Any number of titles sprang to mind...War Declared in Fair Play; Gauntlet Thrown; Fed Up to Here; Enough is Enough. This photo is of two of my neighbor's dogs inspecting Bessie Anne (not putting her best face forward) as I encountered them yesterday morning at the corner of the chicken pen when I went out to feed. I had thankfully not yet let the hens out of their coop. Bloody hell. I just went through this two weeks ago and was assured then by neighbor and her husband the problem would
not arise again...the same empty promise I've received the last twenty-two times the dogs have been allowed to run loose. (I'm an old medical records administrator and I know the advantage of keeping documentation.) To my knowledge, these particular two have not been responsible for any of the previous death and destruction, but, regardless of our "wide open spaces," there are still leash laws and dogs from my neighbor's pack have left pitiful chicken corpses in their wake. Despite lamentations and protestations from my neighbors, neither I nor Animal Control personnel have been able to make a significant impact regarding the severity of the situation. I am left without recourse than to file a complaint with the District Attorney. I could shoot the dogs, and that is an alternative mentioned by Animal Control, but it is
not the dogs' fault.... At the beginning of the year, I had a flock of over thirty hens, and added eighteen chicks in the spring. Allowing five deaths from old age and losing four to coyotes, I now have eleven hens (not counting the Silkies). The rest were left in the yard by the dogs after the squeaky-toys were broken. The last straw has fallen...I will take the papers to town today.
4 comments:
So sorry this has happened again...glad you had documentation, and how DARE those irresponsible owners put your hens and their own dogs in harms way. You may not shoot, but others might! They may HAVE dogs, but they don't LOVE their dogs enough to keep they safe from consequences. And I was surprised to see Goldens - but you said you didn't think these were the offenders! I DO hope the powers-that-be take it seriously and scare the crap out of the "I'm above the law" neighbors!!
From above..."to keep they safe..." huh???? How 'bout..."to keep THEM safe..." Me type good, huh??
These dogs are not "Goldens." They are designer dogs...Labradoodles...cross-bred between Labrador retrievers and poodles, both very smart hunting dogs. I meant that these two dogs, of the any number of my neighbor's numerous litters, have not been observed killing chickens (mine or others') or deer in the neighborhood.
I love your description..."designer dogs!" Did the District Attorney's office take you seriously? So the neighbor has litters??? Yikes - that doesn't bode well when they don't control them. Crossing my fingers for your little girls!
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