Of course I don't blame her for killing my chickens. The owners knew it was a problem and refused to take necessary measures to prevent her from killing my animals, even when they knew she had killed chickens in the past and had enjoyed doing so. It is their fault that Lady is in this position. It is their fault I am in this position. It is their fault that my little sisters and brother may very well have to watch me kill one of their favorite dogs. Is that fair? No. But what can I do about it?
Sometimes I wish you could shoot the neighbor
I mean...they apparently are missing the 'common sense' to take care of their animals, and it would most likely be doing the world a favor, kind of like culling the flock? It really ticks me off to see animals go down because a person taught them bad behavior or failed to care for them. I used to care for dogs as a profession and it amazed me that you could always tell which dogs had the proper care and which did not, within a few minutes of talking to the owners...or with the dogs. Animal kindness isn't always letting them live.
That dog can climb, dig, or jump over anything, which is why (they told us) they had such a hard time containing her. I hope their perimeter fence continues to keep her away from my flock.
See I have two dogs, both hounds...you can imagine how they react the moment they hit the door when something is in our yard. For those reasons I have had electric collars (they ate them off each other lol), I have had a picket fence, now privacy fence, training,and a lot of work one on one with my dogs. They still bark, they still will tree an animal in the back yard, but it is our responsibility to keep them in our back yard and safe. When they bark I check it out right away, they only bark for two reasons ...something is there that shouldn't be or they want to come back in. My largest dog is named Maggie and she is a black and tan coonhound that looks scary (i think she has some rottweiler in her), but is sweet as can be. She is not the brightest bulb, and that means we have to do more to protect her. She is fiercely protective of her yard and does perimeter checks every time she goes out. The Beagles Basset mix will howl if a stranger comes into the yard or she sees something wrong, but for the most part she is smarter. They used to dig so much, we had a running joke that if we ever get robbed they better go through the front yard, because they will break their ankle in the back yard. They are dogs though...they only know their instinct and what we teach them. Sadly if they destroyed someones property...I would expect them to be put down humanely. If they get loose and get hit by a car...its my fault...my dogs, my mistake...I hate people who blame drivers for that or think that it is mean to rehome a dog who bit someone.
Anyways Layna, as sad as it is to see Lady go, just remember that she is relying on these people to care for her, and since they are obviously doing such a poor job, you may be doing her a favor. She might be young and free now, but when she is older, who is going to care for her? What if someone else finds her...will they kill her humanely? What if someone just poisoned her or hurt her? I know that it sucks, but keep telling yourself that its out of kindness for all of the animals, yours and theirs.
Back to the thread though....Does anyone have problems with other birds trying to come in? I met someone yesterday who said she has other ducks trying to call her house their home...and she constantly is trying to keep those ducks out. Does this happen to anyone? I cant imagine wild chickens...but turkeys and ducks yes...and we have tons of birds lately...even have a nest under my deck by the run right now....
