Shoot them before they kill your pets, chickens, or a child.

Make sure they are stray dogs before you shoot...
I would sure hate to shoot someones pet even if the dogs don't know any better than to chase cats...
I would be heart broke if someone shot my dogs just because they chased a cat up a tree... Dogs just gotta do them things... I don't let my dogs run, but sometime they get loose and go for a short run... I do my best to not let that happen, but it does....

Its not just the cat they killed chickens too I have longhorn cattle,donkeys,horses. I cant have dogs comming on the farm chasing,killing my livsestock. They wanted to kill the cat I saw them go after him .They say once a dog has the taste of blood look out.

Go to Walmart and get a nice paint ball gun. Pick up some nice orange colored balls. LMAO. The stay dog gets shot and those paint balls sting when your hit. Its a learning experience for the dogs. Plus maybe, if your real lucky those neighbors will let there dogs in the house before they notice the paint. Heck, maybe fido will jump on there couch.
And what are your neighbors going to say. You could start the conversation by saying something like "there were these strays harassing my chickens so I shot them with paint gun. I could, within my rights just plain shoot them with a real gun, but I just wanted to scare those stays away"

Good luck
Shelly

I had problems for years with my neighbor's dogs. He always had the meanest dogs he could find and he let them run loose. Off and on for years, I put up with his dogs coming in my yard an doing damage. One time they came in my yard in the middle of the night and killed 3 of my cats. They would stand in the road and watch for my car to leave in the morning and come and eat my cat's food. Then, my neighbor got a vicious, large male Pitt Bull and another vicious long haired dog that someone dumped off. These two dogs came in my yard every day and all in all, they killed around 15 of my cats, and almost killed one of my dogs. I had a $215 vet bill for my dog. This neighbor was very mean and rude when I called him on the phone to tell him what his dogs were doing. He told me to move if I didn't like it, I have lived there for 35 years, and that he hated cats and was glad his dogs killed my cats. The police would do nothing. There is no animal control or humane society in my area. I had to sell a piece of property to get enough money to have a chain link fence put up to keep his dogs out. The Pitt Bull was so mad about the fence that he tried to attack me through the fence. These dongs wandered the road every day and, strangely, after putting up my fence, I only saw the dogs for about a month or two more and then they were gone. My guess is that they bothered someone else and they took action against the owner. That neighbor had a stroke and died this past June, he was 49 years old. Now there are packs of wild dogs living across the road on the creek bank and in my back woods. These came from dogs that were dumped and reverted to the wild. It is a never ending struggle to keep my animals safe. I have horses also and the wild dogs will chase them.

Feral dogs are a danger to everyone since they have no fear of humans. People who abandon animals are causing a terrible situation, let alone what they are doing to the dog. Your pack of wild dogs is an accident waiting to happen and you or a child might be the victim. Are you sure that there is no help from the city or county? If so, for your own protection and that of others, you might want to pick up a gun and go hunting.

haven't had any problems yet. but if something comes up that my Great Pyr can't handle hopefully i'll get a clear shot with my.22.

When I called the police, the only advice they could offer was to swear our a warrant against the neighbor and go before the County Commissionor. The police also said that most likely the neighbor would retaliate against me and that he could do me a lot of damage and I wouldn't be able to prove anything. The County police also suggested that I might just want to shoot the dogs. But, I cannot shoot anything. I just can't do it. I am vegetarian and I just cannot bear to hurt or kill anything. I accidentally misspelled a word in this message and got sent to Disney for my first time ever. I have now corrected my unintentional error.

Call your CO and tell him your have problems with Coyote coydogs,mean rabid wildwolf dogs,and they may send someone to take care of the problem.Where I live we recently had a 71 yr woman killed by some feral dogs and it wasn't a pretty sight.Even after that its almost impossible to get a dog catcher to even come out and try to catch any feral dogs.If they have a collar or are friendly I usually don't consider them as being feral.

In Pa. its a crime to shoot someones pet... Even if its doing something wrong... Unless its attacking someone...

Not in my state.... it is perfectly legal to shoot a dog if it's after livestock. My property is fully fenced and my dogs are NEVER loose. It's just good pet ownership... not a good idea to ever let your pets bother others, you never know who has a gun and isn't afraid to use it.

To me if owner lets dogs run they deserve what they get, I always was responsibe dog owner I have kennel for both when left out we're there with them, yeah well theres lots of laws what they dont know wont hurt them . The dogs come back ,theyre history. I went out to feed animals yesterday there was one out here my lab went after it chased it off our land.

Some new people moved into an area that joins my property on the north side in the back. There were 3 houses built back there last year. This morning 3 dogs were barking at something in my woods, I hope it wasn't one of my cats because one of them is missing. Not only that, their kids have started riding their ATVs into my woods. I don't want their dogs on my property and I don't want their kids with their ATVs on my property. They have to go down a pretty steep hillside and I can just see an accident going to happen. I was afraid these new families would have a bunch of dogs and of course, they do, and they just turn them loose to bother me.

Sounds like city folk to me...

When I was young no one cared if you was on your land or if your neighbors dog came to see you....

I think the dogs should have the freedom to run as we do...
People that shoot dogs don't have dogs as pets

I'm sure glad you folks are not my neighbors...

Born country and I'm staying country....

The feeling is mutual.

Well you let your dogs run you really dont care about your animalks do you. anything could happen,I do have 2 beautiful labs I am fully responsible for.There fore I do not want other peoples dogs chasing after and killing MY ANIMALS.I am country Lived there most of my life. Judith,Youll hear from your neighbors and thier lawyers if a kid crashes on your land,we had a neighbor boy crash on his dirtbike. They said if he wasnt wearing a helmet the damage it sustained he would have died,they had to put a pin in his leg.

I asked my attorney what I could do about these kids on dirtbikes,he said tell them to not ride on your property and its at their own risk then post No trsspassing signs every couple feet And sign your name on the sign.These people have no land but buy thier kids 4 wheelers and dirtbikes. It dont make sense. weve had problems here also till we ran an electric fence up along pasture. we have longhorn cattle and hoises we want to move over there cant have rutts and all in there.

letting dogs run loose in the country didn't used to be a big problem. most people had livestock and would not have a dog that was a threat to them. now many people just live in the country,but are not really country folks. they just have a dog or two and nothing else, they don't even realize that little fifi will really hurt a flea....or cat....or.....

I agree... The people complaining here are not true country folk... Just wantabees...
Or maybe the country is different in your state...
I live in Northeast Pa... The people are mostly frindly here and would never think of shooting your dog.... They just give them a treat and send them on there way...
Now if the dogs was truly wild I would agree with sending to doggy land... I think ture country folks love all dogs... I for one would go out of my way to help a dog in need...

Thats the word CONSIDERATE....Thanks.I feel the same way.

This talk of people 'not being true country folk' is just ridiculous. I own 5 acres of land on a county road (dirt road). There are several houses in this area that have no fence and small plots of land, but they have 3 to 7 dogs on their postage stamp. They just do not care what their dogs do to other people's property. I was in our woods one day and looked up to see a large German Shepherd standing about 10 yards from me on full alert. It started growling and coming closer to me, snarling its teeth at me. This thing was going to attack me until I got some large branches and hurled them at it. This dog also runs with another large german shepherd most of the time. They spend their days chasing cars, horses, people, you name it. There is a property down the road that has less than an acre of land that has chain link fence around it. That person has at least 7 dogs, but I suspect there are more because I can never count all of the puppies. That person leaves their gate open and lets the dogs run wild. Those dogs spend much of the day lying right in the middle of the road. One day I decided to walk down the county road that my taxes help maintain. I had to walk by this house, as well as 2 others with dogs. None of them keep their dogs in their yard, they let them roam free. I had a pack of dogs growling and barking at me a long way on that road with 2 of them nipping at my heels. There is a lady who lives over here who doesnt take her horses out much at all anymore because every time the dogs would chase the horse and spook it. That can result in the death of the person on the horse. Before I put up a fence around my garden these other people's dogs would regularly dig up my garden and eat my vegetables. These are other people's responsibility, and their irresponsibility results in damage to other people's property.

This is not about being 'cityfolk' or 'countryfolk'. This is about having the common decency to take responsibility for your actions. These people know their dogs roam around all day and they do not care. This is irresponsible and ILLEGAL. There is a thing called a Leash Law in most places in this country, including this county. If I see their dogs causing trouble you had better believe those dogs are going to be put down by Animal Control. Do I feel bad about that?

Not one bit.

Take responsibility for your actions. Dont blame others for your negligence, letting your dogs run loose. Its got nothing to do with being 'country' or 'city'. It has everything to do with common decency.

Just in case anyone forgot not too long ago there was a case where two dogs KILLED a woman. The owners of those dogs tried to wriggle out of the responsibility that they had for that woman's death as well.

It would be useful in this context to know how to identify "true country folk."

Here in South Texas, we SHOOT them ! Can't have them kill my sheep, chickens and goats.Or bring god knows what kind of disease to your place.City folks usually dump them on our dirt road!Have not had to shoot one since I got my Great Pyrenees Dogs.Lost 15 Ducks all in one day because of strays.
MskeetPod

we use our paintball gun every day. heheh.

would all the 'old timers' please look at the calander, and notice that this is NOT the 1900's any more? these aren't georgia blue-tick hounds chasing squirrels...most of these dogs have been dumped in the woods BEACUSE they have bad tempers, and I'd be mean in that situation, too. no one's discussing shooting the beagle digging up the petunias- they're suggesting protecting themselves from having a face that's scarred like mine.

and would every ninny that said 'I could never kill something' please move back to the 'burbs- you simply have no business living out in the real world- just because the carrot doesn't resist you, doesn't mean that you don't kill it- and a parent that can't protect its young is God's ultimate disappointment.

Trap the dogs and drop them off at the humane society. If they are a pet dog, hopefully their owners will bail them out and wise up about keeping their animals under control. If they are feral dogs, then the humane society will kill them for you.

I love the idea of using a paint-ball gun. I am going to buy one.

Our neighbor adopted an older Australian Shepherd. I like dogs, but this one gives me the creeps. He is very protective of our neighbor and has bitten one mailman. He easily weighs more than my little 6 y/o girl, and both of my kids will not go out if he's roaming. I've been keeping a baseball bat handy for defending my kids, but like the paintball idea better. At the very least, it would take his mind off the little ones.

Any creature, 4-legged or 2-legged, is taking its life in its hands by threatening my babies!!

Kbeitz, you may want to get your facts straight before you go off half cocked, trying to defend your misplaced beliefs. The Pennsylvania Dog Law says:
ARTICLE V-A
OFFENSES OF DOGS
Section 501. KILLING DOGS; DOGS AS NUISANCES
(a) LEGAL TO KILL CERTAIN DOGS - Any person may kill any dog which he sees in the act of
pursuing or wounding or killing any domestic animal, wounding or killing other dogs, cats or
household pets, or pursuing, wounding or attacking human beings, whether or not such a
dog bears the license tag required by the provisions of this act. There shall be no liability
on such persons in damages or otherwise for such killing.

Yep, that's straight from the Pennsylvania STATE website.

The most important thing we're talking about here is human lives. Dogs kill and maim people every day. I've seen the evidence firsthand. I've held a screaming three year old who was in his own fenced yard when a neighbor's dog jumped the fence and attacked. It had been attacking another neighbor's goats for weeks, but the goat owner didn't kill it because he "didn't want to be cruel". NOW he has to look at his neighbor's child's face ~ I'll bet he has a different idea of what "cruel" is now. And it wasn't the first time I'd done that. In my ten years with the local volunteer EMS system, I've been on no less than three dog attack calls, every single one was a dog owned by newcomers, city slickers if you will, who would have never thought their dog would do such a thing, so let their dog run loose.

The second most important thing we're talking about here is the lives of livestock. To some people, their livestock is their livelihood. I don't think it is fair one bit that a dog should be able to live after it's killed one of my 94 year old neighbor's calves ~ he'll just come back and kill the rest of them, then my neighbor won't have enough money to pay for his medications and he'll die, after suffering through the nastiness of congestive heart failure. Because a dog has a "right" to live? No way, no how, NO!!!

And a dog should be able to run loose and wreak havoc on whatever and whoever it wants to? No. No way. NO. If there's a way to not kill the dog and still make it stop, I do. DH and I use birdshot on them, not killing, but definitely hurting them to teach them that our place is NOT the place to be. But if they come back, they are DEAD. It's not that much of a stretch for a dog to go from chasing and killing livestock to chasing and killing a child. I will NOT let that happen. Someone here said that most ranch owners and other country people don't have dogs that attack livestock or people without provocation. I wholeheartedly agree. I don't think any of my dogs would attack livestock, but I do KNOW that they are purely capable of doing just that. They're dogs. I love them almost like they're my children, but I still am grounded in reality. If I learned without a doubt that one of my dogs attacked someone viciously in their own yard, I would shoot it myself. With lots of tears, yes, but it would be put down.

I don't have any patience with people who have their heads stuck in the sand. I lost all that patience I DID have when DH and I took a dog to it's owner after I saw it killing my chickens. We brought the dead chickens along and pointed out the blood all over the dog's muzzle and chest. The owner had the audacity to ask, "How do you know it was MY dog?! You could have grabbed him from the road and put the blood on him yourself! Or YOUR dogs could have attacked the chicken and it then ran into my dog, getting the blood on him." **WHAT?!!!* I was so furious I couldn't talk, but I was able to lift his dog's lip and pull a feather out of his teeth.

Country people know the way of life and the reality of animal nature. Most city people do not. They're raised on a steady diet of stories like "Babe" and "The Incredible Journey". Most of them don't know what dogs are capable of, or refuse to believe it. Kbeitz, if you want to talk about who sounds country and who sounds city, I must say that you sound more like a city slicker than anyone else here.

Thank you wingnut very well said.....

I'd use one of those paint ball guns if I could figure out how to convert it to 12 ga.
Bob

city people...country people... I've lived both places since my youth and know that out in big country a dog on a leash is not of much use for any kind of work except for protecting what the leash is attached to and barking. It's responsability nothing more. In the city there are dog problems as well, they are just magnified and usually handled quickly due heavy concentrations of scared people. But I have seen the most longstanding feral and domestic dog problems in the country and sometimes peoples livilyhoods not just their safety are at stake.Tempers flair, traps and guns come out when property gets destroyed and safety becomes threatened,just a reality. Do these problem dogs come from city people or country people? The obvious answer is both. Problem dogs come from people, people who do not take sufficient resposability of there dogs and resulting litters-country or city and all areas in between. Responsability is the ability to respond and not after the fact. pauma.

Do the wildlife,your neighbors and livestock a favor.If you see a feral dog on your property Shoot it and throw it in the bushes.

Stray dogs are BAD any where. In the city they spread the trash etc. lay under cars in winter looking for warmth, growl and bring fear in humans. In the rural areas they kill livestock and run rampantly across the areas scaring away natural free ranging animals. Stray dogs should NEVER be looked at as 'sweet little doggies'. They do not have that behaviour and will NEVER have it.
We have lost three calves to stray dogs whose population is growing. Three calves equaling $1500.00. If I could line the sites up on the strays they'd be dead stray dogs.

I don't have a problem with coyotes or strays since I got a jack donkey. He has zero tolerance for strange canines. My own dogs and the neighbors dogs only have about 40 feet before he goes on the attack. Very effective. Too bad I can't let him roam the yard.

There used to be a friendly neighbor dog here that used to just get lonesome when nobody was home and come and visit. He would just hangout while I worked in the yard and get a pat or two. Minute somebody got home at his house he was there. Used to escort the local kids up and down the road. Very nice dog. My animal hating neighbor poisoned him.

The neighbors got another dog that was a nuisance loose. He would tear into garbage, dig holes in the flower beds and bark at me in my own yard. My neighbors never got it about keeping him in the yard. The animal hating neighbor poisoned him.

They got another dog that chased cars, chased kids, ate garbage and chased chickens. I used my BB gun on him regularly. Did notice him one day about to tinkle on the electric fence. Held my fire and let the fence do the job. He stayed out of my yard after that but still roamed. Animal hating neighbor got him too.

Now they have another dog again. They still don't get it. He's loose. Doesn't seem to be a problem dog but it's only a matter of time before the animal hating neighbor strikes again. I don't understand what their reasoning is. They know the animal hater is there and what he's done but still let the dog roam.

We have a neighbor who's 5 month old great pyr puppy was shot (killed) by her next door neighbor a few weeks ago. We had a storm and a tree fell on her goat pasture fence, and the dog had the "nerve" to step on said neighbor's property. This dog would lick you to death if anything....the gun happy neighbor said the dog was threatening him, but he had time to go back in his house and get his gun and shoot the poor animal. He never even called my neighbor to tell her that her dog got out. This woman never lets her dogs roam free. I can see where this is not the same situation as a lot of you have, but it is still fresh in my mind and I fantasize about doing evil things to "trigger". It's in the law's hands now. Our quiet community just doesn't seem the same anymore.

Shoot, Shovel and Shut up is the motto around here. I haven't had to threaten much in the last few years though, at our old farm my miniature stallion killed the neighbors dog (good riddance). With raising the minis my foals are only 16"-24" tall at birth and I don't trust ANY breed of dog around them. Our best defence now though is my mini donkey gelding, and he's taught the herd of broodmares that dogs, coyote and foxes are BAD things, they've all learned to stomp! I can't even take my own dog (Lab/Pitt cross) out in the herd anymore, he thinks they're playing!

BTW, my dog is always chained when not with me and his main job is ground hog control.

And city vs country? I have a name for those neighbors that have just moved out on a few acres and think they're country folks, we tend to call them "citiots" (trust me, it fits with my most recent ones!)

Funny story, the couple that lives way up the lane from us are in their 80's and give fair warning, if it's in their field it's fertilizer. Apparently they'd already told Mrs. Citiot this, as one day she came up and told me "do you know how mean the neighbor is? She SHOOTS DOGS!" to which I said "yep, I shoot dogs too" her comment "you wouldn't shoot my doggies would you?" I told her "I'd shoot my OWN dog if it was harassing my horses/livestock" LOLOL, the look on her face was WORTH IT!

I know how you feel.I've lived in both the city and country.Most of my neighbours have dogs,some roam,some don't.The ones who roam usually end up being killed by the train.
Right now I've got the job of taking care of a dog who has been visiting my home and that of my neighbour for the last week or so.She lost most of her meat chickens,ment to feed her family for the winter.I lost three chicks yesterday morning.Two were Belgian Quail Bantams.I'm hoping that when I finally shoot the dog and place the ad around that I've "Found" the dog,that the owners will contact me to retrive the dog.My neighbour is out a minimum of $200.00 and I'm planning on handing the owner a bill for the chicks as well.Not too concerned about the owners feelings on the matter of the dog.They should have kept it at home.Not trigger happy either and would rather let the dog live but my birds take first place over the dog.My neighbour is in the same frame of mind,after all she just lost half her winter meat supply to the dog.I know it's a dog as wild animals would have eaten something of the birds and not just torn them to ribbons.Sherry

I like this miniature thing you could have mini/dwarf cows,chickens,pigs,goats,sheep and dogs .Heck think of the space savings on pasture not to mention feed. An entire complete ranchet or ranchito right down to the livestockitos and why stop there you could plant dwarf fruit and nut trees If we got everything small enough you could fit the entire kit and kaboodle on an acre.pauma

Guys,
Be careful about this topic.
Spike the Almighty has spoken up in the Farm Life forum and has deleted anything that had to do with killing dogs that harrassed livestock. He seems to think that that is hunting, which it's not.
I have linked his warning below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Message from the almighty.

Problem, yeah. In my experience family pets who run and pack up, (two or more,) are a menace to anything they run across. Every year there's a child mauling by "pets," in the interior of my state. I suspect yours too. What's a prudent person to do, given this knowledge, in order to safeguard life and property? That's still morally justifiable, isn't it?