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

[Beck]

A dog running loose is asking for trouble.

Multiple dogs more so.

They mentally adapt to pack hunting quite readily. Once ‘there’ it is very difficult to talk them out of it - and I certainly would not want to be on the receiving end of their attentions.

Over the years, neighbours have lost miniature horses and small ponies to dog attacks.

There was a local farm that was breeding Labradors. Whenever she got short on money for food, she’d release the dogs and they’d go forage for themselves. Animal control knew this very well: when I called about three labs pack-hunting skunk (that is how hungry they were!) in my back field, they knew exactly who the dogs belonged to.

Don’t trust a loose group of dogs at all. It’s not safe.

[JoZ]

I have not seen the dogs since Saturday. I have been in and out. Now that all horses are in the pastures/paddocks (they are somewhere between pastures and paddocks in size! I should call them pastocks…) that is good and bad for the dogs. It is harder to get in since there is mesh fencing to ground level, but I did see one @#$% dog sneak under to cut off a corner when I said “go home”. So not totally safe. The horses have more room to run than in the pen my poor mare was in, but on the other hand I’ve heard that running can be what sets off the carnage. I have seen ZERO signs of indiscriminate running. I can hear noise from the pasture from just about any room in the house. It’s been warm enough that they would be sweaty if they had run. And a couple of them could probably jump out if provoked. So, none of that.

I’m calling animal control today just to report and ask questions. I am in the office today, but will be working from home for the next two weeks. Then I go on vacation for 10 days, oh joy. I don’t know whether to hope they don’t come back or they do.

P.S. I have no gun. I have shooting experience but don’t know basic facts like how far a bullet travels. There are woods behind my house. If I don’t know how far a bullet will go I can only aim to hit/kill, not to warn/make noise. And, again, I have no gun – but I’ve been offered the loan of one. So far I think not.

[invinoveritas]

3 dogs together is a pack. And a pack can and might corner and kill animals such as cats and other dogs. Huskies can be aggressive to other animals. I had one for years, a rescued puppy, and she was far more aggressive to my other dogs and cats than any other dog I’ve ever owned.

[RodeoFTW]

Set up traps.

[PNWjumper]

I’ll echo what others have said.

I had a husky for a long time, and man did she have a crazy prey drive. It was limited to smaller prey…she’d grab birds out of the air, killed a few ducks, squirrels, and my parent’s cat. We built a dog-proof yard on our farm specifically for her. Because in addition to the high prey drive, if they are loose they’ll roam a lot farther than other breeds. IIRC, most dogs will stay within a 1 mile perimeter of their home where huskies will go ~50 miles. It was certainly true for ours. If she got out she was GONE and you had to figure out how to get in front of her to get her to stop. She was hell on wheels and I was always worried that she’d get out and kill someone else’s animal. I never worried that she would hurt a person though - she was as gentle as a dog can be with humans.

With that being said, I would be hugely uncomfortable with 3 dogs of any type coming onto my property regardless of breed. I’ve seen the cutest fluffiest lap-dog-type breeds become feral acting in a pack mentality. In the neighborhood I grew up in, a group of 4 or 5 medium sized pet dogs (sheltie, lab, and a few others) chased down and mauled another neighbor’s shih tzu while she was walking him.

People who let their dogs roam around other peoples’ properties make me really angry. It’s so inconsiderate to the neighbors and the dogs alike. I agree that you ought to see if you can get them locked up in a stall if you see them around again and ask animal control to come pick them up.

[skykingismybaby1]

Any resolution to your problem?

[RaeHughes]

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.

BEST visual today!!

[dog_amp_horsemom]

Dogs that run in packs of 3 or more can cause alot of damage. I have a neighbor who has three standard poodles - I have personally witnessed them mauling fawns - it was sickening and the owner is in complete denial. Responsible owners do not let their dogs roam - period.
Call animal control and have them picked up - maybe if the owner has to pay a fine they will keep them up.
Many years ago I went to the pasture where I boarded my horse and the pony there was mauled by the neighbors great dane.

[Pipkin]

[QUOTE=skykingismybaby1;8633966]
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)[/QUOTE]

This, if you feel it’s safe to get close to them.