Texas

[Jungleexplorer]

My husband was working at our airport when the planes hit. He did not get home til very late that night. I was home, worried sick that someone would hit San Antonio's airport, pregnant with my first son. I remember hearing it on the radio right when it happened and thinking it was some kind of hoax.
Thinking about it makes me cry. Now I know there is argument over what exactly went down, and who all was involved, so I don't want to debate that. I just wanted to remember all those people who died. All the firefighters like my DH who ran in without a thought for themselves and never came out. If you see a firefighter or a cop today, just say thanks. They really are the people running to save others lives when everyone else runs for the door.

We remember and will never forget.

 

[mandaleigh1981]

Thanks guys. It gets pretty personal for me just because of DHs chosen career. I really don't think they get thanked enough, especially police officers. And any time an officer or firefighter dies in San Antonio, where DH works, it hits home. I mean, even I forget that Gosh, I live with a real life hero. And what scares me sometimes is I know DH would be the first one in to save someone, without any thought to dying himself. Ugh, now I am crying again. And I AM NOT a crier usually. Its just that thinking about something happening to him really hurts!
Here is one to make me smile, since I am a comic book nerd, and Captain America is my favorite comic book hero.


And now I will leave it alone. And thanks guys, I really do love all y'all

 

[Jungleexplorer]

We will never forget those who died.
We will always remember those who have worked so hard and sometimes sacrificed everything.
We will call out to the Lord and He will hear our cry and see our distress and He will deliver us from our enemies.

 

[Heidisgran]

Depends on the roo. A good one will protect them and keep the peace. But really, if you're not breeding, I'd not worry about having one.

except they are gorgeous and fun to have...we enjoy them crowing

 

[wlhtx]

Vladsko, I'm really sorry about your chickens.  I am not a lawyer, but have had to use the legal system to get what was rightfully mine.  I think I read recently that someone on this forum went to law school, perhaps they will comment as well.

You have a few options on how to handle this.  Basically, you can demand compensation and if you are not satisfied take it to small claims court or you can just let it go.

Yes, you are entitled to financial compensation for the value of the dead chickens and probably nothing more.  The courts are only interested in your financial loss.  How much were your 23 chickens worth?  I suspect their market value is less than $500, probably less than $300.  Once you put the value on your loss, you can decide how much effort and resources, both financial emotional, you wish to expend to recover your loss.  You balance financial loss versus aggravation and stress.  Don't underestimate the amount of stress involved regardless of your being the wronged party.  Legal proceedings and disputes like this take a tremendous toll on people.

Bottom line, only you can decide if it is worth it.  It is hard to walk away from something when the law is clearly on your side and you have been financially damaged, but sometimes the costs are just not worth it.

I have some thoughts of what might be going on in your neighbors' mind.

1.  The neighbor might have been in absolute shock at what happened.  It can be pretty upsetting for people to find that their beloved pet just slaughtered their neighbor's animals.  They will go through all the stages of grief--because I am sure there is a lot of grief involved in this for them--shock, denial and anger.  Expect that they won't necessarily do the right thing.  They, too, are traumatized by this.

2.  The neighbor might be afraid of what will happen.  Your neighbor might not be in a financial position to come up with the money to replace the chickens plus the fines.  That may be a very real survival issue for them.  They might be afraid that there will be a horrible feud started.  They might be afraid that they can't control their dog and you'll respond as most farmers do and shoot their beloved pet.  They might be afraid that they will be forced to relinquish their dog.  There are all kinds of reason why your neighbor is afraid.

3.  Of course, there is the possibility that they are just plain jerks, but try to give them the benefit of the doubt and take the moral high ground.  You will be more at peace with yourself throughout this process and after, whatever the final resolution, if you take your emotions out of this.  I know how challenging taking emotion out of it will be, believe me, but try.  Their being jerks doesn't affect how you deal with this.

I would recommend you draft a letter up outlining exactly what happened.  Something like, On (date) your dog came on my property and killed 23 of my chickens.  The replacement value of those chickens is $----.  And then ask to be compensated.  Write the letter once, let it sit for some time, go back to it and take out all the emotion.  Think of it as a bill you are sending them.  Make copies, deliver the letter and wait.  If nothing happens (and that wouldn't be unusual since they are probably as upset about this as you are, you might write another simple letter, again asking for compensation and mentioning writing the first letter.  You could pay a lawyer to draft the letter, but is it worth the $100 or so?  I don't think so.

It gets tricky if they don't now approach you to work something out after receiving the second letter.  Yes, you can go to small claims court and will get a judgement in your favor, but you might never receive a penny.  The law doesn't work the way you see it on TV--judgments often go unpaid.  My own lawyer told me he had thousands and thousands of dollars of judgments in his favor that he'll never recover.  If a lawyer can't get his own money, expect it to be difficult for you to get what is due you if the neighbor digs in.  It's an eye opener to be involved in a civil case when you are clearly in the right.

There are tremendous emotional costs in being involved in a legal dispute--and whether or not this goes to court, it is a legal dispute.  Think long and hard about what it would be like to live next door to a neighbor you are taking to court or are continuing to demand compensation for your loss.


Good luck.

I'm the lawyer, and this is an excellent, realistic explanation of what you could expect if you proceed with the legal process. If it's a matter of principal or justice, then by all means take them to court. If you had some exotic birds and your damages (financially) are high, then by all means take them to court. But you should sit down first and, frankly, make a business decision as to whether or not the time and expense (think filing fees, attorneys feed, etc.) are worth it. Jajeanpierre is absolutely correct in that, if you do take them to court and get a judgment, that does not mean that they will ever pay you. So you could wind up being out the expenses of your birds, plus whatever costs you had associated with the legal process. A judgment may not be worth anything to you, realistically.

I would press the issue with them though. If they do not offer or are not willing to reimburse you for what you lost, then I would be dang sure to put them on notice that the next time their animals come on your property that you intend to protect your livestock by any and all means necessary. But if you draw a line in the sand, stand by it.

 

[Jessica Lynn]

I have to respond to this. Most people on this thread have been nothing but nice and are more than willing to help any time anyone asks a question.

The clique ruins it for the rest.
If you don't fit in with the clique you get ignored or scoffed at. After seeing the clique at work, I'm glad I'm not part of it!

 

[Italia]

Hey. I can be fun too!

Real chocolate also has high amount of magnesium that supports thousands of important functions. Most people are deficient in magnesium and that may be part of the addiction for a lot of folks. Besides that yuuuuuuuummmmmy! Salad and a supplement! he he

 

[TexasLisa]

except they are gorgeous and fun to have...we enjoy them crowing

At what age do they start crowing? I know I have at least 2 (still waiting to see what the others will be). They will be 17 weeks on Friday. Also what age do the hens start laying?

Lisa

 

[Italia]

I haven't seen a tarantula in years

same with horny toads

but I do see a lot of fireflies in our back yard all the time

This is great you have lots of fireflies! It was brought up in the DYI thread that some people had noticed that they saw none this year, me included. We normally have so many it is magical.

 

[wlhtx]

We had fireflies this year. First time I've seen them in probably 5 years! My kids were SO excited.

And no offense, Italia, but you can absolutely keep the tarantulas. Please keep them. Give them sanctuary. (Cause if I remember correctly, you're on the other side of the state from me.)

I don't DO spiders, particularly giant hairy ones.