Saturday, March 8, 2014

Feathers everywhere!!!!!

Two days ago I watched a dog walk 10 feet from my back porch with one of my hens in it's mouth. I got outside and penned up as many chickens as I could before I had to leave and pick up my daughter. We came back and 45 minutes later got the rest of the pea brains penned up. While we were in the process of doing that a lady came down the hill with her black dog and stopped exactly where my chicken had been. I had a chat with her about how I think her dog is killing my chickens, she didn't think so, and I wasn't 100% sure but I was bitchy towards her and was certain it was her dog until we left again to go to the store. There was another black dog near the road. Next day I'm ready for the dog. I'm outside all ding dong day until 1:30 I go inside with a bad feeling take a shower and by 2:00 I hear my hen scream look out the window and see the feathers :( The damn dog got her while I was showering!!!! I throw on some clothes walk around my yard saying numerous choice words and trying to pen up the pea brains AGAIN! They won't go in and I need to pick my little one up. What can happen in the 10 minutes I'm gone? I know more park at the school and my MIL calls freaking out. She pulled into the drive saw the dog with my bird in it's mouth. She peeled out and started honking the dog dropped the bird and it ran off. I hurry back home to find one chicken under the porch and feathers EVERYWHERE!!!! I find another rooster off in the neighbors yard, it was the one the dog dropped. Me, my little one, and MIL eventually get all the chickens put up. We see the dog up the hill and I asked my MIL if that was the dog, she said nope. What?!? I just chewed out it's owner yesterday, oops. The hubs stops by on the way to the shop. He finds the dog at the corner grabs it by it's throat asks his mom if that was the dog. Yep! He asks the people on the corner if it's their dog. They say no it's the people behind them. The hubs goes over there, the parents weren't home but he explained the situation to the oldest child and told her they were welcome to come look at our yard since it's covered in feathers. I texted my other neighbor to see if she had lost any chickens lately. She said yes and it's so and so's dog. WHAT! A little heads up would have been nice Geesh!!!! The owners of the dog (pastors at a church) haven't called, came down, said sorry, nothing. I'm seriously upset with their lack of giving a crap! I had a really hard time sleeping last night. It sounds stupid but I woke up several times from nightmares of dogs killing chickens. I also woke up mad as hell. I'm so sick of people not taking responsibility. So I'm going to deal with their dog. It likes to kill my chickens around 2 everyday. I don't know if it will be by today since they are penned up and it's raining but I'm going to be waiting for it. It's not going to kill another thing on this street!

19 comments:

  1. A .22short rifle or crossbow will fix the problem.

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  2. You will have to take care of it like we did. No one ever believes their precious pooch would hurt anything. I have almost 60 bodies buried that says different.

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    1. I can't imagine sixty. How horribly sad :(
      I'm killing this dog no matter what, it's dead just like my birds

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  3. I'd give the owners a warning and then I'd be shooting the dog next it stepped into my yard. Period.

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    1. We told the kids what the dog had done and the parents haven't said anything. I'm a lover of animals I swerve for turtles, tarantulas, and squirrels but I'm pulling the trigger on this dog, it's a goner :)

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    2. Sounds like it's time for the good old SSS. Shoot, shovel, shut up.

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  4. The way people (people NOT necessarily in the right!) are these days, I'd take some precautions before killing the dog. Speak with it's owners, explain the situation again and tell them what you plan to do if they don't keep the dog off your property. Then also contact the sheriff and explain the situation to him. He would probably respond differently knowing what had been going on beforehand if the dog's owners call him and demand you be arrested for killing their dog.

    I know you are in the right and the dog's owners are not taking responsibility as they should, but you've got to do everything you can to protect yourself, too.

    Oh, gosh. Good luck!

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    1. I know.......Where we live is a little bit redneck. My other neighbor wants to shoot those dogs just because of the giant piles of poo in his yard.
      We will do the right thing, even if it is keeping our mouth shut and playing dumb. Nope, haven't seen your dog ;)

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  5. .410 shotgun. Far enough out that it lives long enough to get home and needs taken to the vet. Take pictures of the dog witha chicken in it's mouth or at least on your property too before ya do it.

    Even if the dog lives the owners will be pissed due to the vet bill.

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    1. Ha! Sounds like a good plan! I wish I would have taken it's picture the first time. It all happened so fast and was shocking! I thought about letting my chickens out today and enticing the dog to come back and then taking care of it. I doubt they would take it to the vet. They pride themselves on taking in strays. I don't think this one even has a collar on it but its theirs :/

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  6. Dog needs to be eliminated and probably owners need a dose of buckshot up their butts too, pastor or not.

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    1. I agree that dog has become crazed. I'm keeping my chickens penned up while that four legged lunatic runs free (for now ;)

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  7. I would try to contain that dog (if possible) and call the dog warden. But, most likely you can't. If it could not be contained, then I agree with the rest of the comments.

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    1. We thought about calling animal control just to stay at peace with the neighbor but they still need to apologize.

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  8. Calling animal control is recommended, because there is always a chance that lawyers will get involved.
    Also animal control might be able to deliver the bill for replacement for the lost chickens and the eggs that would have been produced.

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  9. We have had similiar issues here...we talked with owners and it worked for awhile...We told them exactly what we were going to do....it happened again...Well, dog gone!...I would say talk directly to the adults not the children, maybe the children didn't tell the parents, you never know...You can get in trouble for shooting someone's animal...I agree with your way of handling it, as we are really 'redneck' as you say in these parts...but there is a right and wrong way to deal with things...I would give the people a chance to apologize and keep the dog out of your yard as well as the neighbors, if that don't work....well, dog gone!...Good Luck!

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  10. Seems to me that the owners aren't that concerned about their dog if they're letting it wander around without a collar and probably knowing it is attacking other people's livstock. I've given our neighbors the go-ahead to do what they need to if our dog(s) are ever caught harassing/killing livestock, but we're close so they are able to tell us and we're able to tell them if their or our animals are causing problems. I'm normally a "give them a chance" kind'a gal, and try to be neighborly, but I think sometimes we give people too much credit. Their dog is unsupervised, uncontrolled...who knows what may have happened to it. Missing dog? Nope. Haven't seen your dog, sorry.

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  11. It is too late to just shoot it now since everyone knows all about everything, I would take photos and then let animal control get the dog. The lesson is not to try and communicate with the owner or anyone else. Just take out the problem and know nothing when they are out riding around looking for the dog. It doesn't pay to be nice when it comes to animals killing your livestock.

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