Trapping dogs - UPDATE

[flash5153]

I've never trapped a large dog before but here is a way to build a trap if you are interested. They work WELL and can build it any size you want. If for a larger animal,,, can use a rat trap instead of a mouse trap. Take a look.
Basically build a box(whatever size) with wire on the sides. A track for a door . When the rat or mouse trap goes off ,,, the arm on the trap hits a wire that is holding up the door ,,,and the door falls.

A string from the rat trap,,, goes to a board inside the box trap.Must drill a hole ,for a string,just under the mechanism,, that sets of the rat trap. The board is on a pivot so it rocks and when stepped on .
A picture is worth a thousand words. lol

 

[switchback]

Good thread. I like your attitude. My closest neighbor has a Lab and another has a Boxer. There is no way I'd want to harm either one of those dogs, even if they did kill some of my birds.

Well, just so you don't get the wrong idea about me, if I ever actually caught it in the act (especially coming after my four-legged livestock), I would not hesitate to stop it using whatever means necessary. Since this has already happened (and I wasn't around to stop or even witness it) and she's helped me out before (assuming that it really is her dog), I'd rather start with a less permanent method.

And thanks to everyone for the links and plans, too - I may end up building one anyway because I may need to return the trap to animal control before I'm able to catch it.​

 

[LizD360]

I agree with everyone that said SSS- if you live somewhere it's legal, or at least where someone won't see you!

We've had this same situation for a number of years with a family of pitbulls that live about a 1/2 mile from us. I used to take the dogs back home when they showed up. Always "just escaped", "not bad dogs", "I'm sorry I don't know how this happens." Well sorry isn't good enough for me anymore!

This weekend they killed 2 of our RIR's and were trying to kills the rest of the flock- in front of my 15 year-old son! These were our babies! My kids and I are heartbroken.

I made the mistake of letting my anger get the best of me and driving to the owners house telling him off and informing him that when I found them I was shooting them! I drove back home and not 2 minutes later- here come these dogs. They jumped in my car just like normal. I was on my way to Animal Control with them when they (AC) showed up with the police and dog owner in tow! He got to keep the dogs and all he got were 4 citations/tickets!

Learn from my mistake- get mad but keep your mouth shut and handle the situation as quietly and swiftly as possible.

When you have irresponsible owners the situation rarely changes

 

[WillieBoy]

I understand your unwillingness to not hurt the neighbors dog, because she has helped you when your livestock has gone array.
However, you'd had better keep your girls locked up like there doing hard time in prison.Even if you convince your neighbor that her dog is attacking your chickens, sooner or later it will happen again.
The dog loves the hunt, the action, its a livestock killer.No matter your neighbors best efforts to keep the dog contained, it will escape and kill again...Good Luck....

 

[switchback]

The last and only hen is going in my basement as soon as I get something set up down there for her. Was hoping for it to happen tonight, but I got home late after wasting a 45 minute trip to pick up the live trap (nobody was at the shelter, guess I should have asked specifically what hours "around all day" were), and another stop at Radio Shack to pick up a second memory card for the trailcam.

Anyway, I was swapping out the cards when I realized just how crooked the tree trunk was that I had mounted it on when I set it up in the dark last week (no wonder I couldn't get the trigger to work the way I wanted when I did the walk test). So, as I was kicking myself for probably aiming too low and missing the spot where the tracks were outside the gate, I happened to notice new tracks just a few feet directly in front of the camera! I have 814 photos to review now, will post an update later tonight.

 

[switchback]

OK, I got some excellent (!) shots and it IS that dog. I need to think about how to approach this lady now that I have proof. I also have one very persistent squirrel and more cats than I had any idea of.

Also, it might change everyone's mind about their SSS advice to hear about the other times my livestock escaped the fence - I mentioned the foal rolling over under the fence, but one of my mules was an escape artist and got out a few times when I wasn't there. I only knew because I got a call from a different neighbor, but this lady was actually the one that helped catch and halter her until I got there. And, two of those times my mule went on her property and chased that same dog.

I take stuff like that seriously and I went to significant effort and expense in the first place to build a tall, strong fence to prevent that kind of thing. Yet it happened anyway. Turns out she was getting down on her belly and crawling underneath the fence (I never would have known or even thought it possible if I hadn't witnessed her do it the final time). Anyway, up until then, I had been walking the fenceline checking for any place she could have gotten out, adding more posts, etc. but she still escaped at least 3 times total (that I know of) until the charger I ordered came and I installed it. In fact, the last time she did it she was INSIDE the fence (on her own) by the time I got there and I never would have known if the neighbor on the other side hadn't called me (I went around talking to the neighbors and giving them my cell # earlier just in case it happened again).

So, that (and one Houdini dog that I used to have that jumped through glass windows, broke heavy chains and collars, dug through walls, crumpled chain link like paper) is why I make a distinction between people that don't care and people that just don't know (or are really making an effort to stop it). I really believe that she doesn't know what's going on and I'd like to think she'd put a stop to it if she did. So I would like to show her proof and give her the chance to do that first.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Ahh dog threads, gotta love them.

Again I'll say I like your attitude Switchback. If you decided to shoot the dog that's your decision and your right. It's also your right not to shoot the dog. I just like the moderation here. It seems too many people are quick to say shoot it or it's cruel to shoot it.


LizD360, in your case I'd shoot them too if I could.


Sometimes deterrents like paintballs can be effective too. Just a thought. Hit a dog with 10 frozen paintballs and it won't be in a rush to come back.

 

[wpalmisano]

I love my dog. I use him in many of my pictures. He is very dear to me. Look at my avatar. He took years to train. But if he was caught in the act killing livestock, he would be shot. I would be devastated. I would be angry at whoever did it, I might even go looking for some payback. The fact is, I would be wrong. I use my birds to feed my family or make money to feed my family. They are not pets, they are a method of feeding my children. Your dog takes food out of my kids mouths, he dies. Sorry. If I catch him the act of harming, or trying to harm my poultry, he dies. IF HE GOES NEAR MY near my kids, he dies. Its my land. Those are rules on my land. If you don't like it, tough. Sue me. Better yet, keep YOUR dog on YOUR land. Oh, and for those of you that have cats you let run loose ? My pheasants love chopped meat. So does my dog. Squirrel, chipmunk, fish, rats, mice, possums, coons, and cats. Saves me money on feed. Go ahead and flame me. You won't change my mind.

 

[switchback]

Quote:
I agree, I wouldn't put up with repeat offenders. The problem is it never comes around when I am there to see it.

I know she keeps her in a crate in the house when she's not home, but she also lets her out unsupervised to do her business. She had several reasons that it couldn't have been her dog when I approached her last week, but none of them convinced me (she's terrified of electric fence, she's terrified of my mule, she's too gentle, her other neighbor used to have chickens and she never bothered those, she's only outside for ten minutes at a time unsupervised and always stays in the yard, she never crosses the road, etc.). Well, unfortunately a lot of people on this board know firsthand how much damage a dog can do in ten minutes, and I now have direct evidence against most of her other reasoning too (it was only circumstantial before).

Anyway, I'm not sure how much to ask for reimbursement now (14 Dutch bantams that were 8 months old and laying - I was planning to get chicks out of them). And how to respond if she claims this still doesn't prove that she killed the chickens, only that she was inside my fence? I can't imagine her claiming something that ludicrous, especially since I have white fur inside the coop, but you never know. I am not the best at thinking on my feet in situations like this, so I want to be prepared.

 

[TrystInn]

We have a three strikes rule here:

1st time I see a strange dog on our property - paint ball gun

2nd time I see a strange dog on our property - Animal Control

3rd time I see a strange dog on our property - I get a new rosebush