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Thread: Advice needed: Dealing with feral & stray dogs

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Advice needed: Dealing with feral & stray dogs

    I don't know if this type of post belongs in Our Town, but I didn't see any better place. So lately it seems people have been dropping off their unwanted pets out on our dirt road. Normally I don't even consider shooting someone's dog until a few weeks ago. I saw a couple dogs at the end of my driveway that I didn't recognize. I walked outside (stupidly without my gun) to get a closer look. They were sniffing around and ignoring me. I noticed neither dog had a collar. Then I cleared my throat. They both looked up at me and the bigger one snarled and growled. They weren't acting friendly. I got the sense that if I didn't move first I'd lose the upper hand. I turned and bolted for the house as fast as I could. They took off chasing me right to the door where I barely squeaked in. I shut the door and turned around to see how close they got. The one was up the stairs on the landing to the door. No idea what they would have done if they caught up to me.

    I've never owned a dog and don't know many dog breeds. I have no idea what these were. Not a pit bull, black lab or German shepherd. Probably were just mutts. One was the size of a German Shepherd the other more medium size.

    Anyway, with young kids I don't want to take chances. Just last week I saw another set of dogs with no collars on walking on the road. As I passed by in my truck I stopped when I got to them. They had that same attitude. Just stiffened up and stared me down. I called the wife who was running errands. She had the boys. I just wanted her to keep the boys inside with these dogs on the loose.

    Here's my question, I want to start dealing with the threats when they occur. When I see stray dogs with no collars from inside the house I want to simply pick up the shotgun, go outside and shoot them dead before they wander off my radar. I don't want my sons (2yrs and 4yrs old) to be a quick snack.

    Is this the wise thing to do? What advice would you have for me?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master


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    I grew up in a very rural area and still live in a fairly rural area. I have literally decades of experience in this area, and all you need to know is this:

    In the day and age that we live in, nothing good can come from discussing this in public. You know what needs to be done; you know when it can be overlooked and when it absolutely must be dealt with, and you know the various ways that such problems can be dealt with.

    You don't need a discussion here.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master

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    We have animal control here that we can call if strays are a problem just roaming in the area. But strays that growl at me on my own land are fair game. I don't know about the laws where you are.
    C. Latch has good advice.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    CLatch, point taken. Beagle333, thanks for your approach.

    As for calling Animal Control... My good neighbor at the end of the road tells me this became such a problem for him he says he has shot and buried around 200 dogs way before I bought my property here. He caught Animal Control stopped on the side of the road releasing dogs out here. I wasn't thinking I'd bother burying them unless they breathed their last breath on my property.

    Anyway, thanks guys. I'll handle my business. Just wanted a sanity check.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    I can't add anything, best advice has already been given. Good luck
    when the dust settles and the smoke clears all that matters is I hear the words " well done my good and faithfully servant "

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  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    Shoot Shovel and Shut up. This from a childhood bite victim. We lived on a dead end.

  7. #7
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    you asked a question that the sheriff from the next county over and i talked about in some length yesterday. kill them. here is why. the pine ridge reservation and the rosebud reservation has a huge feral dog problem. they kill kids and young livestock. two years ago a 11 year old girl was killed and mostly eaten by a pack of feral wild dogs. i dont hear much news from the rosebud but the sheriff does. he told me that 2 young children from the rose bud have been killed recently and eaten. the ranchers around there are forming hunting parties and killing every feral dog they see. there are 100/s of them on the rosebud. when you see a wild feral dog, shoot it. they stay around the blacktops looking for road kill. they will go after you young lifestock and chickens and ducks and your dogs and cats. even your children if they get a chance. even the small wild dogs will join a feral dog pack and help kill anything, even a human. KILL EVERY ONE YOU SEE. many years ago i live in a town of about 50 thousand and i would drive 5 days a week on a good blacktop to a hospital i worked at 55 miles. along that black top were many feral dogs. there is a milatary base near there and they would loose there dogs or let them just run wild. in the 4 years i worked that job i killed many feral dogs. they were all mean ugly and very wild. they also kill a lot of wild game. ducks and pheasants. one day on the way to that job i saw a white german shepard tearing apart a bunch of wild duck nest. i put a .22 round though him and he run off. a week later going though this tiny village, their he was laying on a porch with a big bandage around his middle. i never ever saw him run again. when i shot him he was a long long ways from home. SHOOT THEM ALL. when i worked home health on the pineridge i used to start seeing dead dogs all over the rez from febuary through march. the tribal police starts shooting every stray dog they see about that time. at this time of the year there are 100/s of them dead in the rural areas. i even read that the rez in canada have this problem, they have a once a year clean out on some of the rez/s up there. start carrying you gun even a hand gun, shotguns are best and lay them low when you see them and dont loose any sleep about it. remember they will kill the dog in your yard and eat them. any come in my yard they are maggot bait.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Plate plinker View Post
    Shoot Shovel and Shut up. This from a childhood bite victim. We lived on a dead end.
    Yes, the 3S rule!

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master



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    22 LR in the liver and no shoveling required.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The triple S is the rule. You have a wife and kids, what more do you need to ask about this?
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

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  11. #11
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    The problem of feral dogs and feral cats will come to a head eventually. Wildlife scientists are starting to openly call for the eradication of wild cats.

    For obvious reasons I won't discuss my approach to dogs and cats roaming my place.

    +1 on the three S rule.

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    in NC, a dog or any animal threatening you on your own property, you may use any means necessary to protect yourself.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master


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    That is a query for your local law enforcement. SSS?
    Micah 6:8
    He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

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    I may be discharged and retired but I'm sure I did not renounce the oath that I solemnly swore!

  14. #14
    Boolit Bub
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    Within the confines of the law, all aggressive animals on my property die. No ifs ands or buts. I have had a long talk with LEOs and the worst thing you can do is "wing" them to scare them off. That is animal cruelty. But putting down an aggressive animal is self defense.

  15. #15
    In Remembrance


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    Many years ago a lady in a rural area had a problem with a large pack of dogs coming on her property and killing her cats and/or eating the cats food. She mixed some antifreeze with the cat food for a few days while keeping the cats inside. Within a week she had cleansed the neighborhood of a serious problem. A drastic solution, but she was at her wits end.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master

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    If they are openly aggressive you can defend yourself family livestock. Another option is game control or the local Dog warden. One plus to the Dog warden and game control or even pest control is the animals will be checked for dangerous diseases also when caught. Distemper, Rabies, mange are things you don't want spread thru the area. Ive had the Dog Warden out a few times for dogs ( not just wild but people that let unsavory animals run loose). A pic or 2 of the problem animals for them is helpful also. The 3S are dominant here.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    If you feel you are in danger kill them. Dogs are pack animals, when they are by themselves they are usually more friendly. Add a couple more to the pack and all of a sudden they get a chip on their shoulder and become increasingly aggressive.
    East Tennessee

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowwolfe View Post
    If you feel you are in danger kill them. Dogs are pack animals, when they are by themselves they are usually more friendly. Add a couple more to the pack and all of a sudden they get a chip on their shoulder and become increasingly aggressive.
    This is on the money. They are pack animals and far more dangerous if in an aggressive pack.
    An individual dog will rarely take on an adult human. I love dogs and go out of my way to treat them well. Occasionally a bad dog will challenge you. Every now and then I've had to establish myself with an aggressive dog and I've never had a problem with one of those dogs after that. My old neighbor had a dog that was just plain mean. It would growl and show its teeth to me. I finally got my hands on that dog and when I was done we never had a problem again. I didn't kill it but I made sure it knew I could.

    If I was challenged by two or more dogs working together I would shoot every one of them.
    As for the three S rule, the first S should be Shovel; have the hole dug ahead of time !

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    where I grew up all the farmers had this dog problem. we shot as many as we had the chance. the farmer next to ours would carry an artillery luger on the tractor with him. I don't know how many that luger accounted for but it was quite a few.

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Gotta agree with the 3S strategy. A 22 short HP out of a 22 inch bolt action is fairly quiet.

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