Child in my pasture- WWYD?

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=facinated;3374757]
If the kid is doing what kookikat says she is doing, then she is breaking laws. There is a right way to proceed. It does not involve shooting the child, chasing her with sticks into a trap, physicaly restraining her by the ear or any other body part. People do these kinds of things to children every day, at every level of society. When they get caught they say “I was only kidding” .
As far as taking the fence down, I believe the OP found the fence down and assumed that the kid did it. Around here when a whole line of electric fence comes down, posts and all it is usualy the work of deer, cattle or horses.
As far as knowing your neighbors is concerned, I am used to hunt country. It is a courtesy to know the names of the landowners, and their employees.
I am also pleased to hear that “actionable” is a word I thought I made it up.[/QUOTE]

Stop digging.
Trying to make sense is not enough, it HAS to make sense.:yes:
When you have a kid harassing and you come home to a fence someone has been pulling the wire off and taking the post down, there is a very clear guilt by association there.

In any case, no matter what anyone thinks, the police should be made clear that they need to be involved, asap, before more happens, some that could be serious.
That is what the police is for, our taxes at work. Use them.

[Capall]

To those who think “Wow, you all are so MEAN! Why not take the child and introduce her to your horses and then maybe you’ll have a stable hand, a student and yada yada yada!”

What if you don’t WANT any of those things? Sorry, some people are busy and don’t have time (or patience) or need to have a child around. Even if the child is polite and well behaved, you still have a right to not want other people on your property. Especially nasty bratty ones! And you better believe if my girls ever talked back they would get in trouble. In fact, they do sometimes (hey, they are 5 they have their moments!) and they get in trouble for it.

I would never allow my girls to wander about unsupervised for one thing and for another if they were harrassing someone else’s animals (they were yelling at the neighbor’s dog the other day and were promptly given a tongue lashing over it and haven’t done it since!) they would be in trouble. There is no excuse for this kid’s behavior and there is no way I would want such a menace near me, my children or my animals.

Go ahead and call me a cranky bitch if you want, but I have every right to be so. I can’t stand ill-behaved children. Even if it’s my own spawn, and I don’t stand for it!

[MHM]

@facinated;3374757

As far as knowing your neighbors is concerned, I am used to hunt country. It is a courtesy to know the names of the landowners, and their employees.

How nice for you.

Does that mean that all people who aren’t in the same situation must be “mean old bats” if they don’t know all their neighbors?

[DeeThbd]

[QUOTE=slc2;3374436]

The fact is, that this isn’t ‘vandalism’ or ‘harrassment’. To suggest this is absurd. The child walked thru the field waving a stick, and mouthed off, and wandered back later.

This is hardly vandalism or harrassment and the police will laugh their asses off at you if you go about it that way.

.[/QUOTE]
But, SLC…the OP’s fence was subsequently ripped down. That is where the discussion of vandalism came in.
Dee

[Entourage]

[QUOTE=RNB;3374197]
Perhaps you should follow your own advice, since you posted this on the eventing forum…

“Maybe you did not notice my perfect solution to the problem on the previous page. Here it is again:
Have a rule that if you say something crappy about someone you need to post your home phone # and address.
Think about it.”

FYI…“facinated” is not a ‘she’ but rather a ‘professional’ in northern VA.[/QUOTE]

It’s a total shame that I was interested in his stallion before reading all this…now I will look elsewhere!

[kookicat]

@naters;3374304

Here here.

OP: Here is what you do:

1. Grab bigger stick than kid has
2. Run madly screaming and screeching across the pasture
3. Chase little brat into the booby trap cage you have pre-set-up
4. Deliver kid in cage to cops.

:lol:

Oh, I needed that laugh. The image of me chasing the kid across the pasture with a lunge whip just flashed across my mind.

Thank you!

(Disclamer for fas… people who don’t get the funnies- I would never do that. Never. Like my lunge whip too much… :eek::winkgrin:)

[slc2]

There isn’t any indication that the electric fence posts were ripped down by the kid. You didn’t see her doing it.

If fence posts can be ripped down by an 11 year old girl’s hands they might not have been real firmly installed, unless they’re the light step in posts, but even at that it would take time to get those down.

We can argue all we want about the details of this, it’s still the property owner’s problem and it’s a big, big problem. What does the O.P. feel she would like to do next…I really hope it works out for you.

[kookicat]

@slc2;3374782

There isn’t any indication that the electric fence posts were ripped down by the kid. You didn’t see her doing it.

If fence posts can be ripped down by an 11 year old girl’s hands they might not have been real firmly installed, unless they’re the light step in posts, but even at that it would take time to get those down.

We can argue all we want about the details of this, it’s still the property owner’s problem and it’s a big, big problem. What does the O.P. feel she would like to do next…I really hope it works out for you.

The fence posts aren’t as sturdy as I’d like. They are the step in posts. If it was permanat fencing, I would use wooden posts, but it’s not. I use it mostly to keep the horses off the hedge, which I don’t want them eating. They are fairly easy to pull out, especally if you’re annoyed. (Ask me how I know! )

[quote=facinated;3374757]If the kid is doing what kookikat says she is doing, then she is breaking laws. There is a right way to proceed. It does not involve shooting the child, chasing her with sticks into a trap, physicaly restraining her by the ear or any other body part. People do these kinds of things to children every day, at every level of society. When they get caught they say “I was only kidding” .
[/quote]

Aww, come on. Do you really think anyone here would actually do any of that to a child? Where you an abused child, by any chance? You seem very sensitve about the subject. If you were, I’m very sorry.

As far as taking the fence down, I believe the OP found the fence down and assumed that the kid did it. Around here when a whole line of electric fence comes down, posts and all it is usualy the work of deer, cattle or horses.

No cattle, horses or deer in the pasture. The horses had all be moved, cows were all next door on lovely-next-door-farmer’s land, and I’ve not seen a deer in this area.

As far as knowing your neighbors is concerned, I am used to hunt country. It is a courtesy to know the names of the landowners, and their employees.
I am also pleased to hear that “actionable” is a word I thought I made it up.

Where did this come from that I don’t know the folks living next to me? I only have two sets, really. There’s the farmer above, whose daughter’s christening I went too a few weeks ago, and the omg, it’s mud and we’re city folks really who live at the other side. All good people, we all talk often, but don’t live in each other’s pockets.

[kookicat]

GOOD news!

I know who she is!

Kid moved from the city because her mother can’t cope with her any more. She (kid) was shipped off to gran and grandad in the country with the hopes that it would calm her down. Grandad is in hospital, so gran has been left on her own to cope with kid. Kid is sweetness and light at home, offered to walk gran’s dogs, and uses that time to cause trouble. I think the saddest part is that she ties the dogs up and leaves them to go and cause trouble. :(

That’s actually how I found out. I took Rue out on a hack, and saw the dogs tied to a signpost at the end of a lane. I know them, so I untied them and took them back into the village with me. Gran was beside herself because the little darling had come home an hour before without the dogs. Little darling saw me and turned as white as a sheet. Gran was not a happy camper when she found out what child had been up to.

Anyway, child is coming over tomorrow night with her friend from the village to put my fencing back up. (I didn’t get to do it today- we’ve been having thunderstorms all afternoon.)

I’m not sure if it’s going to help any really, and I’m still going to the police tomorrow to have a chat (make sure I’m covered from that angle!) but here’s hoping.

Phew, thanks for reading!

Lou

[Cita]

[QUOTE=kookicat;3374836]
Gran was beside herself because the little darling had come home an hour before without the dogs. Little darling saw me and turned as white as a sheet. Gran was not a happy camper when she found out what child had been up to.[/QUOTE]

This sounds like great news to me, especially if they’re fixing your fence. I hope Gran is able to straighten the little munchkin out. And I hope Grandpa recovers soon :-\

[seeuatx]

I’m glad you found the identity of the culprit and got to the bottom of it. Sounds like Grams might give her some good old fashioned discipline, and she has to put hard work into the repairs. Might just make her think twice before she acts next time.

Still, I would put the local police on alert that you know who it is just in case you have further issues.

[hitchinmygetalong]

Glad you found out who she is, Kookicat. Strangely enough, I had the thought that this might be some unruly who was shipped off to the country relatives for the summer. Guess I was right.

I would love to see this turn into one of those situations where you discover that underneath her brusque and bravado there is one scared, unloved, lost little girl who needs you and the horses to set her on the right track.

Guess I watch too many movies, huh?:winkgrin:

[coriander]

originally posted by facinated
The fact that so many people have come up with so many ways to hurt and scare a child is what is frightening. Child abuse is a major problem all over the world. On Monday when everything is open I will learn more about if the threats which have been posted against this child are actionable

[QUOTE=Ghazzu;3374561]
Get over yourself.[/QUOTE]

Took the words out of my mouth, Ghazzu; thanks!

kookicat, glad to hear you got the Gran’s dogs home - good thoughts for her husband in hospital - and it is so not a surprise that kid was unruly at home. Nice to hear she recognized you. :lol:

Good luck.

[MHM]

Wow. I’m glad you were able to ID her, but…

Nothing else about your post would ease my nerves.

She went home without the dogs?!? Left them tied up to a signpost for more than an hour?!? Didn’t go back to retrieve them when her grandmother was beside herself?!? Yikes!

I would definitely involve the authorities, so you have full documentation. I would also be very, very cautious about using any fence she “repaired.” Did you mention your neighbor’s suspicions about his cows to her grandmother?

Good luck. I hope you’ve nipped your problem in the bud.

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

So relieved you know the culprit and can take more control of the situation. I hope the child gets the help she needs, sounds like the poor grandparents have enough on their plates.

[Sakura]

Glad you found out a little more about her… would love to have seen the expression on her face when she saw you with Gran.

[Foxtrot_s]

I remember when my son was a kid he and his friends went next door to a car cemetary that the neighbour had, all overgrown with blackberries, brush, grass, etc. These rusty old hulks were pure
heaven for little boys. Well, the neighbour didn’t like it and threatened the police etc. We asked him to come over, with the other parents, poured a coffee and sorted it out in an amicable manner. The cars are still there twenty years later, coverd by impenetrable blackberries!

However, the boys grew up into lovely young men, not a delinquent amongst them. What I am saying is, while the situation is different, perhaps going to see the parents, finding out what kind of people they are, whether they are talkable to, or just ignorant, might be a safer way to go. I worry if the girl has a bunch of awful friends they might retaliate and do a lot worse (barnfire?) or whatever.

It would be nice to think that the kid could be helped out somehow to grow up to be a decent human.

Let’s hope she is just a kid on vacation with relatives, bored and lonely, and will soon be gone back to be big city. Good luck, it could turn really nasty. Document, document, document.

[Foxtrot_s]

Oh! Duh … went away for a bit and made my post above without reading the most recent posts – sorry.

[kookicat]

Thanks everyone. I’m still going to see the police tomorrow. Our country officer is back from vacation tomorrow, and I’m going to speak to him. Not sure what’ll happen, but I have pics of the fencing, the horses when I moved them, and I’ve written everything down.

Gran is a lovely woman. Always a kind word, always laughing, always smiling. I’ve never seen her so down as she was today. Reading between the lines, her hubby is quite ill. Child seems to have sensed that gran isn’t tottally focused on her, and is using that to cause trouble.

What else? Um, I’ll be checking the fencing before I use it. Gran has said that if anything is damaged, kid is going to pay for it. I dunno, part of me thinks she’s a spoilt brat with too much time on her hands, and another part of me wonders if it isn’t something more.

[kookicat]

@Foxtrot's;3374868

Oh! Duh … went away for a bit and made my post above without reading the most recent posts – sorry.

No problem Foxtrot! It’s nice to hear a story where everything ended well.