You need to look into you laws in your area. The advice to use non lethal means such as a paintball gun or BB gun/air rifle heck even the ammonia may land you in hot water whereas a dead dog wouldn’t. Any non lethal means could result in you getting charged with animal cruelty. I have no tolerance for my animals being harassed in their home. Once is an accident any more than that results in a permanent consequence whether that is capture and given to the local pound or a lethal end depends on if the dogs are able to be caught without inconveniencing me too much. No reason why you and yours should suffer because of idiot dog owners. We all like animals but ours should be more important than anyone elses when they are in the wrong.
Growing up, we had some city folks move in up the road, and they had a big Doberman. It liked to go through the fence and chase my ponies. We politely asked them to stop letting their dog run loose (“but it’s the country, and we want him to run free!”), which started a full on war. They would come down with their dog as soon as they saw us leave, and purposely encourage it to chase the ponies. Ponies were stressed, we were sick of it…
And then I got a nice palomino Half-Arabian mare. We didn’t know when I bought her, but she hated dogs. They saw us leave (we drove around the “block”, planning to be back in a couple minutes so we could see how things unfolded, because they thought we’d be gone).
Doberman was in the pasture when we pulled up, city folks were laughing because the ponies had started milling and getting ready to run from the attack. And then that wonderful new mare pinned her ears, charged the dog, and when he went for her heels, she spun around hard and double-barreled him right in the rib cage. He ran howling and limping down the road toward his owners.
They had the audacity to bring us the vet bill for the broken ribs on their dog. Um…no, I don’t think so. We told them to go pound sand. And mare got extra carrots.
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We’ve been dealing with the same thing for years. The matriarch of the family purchased a lot next to our farm where she warehouses her family members as they are released from prison. The lastest bunch of them allows the children to wander in our pasture and they have two vicious Pit Bulls, which chase us constantly and about a month ago, mauled our old dog in our yard and killed him.
I’ve made 18 calls to the police and when I spoke with the oldest ass of the bunch about the kids and the dogs, she threatened to kill me when I told her I would shoot the dogs if they chased me again. I let that go and attempted to speak with them again after the dog mauling. The youngest one threatened to kill me…and when I repeated her own words back to her, she threatened me again. Called the police, filed the report, went to court. Long story short, I have a protective order against her, which I know is about as good as the paper it’s written on. The dogs are still loose at times and I have no idea what to do about it. I know if they end up dead…we are dead, even though every neighbor around has a mark on their head. Even though these dogs have bitten a person and killed two dogs in the neighborhood, there are no “bad dog” laws in this state.
Following your post with interest. I would definitely give your police a try, I know ours were worthless but a state with better laws and legal repurcussions might have more enforcement. I would do something though…especially if you have small animals like dogs and cats…a pair or pack of dogs is nothing to sneeze at. I never would have thought our little old dog’s life would end the way it did, heartbreaking.
DD has a gelding that hates dogs (he strikes) and I’m beginning to think we need to rent him out to people who need dogs educated.
If the dogs have bitten people (or animals), why has animal control not been involved?
For all you know, these dogs have not been vaccinated for rabies and need to be quarantined until demonstrated they are not rabid. I had no tolerance for dogs that bite.
Seems like SSS is called for - if the dog disappears, hard to know what happened to it.
I’d make sure the local sheriff knows about the problem but not share any of these possible solutions. Neighbors sound like unpredictable folks, so watch your back
I’d spray them with some awful smelling concoction… maybe then their owners will keep them home!
In all seriousness, I think your best bet is to improve your fencing to the best of your ability, video them when they come, and shoot them with something non-lethal but unpleasant (paint ball, etc.)
I feel for you 
gallupgirl, I am SO sorry you’re dealing with that nightmare… and doubly sorry for the loss of your dog. I would likely wind up in prison were I in your place. I have no good solutions outside of 16’ chain link topped with razor wire and a machine gun turret or two.
Geez this is so horrible to hear. I just don’t know what I would do. At this point, unfortunately, a deer rifle is probably the only answer. Poor dogs, but, at this point… So sad
Our first dog here wandered on the neighbor’s land, his dogs killed him. Legally our dog was wrong. We never held it against them, but try to fence our now dog in. I just hate all of this.
I now carry a gun. Don;t want to shoot your dog, but if he scares me or mine, that’s it. sorry
Boy I hate these issues with editing! If your dog is on MY property, really threatening, I’ll cry, but I will shoot. The poor dog is paying the price for your fault, you should be ashamed. My innocent animals don’t need to pay that price.
(I hate how stupid I look when I read my poorly edited posts)
Boy I hate these issues with editing! If your dog is on MY property, really threatening, I’ll cry, but I will shoot. The poor dog is paying the price for your fault, you should be ashamed. My innocent animals don’t need to pay that price.
(I hate how stupid I look when I read my poorly edited posts)
Low strands of electric fence should stop them quickly - especially if they can’t just hop over.
Update: The dogs have been back, but it was dark so no possibility of video. Grrrr. I also found a segment of vertebrae and ribs in my pasture. Presumably from a cow that passed away and was burned in the pasture behind me.
Definitely going to video any incidents I can and install dog proof fencing.
A little Googling of the rotten neighbors revealed they are breeding Andalusians and Aztecas. Videos of poor looking yeguas with their tail hair shorn off being “lunged” on a lead rope and another of a line of several horses tied with a “trainer” walking from horse to horse tapping their legs to make them “dance” while tied up. Vomit.
I’m treading very carefully and not doing anything to attract their attention. Good fences are my friend here.
Rant over.
I don’t know if it would work but could you have your good neighbors over with their dog and have him mark your property boundaries? Maybe the thought of another dog would deter the troublemakers.
I have an acquaintance with a former hog hunting dog and had thought about borrowing him for a bit to see if it would deter the neighbor’s dogs.
Or find a mare (or gelding) like Unforgettable’s to resolve the problem for me. 
So these neighbors have horses of their own … what is their concern and their position on other people’s dogs coming on their property, harassing their animals?
Not suggesting setting up that situation at all - very dangerous to an animal that goes over there unauthorized, as they will probably shoot. But is that something someone has asked them, to compare with how they handle their own dogs?
Keeping those dogs away from other people’s property and animals starts at their own home, regardless of what other people do to defend against them. Fencing at home, of course, but also a home that is entertaining and comfortable enough for them that they prefer not to leave, even for doggy fun. Some dog breeds like to roam regardless. But many have an instinct to protect what they’ve got against all comers, and they have to stay close to home to do that. In their doggy brain.
Figuring out if the dogs are roamers by breed, or if they simply perceive other places as being more desirable than their own home allows one to design the solution accordingly … because if the dogs don’t like it at home, even if the neighbors fence them, the dogs will still try to leave their home property, somehow.
These dogs are roaming for a reason that makes sense to them, as dogs. Why? Are they roamers by nature & breed? Or is there a problem at home that motivates them to leave? The true answer to keeping them away lies in that answer.
… because … think about this … if they are not a roaming breed, it would be very easy to make them your dogs. And then you have control of them and their future. See how that works? 
Perhaps an aggressive Jack donkey or mule. Remember the picture of the mule that was floating around years ago. It was attacking a cougar. Just something to think about. Years ago a friend of mine was giving away her two donkeys and she had to give them to a home that had no dogs as her male donkey would charge them and trample them.
