What to do with DOGS

[OliviaDeHav]

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Hi Alison:
My hubby is going to check with the animal control... not sure if there is one in this town or not - have only been here 2 years.

 

[miss_thenorth]

If you know who owns the dogs, you could attempt talking to them. Three years ago, I had a neighbour whose (correct sp?) dogs got loose one morning and killed my roo. I called her up, she was upset, offered to pay for the roo, (which i did not accept) and she reinforced their kennel and never had a problem again. That is a good scenario. Some dog owners are responsible, some care. But not all. If you think the owners would be responsive, I would talk to them. If not, and also if you don't know who owns them, I would first shoot with a paintball gun. ( I have one ready by the door, but I also have a .22 by the door.) If they come back after being shot with a paint ball gun, I say it's fair game to use the .22, but don't tell anyone about it, just to be safe.

My dogs are not tied, but they tend to stay on the property. Same with my two closest neighbours. they both know if their dogs come home with a paint mark on them, it was b/c they were at my place. They also know the next time it will not be a paintball gun shooting at them.

 

[OliviaDeHav]

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Appears to be entirely legal to shoot to kill with no warning provided the owner is not present. If the owner is present or you know who they are you can file a claim for livestock damage and receive money for any vet care or cost to replace should one get attacked.

Personally I like to start with nonlethal force if nothing has been killed yet and I can track down the owners. Shoot the dog with a paintball marker and you've got complete evidence of who was on your property while giving it a good reason not to return. A one time escapee I'll give a reprieve to. If I see it again or end up with a dog who seems only interested in slaughter it's dead. There is a neighbor with a very nice aussie shep that every so often ends up over here and follows my chickens around who freak out but it has not actually tried to injure them, just herd and follow them about, and the owner immediately appologizes, offers to pay me, and then tries to solve how to keep their dog on their property. I can understand why they don't want to completely lock her up though. She is a nice little dog who has done no harm and is very useful on their farm. Occasionally she just seems too intrigued by my critters to stay away. That's one of the reasons I don't always shoot first. On the other hand someone dumped a min pin around here and it slaughtered most of my flock the first year. I was out for blood but decided to catch it and see if it had tags which of course it didn't and was turned over to animal control who probably put it down due to how violent it as being toward everyone. Threatened to bite me more than once after I snagged it with a loop. That one I should have just had shot but I was hoping to get some money to replace the 2 dozen rare breed birds it wiped out.

Thank you so much for looking that up... that was nice of you

my son was looking into a shot gun i might be able to handle - that we can have a bean bag shot in it, and if that does not deter the dog, then the real shot is behind it.... I'd HATE to have to kill anything! It is just not in my nature... but my nature is also to protect those things that I care for....

 

[OliviaDeHav]

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the paintball gun is a great idea, except we don't have one... Money is TIGHT and unless we are given one, we may get a shot gun - we were going to anyway in case of BEAR or as we were listening to yesterday - a pack of cyotes! that is the first time I've heard those and it was eerie!!
We moved here 2 years ago... I know the attitude here is MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS - people are nice and friendly, but I don't see us talking to the dog owners going over well... most here have no trespassing signs and gates at their driveways! The electric meters are at the end of the drives... it screams STAY AWAY! We did talk with a neighbor in our other place and she flipped out big time! It was horrible... she was crying and freaking out... and started flipping us off and beeping their horns every time they went by our house for almost a YEAR after!! so we are not anxious to speak to anyone.... I think things might be different where you are

 

[hanaleimel]

Years ago I lived way out in the country and we had coyotes if that is how you spell it, I forget...anyways dogs, hawks...whatever they are all predators and you just gotta make some time and fence in how ever big of an area you want fenced and let them hang out in there. They are animals 4 of my chickens just got killed by my uncles dog at my house. Its not the dogs fault I should have taken action to make the chickens safer. Who was I to know the dog would jump off of a back porch that is 15 feet in the air to eat my little chickie birds. Freaking animals. In a perfect world they would all exist in a happy place, our neighbors dog wouldn't come crap on our land, their cats wouldn't use my garden and flower boxes as litter boxes but they do.... You know they make those cool rolling coups you can keep um all safe and they roll all over the place I thought that was pretty cool.

 

[hanaleimel]

OOOOHHHH I like that paintball idea! I think i will get one of those..way better than my pellet gun I have shot after the dogs for chasing my horses and cows thataways when they return back home it will be a clear tail tale sign...get the freak off my property Oh ps the roll of fencing costs about 100 dollars for a big roll at Home Depot, and it is probably cheaper where you live because I live on a little little island in the Pacific where everything gets shipped in. We just got a home depot.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I absolutely don't blame you for being upset. You have eighteen acres for goodness sakes! Shouldn't that be enough to not be bothered?

Anyway, i was just going to make a suggestion for the long term. I'm not a dog person either, but i have found since living in the country and raising chickens - a good dog is priceless. I raise the kind someone mentioned - who barks at people in the driveway, eats table scraps, and pees all over my property so that others don't come around.

I was amazed when we first got a dog because i had a puppy lab mix who wasn't any bigger than a rabbit. But he had peed at the corners of our property. Suddenly, the neighborhood dogs, who used to walk right through our property, almost daily, stopped at the corner of our property, crossed the road and went around us. Apparently the pee was much bigger than the dog.

My dogs are the reason i don't worry about predators or neighborhood dogs. They're not the greatest protectors in the world, but they do get my attention when something is amiss. That and the fact that they don't bother my chickens, makes them perfect to me.

It's just a thought.

In other news, i would absolutely shoot the trespassing jobs if they make evil eyes at my chickens. Sorry, dog lovers. As the OP states, it's my property, and if they can't respond to my yelling at them, or my dogs barking at them, they will be forced to respond to my gun.

 

[OliviaDeHav]

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They have their run to be in... but i like them to be able to free range - Gosh! i'm sorry about your chickens!

that must have been awful.... But that dog was invited onto your property, so i could see that being upsetting, but at the same time a feeling of... That is how animals act - cause you are right - they do.... But, these dogs are not invited guests... Hawks I realize are up there and we watch for them and do the best we can and know that if we free range and they don't make it under a bush or back to the coop (they never wander far away LOL big chickens!) that they might get got... I'd feel horrible if anything got them like a hawk, but we do know that is a risk.... I don't feel like we should have to build fences way out here with 18 acres... I love the paintball gun idea though... they go home and the owners will know they've been somewhere where someone wasn't happy about it

 

[OliviaDeHav]

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Maybe i can just borrow a big dog to pee on the corners of the property??? or do they sell pee in a can???

Sorry - nice idea, but i won't ever get another dog. They are SO much care with so little return. Droolling, needy, jump on you, croch sniffing, flea and tick attracting work is all I see. I use to do rescue dogs, maybe that is what burnt me out on them. They all had such issues!!! My one dog that wasn't was great! He died when he was 4 1/2 though

And most of his little life he was soooo sick and soooo much care.... So between sick dogs and rescue dogs with issues i had to fix - then those that can't train them, I just can't see it. I do think the paintball gun is a great idea i have to see if they are expensive. Or the dog marking in a can. Now, how to mark 18 acres of woods! I've never even seen the other side of my property yet! I'm too ill to walk it.... I did make it to the top of the hill once though... and you can SEE FOREVER up there!
One lady said to have the paintball gun along with a 22 by the door - that might be the route we go. But i was curious about posting the property - like if we have to warn of our intent...

 

[OliviaDeHav]

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I like that one too! We put way more into the coop and run than we thought we would - and like most... money is tight - my 19 year old's eyes lit up when my hubby and i mentioned paint ball gun though LOL