Two shorthaired Pointers got 10 of our chickens

[Cuban Longtails]

Okay, so I found this:

174.01(1)(b)
(b) A person may intentionally kill a dog if a domestic animal that is owned or in the custody of the person is threatened with serious bodily harm by the dog and the dog is on property owned or controlled by the person and:


174.01(1)(b)1.
1. Other restraining actions were tried and failed; or


174.01(1)(b)2.
2. Immediate action is necessary


Then to define "domestic animal":

174.001(2g)
(2g) "Domestic animal" includes livestock, dogs and cats

To define "livestock":

174.001(3)
(3) "Livestock" means any horse, bovine, sheep, goat, pig, llama, alpaca, domestic rabbit, farm-raised deer, as defined in s. 95.001 (1) (ag), or domestic fowl, including any farm-raised game bird, as defined in s. 169.01 (12m).

Unfortunatley chickens aren't included in the definition of domestic fowl. So... get you a couple of turkeys or some quail... *sigh*

It's terrible, I wish it hadn't have happened to you.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Okay, I realize I'm new here, although I have been lurking for months...and after this post you may or may not want me here again, but.....I love my dogs!!!!!

Yes--i love my chickens too, and my horses, and my cats, etc. etc., I do not free range my chickens for the main reason that things like this might happen. they have a large fenced (roof too) area. If not dogs, then hawks, coons, coyotes, etc. etc. It is a dogs instinct to kill--especially hunting dogs as you have specified. yes,--the dogs shouldn't have been running free, but they were --and this is what happened.

I try my best not to let my dogs get out, but theyhave, (as I'm sure alot of yours have ). Fortunately, we have not had any bad things happen, but if something did, I would feel really bad and would be responsible for it.

Although I'm sad your chickens got killed--I would be sad if my chickens got killed too, but I also would be sad , (as well as feeling alot of other things) if my dogs were deliberately shot, b/c of one of the rare times they got out and did what there instinct told them to do.

Al l I can say is, while it is really sad and unfortunate that this happened, it was an unfortunate accident . if you killed the dogs that did it--that wouldn't be an accident.

I love my dogs, and try to keep them from getting out--they only come out when I am out. I also only let my chickens out when I am out.
I empathise with you aobut your loss. But please understand that if this is the first time these dogs got out--it was an accident-- a horrible unfortunate accident.

Mind you, if this becomes a recurring thing, you probably can do something legally.

 

[meanmom]

Hi again,

A couple of things--when we find the owners of the dogs, the deputy said they will be given an "animal at large" ticket--a fine of about $260. I asked if they would get two--one for each dog, but no--they will only get one.

Secondly--we have a beautiful brown 15 year old chocolate lab who thankfully was in the house when this happened. My dh, who's been a hunter since childhood, said those dogs were frenzied and didn't back down right away when he first got outside. He admitted later to having a moment of fear when he wasn't sure if the dogs were going to turn on him. They only started to back off and run away when I came outside after him screaming, swearing, crying and shouting, waving my arms like a lunatic. He is sure our lab would have been severely injured if she were out at the time.

Last year we had a black lab who, little did we know, turned out to be a small animal killer--baby rabbits, squirrels, etc. We raised him for the first 7 years in the city so we had no idea until we moved to the farm. He killed one of our chicks the first day we had them outside. Pulled it right through the bars of it's cage. It was so sudden and unexpected. He was put down because of a long term illness, but if he wasn't, we would have found another home for him. AND, if he had run away and reeked havoc in someone's coop slaughtering half their chickens--and they shot him--I would have understood. That is the consequence of a killer instinct. Not all dogs have it.

DH likes SSS. If I had my choice and we could capture the killer dogs, I would take them 100 miles away and give them to a humane society in a great big city so they could never get back to their owners and they would be adopted in a place where they wouldn't be a threat to livestock (chickens aren't legally considered livestock?! Go figure.... What exactly are they then?)

Anyway, one of the things I have enjoyed on this list is the diversity of opinion. We may not all agree, but there is a good deal of tolerance, acceptance, support and learning that goes on here. So, I am glad lurkers, like me and you, chime in every once in a while!

Thanks again for all the advice and condolences. The snow fall has covered all evidence of the attack--no more blood stained snow or hundreds of strewn feathers to remind me as I walk throughout the yard.

Take care, Lee

 

[meanmom]

Well, we have a lead on who the owners of the dogs might be. The deputy is supposed to contact them and get back to me this afternoon. I will keep you all updated.

Take care, Lee

 

[Wattles]

We need to . . . breed a chicken that can kill a dog.

I like it! We need to develop a super-bad giant chicken breed with fangs, giant spurs and claws - kinda half-dinosaur, half-chicken but a super-jumbo egg layer and one who looks all cutsey-pie like a Silkie or Ameraucana, in order to confuse the predators. My husband likes this idea and added one of his own - little mini machine guns that pop out of the wattles. I'm not sure how doable this is - does anyone have any technical know-how on how to set something like this up?

 

[jackiedon]

Lee,

I understand your pain. My chickens were in their pen and the dogs tore through. My dad quail hunted for many many years and trained bird dogs. Dogs that are breed to bird hunt (pointers, labs, setters and etc) have to be trained NOT to kill birds. My dad would shoot the dogs with light bird shot it would sting but not break the sking to teach them a lesson because at first they would eat the birds.

The labs that killed my chickens were retrieving them back to their home. The chickens were scattered between my house and his.

My neighbor took his dog down Sunday night because he had killed all of his chickens twice and killed my daughters kittens many times.

I'm sorry for your loss,

jackie

 

[SpottedCrow]

Glad that there's a lead on the owners.
Did they say what they could do about the damages?
You may have to go to small claims court.
If I could've bred Slifer, there'd be NO deaths by dog...she would've kicked butt and taken names.

 

[KKluckers]

I'm sorry for your loss. Last year I had a dog kill some of my chickens. I warned the owner, but he really didnt care because the dog was back the next day. We shot(killed) the dog and they called the sheriff on us. The sheriff told the neighbor it is your responsibility to keep your animals penned and supervised. The guy was pi**ed off because the sheriff said we could get damages for the livestock he killed. We have the right to protect our animals and that is what we do. I have two German Shepherds. I don't let them run around the neighborhood. Maybe you could ask around to see if anyone knows of the dogs. I know the pointers are good escape artists. Maybe the owner has them penned better now. He could of also seen the evidence on his dogs to.

 

[Cara]

Quote:
A pointer...in the city?!?! May as well shoot them as sentence them to a life of misery.

 

[tiffanyh]

I vote electric fence too...you can even get the solar ones.

Sorry for your loss.