Roaming dogs and livestock

[Down South]

If you have good neighbors, you don't need to worry about their dogs. If you let your dogs run free, you are not a good neighbor.

What Ric said. I never let my dogs run loose when I had outside dogs. I spent a lot of money on containment. Either pens, above ground fences, under ground fences or chains. The only dogs that I ever chained were my Cur dogs. They were hog dogs and bad to the bone.

Can we agree that it's irresponsible (not even legal, at least in my area) to simply shoot every dog you see on your property that's not yours, without having ever seen it before

I never shot every dog I saw on my property. I only took out ones that were chasing cows or other stock. All dogs aren't bad. A lot of dogs get along just fine with livestock and they can get a free pass if they just happen to be wandering through.

[Jim]

Janet and I have been married just over five years now and in all that time, NEVER has one of our dogs gotten loose. 'Nough said on that.

As for shooting dogs on our property, we don't own livestock, so there's nothing for roaming dogs to attack. I did, however, pepper a dog with a load of #6s one day. I came home, got out of the truck and was confronted by a 60 to 70 pound mongrel growling and showing his teeth at me. "You ain't from 'round here, are ya', boy?" I reached behind the seat of the truck, pulled out my ol' 12 gauge single barrel truck shotgun and gave him a good peppering at about 50 yards. He left, post haste, and I have not seen him since.

On one other occasion, our four dogs were in the front yard inside the fence. I heard a heck of a rucus and went to the front door to find another dog outside the fence displaying his bravado. A load of #7 1/2s from a .410 quickly solved that problem. Like the first dog, that one has not returned either.

[Bad Water Bill]

When I moved here 40 years ago we had many birds nesting in the bushes and trees. Then some folks moved in with their kitty katz. One cat took out 4 cardinal nests in a week. Well living in the city presents a problem. SOLUTION a Crossman air rifle fired from inside my hallway THRU the door screen. Pick up the evidence place in a BLACK plastic bag and deposit in a nearby stores dumpster. Yes I am quite good at replacing screen wire.

If a cat is STALKING in my yard it is a good target rich area.

Sorry but if I must control my dogs you MUST control your kitty katz or else accept the consequences.

[arkypete]

My ex's uncle raised sheep in Augusta County, near the town. We could sit up on the hill in the center of his farm and watch the dogs come out of the sub division near by, to run the sheep. The dogs were various breeds, some pure bred and some mongrel. Didn't make much difference, once the dogs were in pasture with the sheep they were shot.
The farmer would round up the carcass's and dump them in a gully for the buzzards.
Seems like this was a every two year event. Once the lead dog and the pack were killed off it would take a couple of years for new pack to form.

Jim

[jmort]

"I never shot every dog I saw on my property. I only took out ones that were chasing cows or other stock. All dogs aren't bad. A lot of dogs get along just fine with livestock and they can get a free pass if they just happen to be wandering through."

At least someone has an above par golf I.Q.

[Bad Water Bill]

Many years ago there was a problem with dogs in a local forest preserve.

Well by the time every one that could stick their noses in did there were over 20 different L E Os involved and a good thing it was. They found out there were over 35 dogs in a pack and VERY protective of their territory. At the end of the war ALL dogs were dead.

No reports of injured L E Os but some said they were awfully low on ammo when the battle was over.

Some people just get tired of their dogs and dump them anywhere it is convenient for the X owners.

[KCSO]

"Any dog running at large and either running or harrassing livestock may be destroyed..." The law here in Nebraska and we use to get calls every couple weeks. The worst one was a 1/2 wolf that somebody dumped and it went though town killing every thing it could catch.

[1Shirt]

Many years ago in south western N.Y. I shot 3 wild dogs that were running in a pack. I was grouse hunting in an area where there were no houses or farms within at least a half a mile or more. One was a big shaggy ugly poodle, the other two were cross breeds, one of which had at least some shepard in him. All three were males. From the looks of the poodle being unkept and mangy, had been wild for a fair number of time. One of the crosses had a collar, the other did not. There were a lot of people who camped in that area during the warm weather, and some dogs possibly just wandered off I am sure, and some people probably just dumped them off. It doesn't take very long for a domestic dog to go feral, and if they pack up they can be dangerous not only to livestock but to humans as well.

I have loved all of the dogs that I have had over the years, but I took care of them both at home and when hunting in the field. Agree with KCSO and Ne. law. Don't know about all the other states, but if they don't have the same laws it is a mistake.
1Shirt!

[Echo]

My wife's uncle raised cattle and chickens in NE Texas. Once, when visiting, he pointed out a dog and asked me to shoot him (Buddy didn't have a gun to do it - didn't trust his .22). Seems the dog had been abandoned by city folks and would lay in wait by the big screen door at the end of his big chicken coop. When a chicken came within reach, the dog would dive under the door enough to grab the chicken. The chicken squawking scared the rest of the chickens, with understandable loss to Buddy. So I shot the dog. Hated it, but had to do it.

[x101airborne]

Anyone who wants to reply to this via PM to me is welcome.

Some months ago, we had a little boy killed by a pit bull. When I put it on here to watch your kids and that I (I am responsible for my own actions) would kill any dog I saw that could pose a threat to my family, many of the same people talking here said that I was an idiotic, bloodthirsty Texan and eventually I asked the mods to close and delete the thread because of some of the nastyness posted in the thread.
You know who you are and damn shame on you. Running on me for watching out for my family, but getting all huffy over livestock. This is also why I treat trespassers like dogs. Yous pays yous debts and takes yous chances.

And to be CLEAR..... It was NOT JIM!

That's all I gots to say about that.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I recall back in the `50`s and `60`s we had a problem with dogs. Seems "city people" would bring `ole Fido out into the country and toss him out near a farm, those nice farm people will care for him they would assume. Well, `ole Fido would be almost starved to death by nobody feeding him when he would take to killing small farm animals or running them thru fences. We kept an old #4 Lee Enfield behind the kitchen door with 8 rounds in the magazine just for these wild pets. I recall 1 summer we dispatched 13 "pets" that had turned feral. We had a milk cow that had lost both ears to dogs gnawing them off her when she was a calf, she had no use for any dog after that.Robert

[firefly1957]

No complaints from me if the dogs are owned the owners should be held responsible for the damage. Jim you said that there is nothing to attack at your place but you had one challenge you I was attacked a couple years ago by a stay Rottweiler right in my front yard. Thank you Corebon their 45 ACP 165 gr +p load stopped the attack instantly animal control looked the corpse over and did not think it had ever been cared for. When i was 18 some friends asked me and another to clean out dogs after they killed their sons rabbits (4H project) . Later not far from there a guy i worked with had a dairy farm with his father he killed 30 dogs in a year and one of the owners went to jail over it (animal negligent charges allowing it to run causing death) . The main thing is to check the law and maybe talking to who would be likely to respond to a complaint. By the way don't put them in the creek leave them for the buzzards!

[firefly1957]

P.S. A good thing to say if asked: Yep your dog was barely ahead of the coyotes when it crossed the road! Pointing far from were it was last.

[dilly]

I kind of think there are two kinds of cats: inside cats and feral cats. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of middle ground there.

Guess how I feel about feral cats.

[blackthorn]

x101airborne-----Good for you!! If its on my property and appears to pose a threat to my family--its dead!

[Freightman]

Had pit bull come after me on a walk around the neighborhood pulled my large knife and dared him to come on. His owner ask what I intended to do? cut his throat and whip his owner I said! two weeks later Sheriff came and shot the dog for attacking a child and fined the owner. I now carry my pistol and not afraid to defend myself. Had dogs my whole life but they were well trained and never were allowed out of the yard without a leash on, my dog now will not go out the gate unless I tell her so and has a leash on. Dogs can be trained if you care.
PS and you can see how vicious she is in my avitar !