Three wandering dogs -- are they definitely up to no good?

[JoZ]

I have seen three roaming dogs around my property for the last month or so. It’s getting more frequent. They are huskies or something similar. They are well-fed and have gorgeous coats so I don’t think they are strays. I’d guess they belong to someone who thinks life in the country means open the door.

Until yesterday they were very quiet and friendly when in my yard, and the responded (albeit reluctantly) to “go home”. Yesterday morning, one of them chose to stand his ground and bark at me when I said “go home” – didn’t like that. But no growling, and I’m pretty sure his tail was wagging. Once they ran off the property I went inside to do stuff. About 3-4 hours later I heard barking. At first I thought it was too far away to be in my yard, but I checked because I’ve known huskies who have high, sort of weak barks. Sure enough, they were in my yard, surrounding the pen that my TB mare has been living in (she was separated from the herd in order to boost her food and know she’s getting it all). One was in the pen with her, barking. The other two were just outside, leaping and wagging.

The mare was completely unfazed. I don’t know if that is good or bad. If she likes dogs (I haven’t had her that long and she hasn’t encountered dogs with me) she could be a sitting duck. Or maybe she sees no ill intent. She was just eating, no sweat, no agitation, nothing. Maresie is back in with my youngsters and happy as can be (they are SO annoying to her and she loves it, certainly prefers it to solitary confinement even though the meals are bigger and more frequent in solitary!). I think there’s strength in numbers but I also can’t imagine the carnage three BIG huskies could cause if they were so inclined.

Monday I’m calling animal control for suggestions. I don’t have a vehicle that I could put three huge huskies in to take them somewhere, if I wanted to turn them in. I have a small commuter car and a pick-up. I am not a dog person and wouldn’t be comfortable doing that anyway. I’m not too comfortable when I see them here with my horses either. I’m not to the point of panic and desperation but want to keep it that way. What do you think, is it possible they are just goofy and playful and don’t mean harm? Any suggestions besides calling animal control – I’m not even sure my town has leash laws out in the rural areas, but if not I’m sure they have livestock harassment laws.

[Simkie]

I’d lock them into a stall and call animal control to come pick them up.

[findeight]

Yeah, they don’t need to be wandering regardless of their intentions. Only a matter of time before they get mixed up with a car or other loose dogs that lack said good intentions. Even good natured dogs can turn if they join up in a pack, sooner or later they’ll run into some other dogs and either tear each other up fighting or join the pack looking for something to chase down.

Call animal control. IME trying to contact the owners is a waste of time, if they really cared about them, their dogs would be kept safely contained.

[skykingismybaby1]

Tie a note to the collar of one of them that says.

“This is your first and final notice. If your dogs are found near my livestock again they will be shot.”

It doesnt matter if you will nor not - you have put them on notice. Other farm owners may just shoot, shovel and keep silent. (SSS)

[snowrider]

I have two husky crosses and they are always up to no good. It’s just how they roll. They are made of hair and bad ideas.

Mine aren’t even remotely aggressive but will bark or make weird Chewabacca noises at almost anything out of the ordinary or if they are excited, bored, happy, sad etc etc. Noisy dogs. Mine do great with horses now but yes, they are high energy and hyper-social with a high prey drive so it is in their nature to try to provoke some kind of reaction out of other animals and to chase. I would be concerned about them chasing your horses if they run, for sure.

Also- if they are really large I’d be concerned they are malamutes, which are considerably more aggressive and prey-driven, in my experience. I’m not a big fan of malamutes at all anymore. Beautiful dogs but in many cases not well suited to modern life.

Most northern breeds will wander and are escape artists, I got lucky and the alpha female keeps everyone around. But she’s probably only 1/4 to 1/3 husky. It’s possible the owner is at work and has no idea or they could be an idiot. If you’re not comfortable catching them, take photos and show them to Animal Control. I bet they know these dogs well.

[Epona142]

Northern breeds are - according to my own personal research notes which covers my experiences and the experiences of anyone who has shared them with me over the last ten years - the #1 killers of livestock. They are extremely good at escaping, independant thinkers, pack runners, and have high prey drives.

[Quelah]

Agree with Epona. I love the Northern breeds, I love a dog that howls But, I share a fence line with a 4,000 acre cattle ranch and husky/malamute types are a “shoot on sight” dog in cattle country. On the road we used to live on, a neighbor’s very LARGE llama was killed, solo work, by another neighbor’s big husky that was roaming. I have 3 working bred German Shepherds, totally a different kettle of fish. They could do that, but it’s not in their nature.

I’d get those dogs corralled and let animal control deal with them.

[candyappy]

If your mare had reacted it would probably be a different story.We don’t have “animal control” in many rural areas where they will come and get the dogs. On several occasions we took them to my SIL who lived in town and then AC would collect them.

Turn the hose on them the next time they come around and try to find the owners. We had a young male Pit Bull ( maybe a year old) come here and I tried to find his owner. After 3 days here he started growling at my dogs and livestock when they came near me.

We disposed of him immediately. If you can’t keep your dogs home, you have no right to say what happens to them on my property.

[OAD_Cowgirl]

My high school boyfriend had 2 beautiful malamutes. They lived on a farm, with livestock, and knew how to behave. One day they just went to a neighbor’s and started killing cows. They killed 5 or 6. It cost his Dad about $3000.
I love mals, but I don’t trust them.

[Zu_Zu]

JoZ - this can go ‘south’ very quickly ! Don’t mean to panic you but most certainly want to ALARM you !

It’s not specifically a number or breed

ONE unescorted dog is unacceptable ~ IMHO
THREE = IS AN ACCIDENT waiting to happen.

I will state … my opinion …

1. I do not allow one or more dogs in my pastures…
2. The country laws are weak ~ little consequence for roaming, horse disturbing dogs.
3. Catch them if possible … call Animal Control
   … They call owners and report dogs’ behaviors .
4. Make it clear this is unacceptable !
5. If you can’t catch them / call AC when you see them again.
6. File report with police to develop a paper trail * EVERY TIME THEY ARE ON YOUR PROPERTY … PICTURES WILL HELP !!
7. Often times owners think this is funny or ‘fun’ for their dogs … it is neither !
8. Once a dog thinks it’s fun to chase = It’s a dangerous situation for ALL!

please be careful and vigilant …

• make it unpleasant for these unwanted visitors !

I am a dog person but loose unescorted dogs are never welcome with my ponies and horses •

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

They may not necessarily be up to no good, but I wouldn’t bet my horse’s safety on it. I normally ask around, find the owner, and explain how their dogs could cause my horse to hurt herself and ask them to please keep the dogs at home. So far it’s worked every time. I hope you have similar results.

[Anne_FS]

They may not have been up to no good initially, but with time they are now or soon will be. It was fun to roam around at first and now that they know the lay of the land and the novelty of just being allowed to roam at will has worn off and their confidence is up, the trouble will start. As you’ve already seen from being able to chase them off to having them now stand and bark at you ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY.

Which means now that to them this is their territory, right? They’ve been roaming around it for a month, exploring and marking, and to the canine mind it’s you - and your horse - who are on their land. Fix this. Now.

[MsM]

First, report to AC. See if they know who owns them. If you are not comfortable catching them and cant entice them into a stall or such, ask AC for a live trap. Bait it with something tasty and be sure to keep an eye on it. If possible, I would close it at night if the dogs don’t come around then. Of course you need to be prepare to relaease or deal with other critters. When you catch one, you can just make sure it is not too hot and wait for AC to collect. Otherwise, the dogs will start to chase your horses and once they start running they will get injured either from running or from the dogs actually grabbing them.

[SuckerForHorses]

If your mare was inclined to run, they would chase. I’d bet my last dollar on it.

I like the idea of tying a note to the collar and send them home but I’d just say something like “Keep your dogs home or I will be taking them to animal control the next time they come here.”

If they have tags, write down the information, and call Animal control to notify them of the sequence of events so its documented that they’ve been at your house.

[2DogsFarm]

[QUOTE=snowrider;8633972]
They are made of hair and bad ideas.[/QUOTE]

:lol:
I think this pretty much applies to all dogs left to roam on their own!

@candyappy;8634012

If you can’t keep your dogs home, you have no right to say what happens to them on my property.

:yes:
Could not agree more.
Sad that the dogs pay for the owner’s ignorance, but my animals’ safety is my first priority.

OP:
Would not matter (to me) if these were toy Poodles!
If they are loose & unidentified (no collar/tags) on my property I get to decide their fate.
In your place I would use whatever means available to discourage these dogs from coming onto my land.
Since these are large dogs & there are 3 of them I’d be careful getting close enough to attach a note or try reading tags on collars.
Leave that sort of action to AC.
If you have a garden hose (pressure washer?) maybe try spraying them - that way you can keep a safe distance.

[RodeoFTW]

If three large dogs came on my property, they’d probably be shot on sight. That is just not okay. I don’t tolerate loose predators running around where I try to live. Horses or no horses.

[Sparrowette]

My first thought: A shotgun loaded with rock salt.

[HungarianHippo]

“They are made of hair and bad ideas.” I think this will have me laughing all day.

OP, you are right to be worried, I’d take action immediately.

Though I support the SSS concept, and have dispatched many problem animals myself, thus far I’ve never shot something as large as a dog, and honestly, it would be very hard for me to do. (Not to mention, burying 3 large dogs is no small task).

So I’d call AC or the sherriffs’ office and get their advice on how to deal with 3 large dogs that are threatening safety on your property. They may know the dogs already from other complaints.

Or, if you are home often enough that you think you can confront the dogs most of the times they visit, I might buy a paintball gun and hit them with that every single time they show up. Wont kill them but may make your property seem unattractive (and the dog owners would be getting an unmistakable message, too).
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10940073

The note on the collar would be satisfying, but it goes against the “Shut up” part of SSS. It just makes you a target if /when the dogs disappear. Among a group of neighbors, it’s just not that hard to narrow down an anonymous note to a few likely sources.

[kashmere]

They may not be ill tempered, aggressive, or otherwise dangerous dogs - but any dog roaming free can be dangerous - and a pack of dogs even more so. Dog owners who let their dogs roam unchecked are seriously asking for trouble - either in the form of their dogs injuring/killing livestock or - god forbid- a person, or their dogs being killed/injured.

As an example of the latter: I board at a working sheep farm, which employs two great Pyrenees dogs as livestock guardians. They roam the perimeter of the property, and the neighbouring cattle farm. Loose dogs who come on to the properties are 100% at the mercy of those girls. Last year, a loose German Shepherd came on to the property, and actually attacked a sheep. This happened in full view of my BO (the farm owner) - but before she even had a second to react, the Pyr was in the sheep pen, had the dog off the sheep, and in the next second the shepherd was dead. Unfortunately, the ewe was pregnant - she aborted the lamb due to stress, and ultimately died herself later that day.

3 animal deaths, just because the owners didn’t bother to keep their dog in check. Farm Owner called authorities, who confirmed it was on the up-and-up, and contacted the shepherd’s owners from the info on the collar. The shepherd owners confirmed they let the dog run loose - it was not an accidental circumstance. Farm owner did not sue for the loss of the sheep because she felt so bad that their dog had been killed - I consider them incredibly lucky that she is so kind, because while it wouldn’t have been exorbitant, it still would have been a chunk of change.

A dog and two sheep dead; a farmer out the income from those two sheep - plus having to experience that absolutely awful situation, and all 100% avoidable by just keeping the dog in a yard.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

I am very thankful for my two QH geldings who will see any free range canine out of their field. Even though my neighbors are pretty good about keeping their dogs confined I have fox and coyote and there’s really no one to speak to about them.

Lately I’ve had a fox who hangs around my pastures at night. He says he’s hunting field mice and moles whenever I come out (he says this by pouncing on things hidden in the grass while I’m watching), but I notice he does this awwfullly close to where my hens cross the pasture to get to their hen house at night.

DH laughs at the escort the girls get - I go out at dusk, with my after-supper glass of wine, in the lead. Hens follow behind me, and the QHs take up flanking positions on either side of the poultry. Then we all process to the chicken house at a leisurely hen’s pace. Fox slinks away.