I don’t even know! What I do know is that I wouldn’t eat or drink anything off that place with all those animals. The parasite load has to be off the charts.
Agree. Packs (2-3) of area dogs have killed half a herd of goats in one night, loads of chickens, and one of my cats (in my garage)—just to name a few incidents. They’ve come over and run deer, and run my longhorn cows and calves when I had them. I’ve run these current ones off with a lunge whip 3 times and they turn and bark at me. I know they’re dogs, but it’s pretty arrogant if you ask me!
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My friend lost her entire goat herd in one night with zero survivors. It was a horrific scene as the dogs had ripped them apart.
Dogs were on camera but not much she could do legally except report and sue the dogs owners for damages.
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In the case here, the goats’ owner shot the dog and took the dog and a couple goats and dropped them on the dog owner’s driveway.
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This is my fear. The suit was successful, right? Friend had them on camera. I don’t have enough camera to cover where these dogs go.
Another neighbor’s dogs got out and got into a paddock of goats. Goats were maimed and killed. Goat owners were home. Dogs did not get back out of that paddock.
Eye witness and carcasses as evidence. Goat owner sued dog owner for cost of goats. Get this: Dog owner counter sued goat owner for cost of high-dollar dogs. 
Dog owner lost counter suit.
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Just saying: paint balls are available in clear.
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Or red, if you want to make the dog owners panic that their dog is bleeding out.
Or, if you can grab the dog, spray paint “GO HOME” on him.
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The thing that sucks about all of these situations is that it’s always the animals that lose and almost always it’s the fault of stupid humans.
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I find it beyond distressing that dog owners don’t act to protect their dogs by not allowing them to roam until they are confronted by this.
I guess I don’t believe they really don’t know what their dogs are doing. They know. What do they think the consequences will be for the dog?
Unless they are fantasists re animals – and there are many – who think the dogs understand the macro view of the situation, the dogs understand that there is an irate property/livestock owner, and will stay out of the way of deadly harm.
Plus, many other risks as well. Being hit by a vehicle when crossing roads. Encountering a wild animal that could hurt them. Getting into some fix or stumbling into a harmful situation. Etc.
I’ve told the story elsewhere of my BO’s across-the-road neighbors whose dogs were repeatedly roaming other properties and harassing animals, were cautioned repeatedly by neighbors and law enforcement (sometimes multiple times per week), fined, pressured in every legal way to contain their dogs. And how it ended up with two of their three dogs shot, one died. These neighbors moved away within a year of that.
Maybe these dog owners are just short-term thinkers who are unable to envision the risks to their animals. Who think that whatever they’ve been told, it won’t happen again. And/or people who don’t think at all.
I just don’t understand why dog owners risk the lives of their own dogs like this. But lordy there are so many that do.
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Y’all, just to say, be careful. Some of these folk are mean and aggressive. I don’t want to shoot a dog, nor I’m sure do most of you, but some of these types would poison or shoot a dog in a heartbeat. If they thought someone had ‘called the law’ on them.
I have people illegally shoot right next to my pasture all the time. I found out that the local cop was telling folk who called-about roaming dogs too. I got a burner phone and give a general address.
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After having issues with coyote “hunters” running their dogs across our property, a friend suggested spray painting a target on the dogs!
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There was an episode Homestead Rescue a couple years ago where the group went to a family in AZ desert. The people were having livestock killed and had no idea why. Their dogs also disappeared. They figured that whatever killed their chickens, goats, whatever, also got their dogs. Turned out there was a pack of wild dogs the area & their sweet Snookums & Fluffy joined them. There are people out there who really can’t believe that their 4 legged angels are capable of behaving like animals.
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That was my guess when I read that the dogs disappeared – not leaving their carcasses behind, because they weren’t dead. Even Snookums and Fluffy are dogs and predators first. Pets second.
Animals, like humans, tend to behave according to the circumstances around them – good or bad. When they are in our pet space, being encouraged by us to behave like pets - for rewards - that’s what they do. But the wild instinct is still there, waiting to be called on.
Even animals that leave the confines of their yard and home revert quickly to their wild instinct. That may mean “running away”, losing their connection to domesticity, very quickly. Or it may mean reverting to their predator selves.
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I know I’ve shared this story before, but there are absolutely owners out there who DON’T think their dogs are capable of killing other animals.
We had a neighbor (who was renting, yes) who had a couple of dogs, including a gorgeous Great Dane. Dogs were fine with people. But at the same moment, we had a rash of dogs being dumped in our general area, and a couple of other neighbors within a mile with dogs who were roaming loose (in the country, so no AC), and the Dane and the other dog began running cattle.
The Dane was pretty easy to see and ID. His owner was told multiple times, by multiple people, that it was running with this pack, that it was chasing cattle, that calves had been killed, and that the dogs would be shot if caught. The sheriff even talked to the owner. Owner actually argued that he’d never seen his dog leave the yard (despite no fence) and it couldn’t possibly be HIS Great Dane.
Dane was eventually shot, as were most of the pack. Sad, but we made every effort, over WEEKS, to have a different outcome.
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Deputy spoke with the owners after the dog was caught on my property again. Deputy reminded me and owners that I have a right to protect my property and livestock with lethal force. When I see the dog on my property from here on out: take photo with time stamps, call AC/sheriff, and the deputy will issue a summons to the owners. Then I must show up for the court date to provide my documentation.
I asked if I could catch the dog and call AC to come pick it up next time its on my property. Deputy said no because we know the dog has an owner. That was a choice I had to make: dog has no collar, so do I say it’s a stray or do I say I know the owner?
I’m documenting my experience for the next COTHer who has this problem.
RE: people not thinking dogs are dogs-
When Neighbor B first moved in, she told me how much her pit bull loved watching the sheep, loved watching my dogs move the sheep, wants to play with the sheep too, blah blah… I snapped back, “Yeah, he says sheep are delicious.”
Audible gasp. “Snookums would never hurt the sheep. He wants to play with them!” Owner’s subsequent text messages have gone on and on about how she doesn’t believe me because Snookums has never shown an ounce of aggression ever. 
So many people don’t treat or respect animals as animals anymore. And the animals pay the price. 
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Say it’s a stray.
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From here on, it’s a stray. No collar. The person that you thought was the owner refuses to believe that her dog is the dog, so – this is some random stray that keeps turning up on your property.
OK. Turn that back on her. It isn’t her particular dog. Therefore, it’s a collarless stray.
The owner’s foolishness is not your problem to sort out, to make her understand how foolish she is being. Just go with her on this.
The problem dog is some other dog, you obviously mistakenly identified it as her dog since she denies it and you are sure that she knows what her dog looks like on a photo / video. So AC please come get this stray dog, thank you.
Done.
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I see where others are coming from but I would not say it’s a stray. You seem to have credibility and a good working relationship with AC and the sheriff right now. I would suggest not throwing that away by telling a clear lie, lest they think you are adding to the drama and are part of the problem.
Also, if you catch the dog and now say you don’t know whose it is, that would cast doubt on your positive identifications of the dog in the other instances. Owner can say, “@Bicoastal doesn’t even know what my dog looks like because she caught it and said it was a stray! That can’t have been my dog on her property the other 17 times!”
That said, I guess there’s nothing stopping you from driving the dog to a shelter in another jurisdiction and dropping it off anonymously…
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Pfft…just say you thought it was neighbors dog, but neighbor denies its hers. You’ve caught the dog 17 times on your property and dont know where it’s coming from. Let the neighbor identify it c as hers. Or not.
Frankly I would shoot a dog that’s was coming onto my property. Why are you messing around with this?
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You all are right that I had a choice to say it was a stray or not. I chose to say I know the owner. If a stray injures/kills my animals, I have bad luck. If I know the owner, I have someone to take to court for damages. Plus, I’m a terrible liar. 
I’ll continue to document how this turns out to help others make their own choices.
@Ambitious_Kate I have not shot the dog because it has not gotten into my pastures with my stock. As I understand the law, I have a right to kill the dog if it is attacking my animals or threatening me; I do not have a right to kill a dog that is roaming on my property.
Legal or not, I don’t want to shoot it. I’m angry I’m in the position where I have to consider that.
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