I'm not trying to be negative but I don't have much hopes for the dogs learning their lesson. In my experience, the kind of people that let their dogs run wild, won't take you seriously if you complain to them. And since the dogs had fun killing the chicken, they'll want to do it again, and they'll learn soon enough that you're just trying to scare them off and not actually shooting at them. You can't keep an eye on your chicken pen 24/7 and you never know when those dogs will show back up. Believe me, I totally understand not wanting to kill a dog. I've always had a dog, always a rescue dog at that, I volunteer at rescues and have fostered dogs to re-home. But you're dealing with undisciplined dogs allowed to run wild, and chickens which frankly don't stand a chance against them. Fortunately, I have not had to shoot a dog yet (just about every other predator though). I talked to the game warden about it because I had some of the same concerns as you- what if I injured the dog and the owner sued me for vet bills? what if I killed the dog and the owner sued me for killing their dog? The game warden looked right at me and said, "If you shoot a dog in your yard, just get rid of it. Don't contact the owners, don't contact me. Get rid of the body. If the owner is irresponsible enough to break laws and let their dogs run free, then they can deal with wondering where their dog went." I know it sounds really harsh but honestly, if I ever need to shoot a dog, I'll definitely take his advice.