU are the one in danger of losing more poultry!
If you cant shoot the dog, call the appropriate agency. The time for talking was BEFORE the dog trespassed onto your property.
I agree with whomever said that if the dog is kept on a chain, they don't deserve it anyway. Unfortunately, the dog is the one that ultimately pays...
Also, unfortunately for you, the dog WILL keep coming back for more.

 

[gjensen]

There are three issues here.
1. It is the dog owner's responsibility to keep the dog off of your property. They have not, but have to meet that responsibility. I suggest that you and your husband go meet with this woman and her husband formally and politely. It sounds like there is a kid involved. Who wants a kid to lose their dog? Maybe adults can come up with a grown up resolution.
2. Another issue is your responsibility to keep your animals safe. Dogs are dogs, and it is likely that will not be the last one that comes sniffing around. If you cannot afford to fence your property, then think out what you can afford to do. We have that responsibility to the animals in our care. I am not trying to sound judgemental. I have lost birds to dogs. In that situation, I was at fault also. Whether I liked it or not, I should have done better.
3. I do not know how old the woman's son is, but it would be great if he could learn a lesson in taking responsibility of the animals in his care.
If another more formal meeting with them does not work, then report the dog without any reservations. It does not sound like you are in a situation to deal with the animal yourself. In the mean time secure your birds. You can let them out when you are out and can keep an eye on them. In my case talking to the dog owners twice did not change a thing. I have wondered if they ever noticed the dogs missing. I hated to do what I did, but they took my choices away.
Poisoning the animal is a bad option.

 

[epeloquin]

I would call the Dog Warden. This is their fault, not yours.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

The best solution is to keep your chickens in a predator-proof place. Simple.

 

[beaks&paws]

We had a problem with the neighbors cat trying to get our chickens. I maneged to get one of your smaller ones. when we talked to our neighbor she denied that it was her cat even though she said a couple days before that her cat killed one of her chicks so every time we see it we get the pellet gun out

 

[AngelaClassAct]

First, don't kill the dog, that dog has a kid in its life, and I'm pretty sure you'd be starting a feud with your neighbors IF you hurt the dog. Have a discussion with them about keeping the dog out of your yard, and if they don't then you will have no other option but to report them. Then, work on building an enclosed run for your chickens to keep them safe from all predators, including the neighbor's dog.

 

[henryhoe]

Update, firstly thankyou to everyone for advice, girls are now more secure now and i kept them in their run most of the day when i was out, they are fine now, thank goodness, now back to waiting for them to give me some wee eggies!!!!

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
henryhoe, glad you're working it out.


The above quote I have a problem with, however, and it's a repeat of the same stuff we see written here all the time, so I'm not picking on Angela personally. I have a perimeter fence on part of my 5 acres and within that fence, I free range my flocks on a rotating basis. I've had dogs get into that fence and had to hustle to make sure they didn't get to the birds. One dog climbed over the fence, pulling it off the tree it was attached to with his weight and sometimes, they come down the driveway when we must leave the gate open for an expected delivery.

I frankly don't care what humans the dog has in his life--I am the human in my chickens' lives and they are as much pets as any dog I've ever had so it would hurt me very much to see them torn apart on their own property by someone else's roaming pet who should, by our county law, be contained on its owner's property.

This is really, really simple:

Dog off owner's property (against the law)
Chickens on my property (where they belong)
Dog harasses/attacks my pets on my property
Chickens' owner makes sure dog doesn't do it again since dog's owner apparently cannot.

As far as starting a feud with the neighbors if I hurt their dog, what about them starting a feud with me by allowing their dog to come onto my property and kill my pets? That is the catalyst for the feud, not me defending my pets and taking care of business. So, if there is a feud, it is the neighbor with the dog who has fired the first figurative shot, not I.

 

[henryhoe]

Thanks speckledhen! It would break my 7 year olds heart if he lost any of the girls, he just loves them and i have to laugh at him sometimes, he goes round to them and bends down to their level and they all have a wee chat to each other!