Stupid loose dogs...didn't get my chickens, but they did get my goats!

[dainerra]

Quote:
no matter where you live, this is most likely VERY illegal and, at the least, get you a fine for animal cruelty. Likely also a large bill for damages from the death of the dogs - vet bills, cost of dogs, etc etc.
Anything that resembles setting out bait is going to give the owner the ability to say "The dogs weren't after the chickens/goats. They lured them over there just to shoot my poor innocent Fluffy"

 

[BusyBlonde]

Since you still have your chickens, calf, and pig - I'd have a gun where I could get to it quickly. I LOVE animals, but will not tolerate someone's dogs killing/harassing any of my animals. If I'm outside, and they're acting curious, I tell them to go home (I have a neighbor whose dog is like that). If they're acting like they want to get in the pen, I shoot them with a paint-ball gun. If they're aggressive, I will put a 40-cal bullet in them. I haven't had to yet, but I am prepared to.

 

[parkersmom120106]

Sorry I wasn't clear in my first post...when I spotted the dogs they weren't attacking anyone.
They were in the back of the boys pen frantically trying to find a way out.
I went to get my brother because I needed help getting them out. We don't have a gun.
I didn't want one in my house because if it's loaded and quickly accessible to me it's also accessible to my son.
Dad said he's got one we can use. I don't remember what kind. He just said it was small and easy to use.
Anyway..by the time I discovered the dogs had attacked anyone they were long gone.

 

[Mamma_Duck04]

My mother also has goats, but due to the fencing for them, her dogs can't get in there. She works full-time so doesn't have the time to properly train & supervise a livestock dog, and the coyotes are starting to move in for the winter. So after some creative thinking, I encouraged her to look into llamas for her herds.

I was just out visiting for a couple weeks & we included a 7yo guardian llama in with her female goat herd- in the first 24hrs, I have to say I'm absolutely shocked as to how they figured each other out & am really amazed at how quickly the dynamics settled. I know they're not the same as having a LGD out there, but she only needs a buffer until someone could get out with a gun. This llama had the goats trained in the first 24hrs & every day has gotten better. She has absolute control over the herd and during a few minor incidents, she's sent them to the front of the pasture (nearest to the house) & the dogs sounded off. We were able to get out there to see coyotes out on the pasture across the road from her property (just wandering, no overt threatening at that time). From the very short time she's been in with the goats, I'm truly amazed & fully believe she'll be the necessary buffer that mom's been needing.

With all the rest of your smaller livestock, would it be feasible to try getting your hands on a guardian llama? We lucked out with this one for only $100, but still even at the upper ranges we saw (up to $200 in north-west Missouri), I'd still consider it a benefit as each of her Boers cost $150+. Obviously your dogs are good alerts, but a llama could offer the buffer that would let you have time to get a gun. We all really like that they're so similar to goats that it barely requires any extra effort- medical, feeding, etc.

I'm very sorry you had this happen, & highly agree with other posters about a gun. I would suggest you try getting a police report filed for property damage, because that's a LOT of damage. I really hope you can find the owners, they REALLY need to be held accountable. Also, if you have any idea who the other property was that Animal Control went to for a similar incident, I'd encourage you to go over & have a talk with them & see if they had any other information you weren't able to get. I know having friends, when it comes to dogs/predators & livestock, is a huge benefit.

 

[greeneggsandham]

Did you see what the dogs looked like at all? How far is your nearest neighbor? At 3:30 am I would have been banging on all my neighbors doors to find out who owned the dogs.

Of course I would have been even more ticked than you and probably would have shot the neighbor/person that owned them or at least given them a beat down they would have never forgotten.

 

[parkersmom120106]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I did call the police and the dispatcher said it's an animal control issue not law enforcement. When I told my dad he was mad because I didn't call him. Apparently he knows the county sheriff on a first name basis.He was also mad because he could have given me his gun so my brother could shoot them if they come back but now I'm at work for the night and it's too late to get it. I did file a report with animal control and the animal control officer took pictures off all the bodies. He told me that the bite report wasn't admissable in court though. I hope he's wrong.I'm going to make flyers tomorrow and hang them around the area and see if anyone knows whose dogs they are. I doubt it will ever get resolved, but I have to try. There is a leash law in my county.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

First off they will definitely be back. They've discovered a fun & tasty new playground & will want to go back for more fun. I would ask neighbors, put posters, & ask around on craigslist for any possible information. No one should have to go what you just went through! I would also like to point out that I highly recommend getting at least one or 2 game cams for proof, but lets not forget these may have been stray or feral dogs. I do NOT like to kill anything but these dogs sound really BAD. Id park your vehicle by the pens & sleep in it for around a week with a water hose (with a power washer attached), a paintball gun, & a real gun ready. If you do get a paint ball gun I recommend red paint if you can get it (hint hint). If these dogs have an owner I hope you are able to locate them & get reimbursed. I know money doesnt bring back them all back but it sure does help. Keep us informed & good luck!

 

[anderson8505]

I am so sorry to hear this. I hope you get the dogs and, especially, their owners. That is just terrible!!!!!!

 

[Ole rooster]

I can't say anything on this one. Has to one of the strangest post I've ever read on anything on any site. Did you at least throw a rock at the dogs? Wait on your brother? Are you kidding, for real?

 

[zzGypsy]

first thing:
you need to find out what the local laws are regarding protection of your livestock... in most places where you can have livestock, you are within your rights to protect them by whatever means necessary, including shooting the attacking animal. in those circumstances, there are no consequences for you if you do so.
however... there are some areas where it's not legally allowed, even if they're killing your animals. even in those areas, the Three-S rule may apply (shoot, shovel, shut up) but you need to know what the potential legal issues are before you do that. if your local laws don't permit shooting in defense of livestock, you need to know what risk you're taking by doing so.

where I live now in MO, no one would think twice about shooting attacking animals. where I moved from in SoCal, doing so would bring you *big* legal trouble if it was reported... starting with a visit from the SWAT team and a trip to jail.

second thing:
gun. have one, carry it with you when checking out the bark alarm. and you need to practice shooting it in that environment... if it was dark enough to need a flashlight just to see the dog's eyes, how are you going to shoot them without a light? if it's a handgun, you can hold the flashlight in your left (lightbulb end at the little finger side) and brace your right shooting hand on your left forearm... that way you can shoot where the light shines. would be good to practice this in advance, especially if you're not used to one-handed shooting. unless your property is so big, or so happily situated, that you don't have to worry about a bullet getting off your property, you need to know what's down range of what you're shooting. and you need to be sure you're hitting what you aim at. inside the pen you have a good chance of making this happen before they're out of range. if you're shooting a rifle, you need to think about how you're going to light the place so you can see to shoot - you really do want to know the bullets are going into the attacker, not somewhere a mile away.

other things:
they will be back, you need to get animals put up securely until this is resolved.

you may want to look at LGD, they will deter most of this sort of activity and can kill most dogs that would try this with them there. donkeys, llamas etc, are used as protectors but where you've got a known problem with dogs capable of killing good sized livestock, I think you need something with sharper teeth.

sorry to hear about your loss. it was a big financial loss, in addition to an emotional one. I hope you find the dogs, and their owners, and that they have the money to make compensation possible.