[sandy]

I must sound heartless BUT, the farmer up the road from us, shoots dogs that chase his sheep,or any that get into his field, no second chances. When we have been out for walks there people have told s which dogs have been shot, I am not going there at the momemnt as Ben is very young and he may go into the field, so, that certainly stopsme. Now I could not shoot a dog, your right, it is the owners, they need shooting but you would end up in jail, hardly worth it really, we used to have a dog that looked like Bruce, he used to wander the street and bite people as well as terrorise all other dogs and Pooh everywhere, the owners were told loads of times, I saw the Dog Warden at their house, then, t all stopped, the dog burnt in a house fire, It must have been horrid for that dog but, as I said, the owners did not care at all, they would leave their dog out to wander, the only way to put a final stop is to put a warning notice on your gate and then, sadly, you my have to shoot it, after all, they are your livestock and your pets......I'm not a hard person,  honest

[carole h]

So sorry Rosemary - a horrible thing to have happened.
Friends of mine have been having a smilar problem, and have installed a cctv camera to watch the main area. It doesn't stop the immediate prolem, but gives the police evidence to work on.

[herdsman]

Warn the owners, in writing, that if the dog is seen to be attacking your stock again you will use ANY means to protect your livestock. Agreed it is the owners responsibility to control the animal but once a dog gets the habit of worrying it is not easy to retrain it. Particularly if the owners cant control it already.

I lost a good pedigree calf to a dog which attacked it shortly after birth. I dont shoot because I choose not to but if I had had a gun that day I would have shot that dog. The owner was warned and the farmer next door shot it three months later after it attacked his sheep.

[doganjo]

It is NOT difficult to retrain a dog!  Everyone has the right idea though - tell the owner that you believe their dog is responsible and that you will take action if it is seen near your property again.  You could say you were going to install CCTV too.

[Helen]

So sorry Rosemary, that is awful news.  I hope the owner doesn't make things worse by having a bad attitude.  We have a public footpath running through our land and have seen people letting their dogs off the lead as soon as they get over the style into our field, we have been lucky not to have any chasing so far.  We did have a fox pacing up and down the electric fence a couple of days ago!

[Rosemary]

Thanks all. The police were very sympathetic but I don't think they will be able to do anything as no-one actually saw the deed done. The WPC suggested putting up CCTV and we may do that.

I don't want the dog killed. Ours have rounded up our neighbours sheep before ( since ours refuse to play that game) although I keep Tess on the lead as she's not always reliable.

I think the worst bit is that I feel let down by these folk. We're not friends with them but we've always passed the time of day etc etc.

[sellickbhoy]

Hi Rosemary

have you spoken to the dog owners? what have they had to say about things? I take it you have spoken to them about previous incidents when it was seen chasing your hens?

if no one actually saw anything, can i ask why you suspect it was this dog? What was the circumstantial evidence

i'd be raging, but it would be down to the attitude of the dog owners on whether or not i'd want it put down - if they have no interest, i'd have the dog shot, otherwise it's not going to get any better - and why should you go to the cost of additional fencing/security - never mind the stress/worry.

[Wellieboots]

I'm sorry but I'd have to take the zero tolerance approach to this. I'd have to concern over the attitude of the dog owners, their remorse etc. if it was proven that their dog killed my chickens then it'd be put down end of. Ultimately dogs are domestic animals therefore their owners have a legal responsibility to ensure that they do not run amok, if they do then therefore they cannot control them so they should not have them.

It's like people that you see on the hills with their dogs off leads & when they try to "whistle" them in as they come bounding over to you nothing happens, then even when all they do is like your hand the owner says (with a smile on their face) "ach they are a big softy". NO - I don't a problem with dogs but my partner does so if this happens when I'm out with her I will take to task the owner and quote the Dangerous Dogs Act at them re ALL dogs must be kept under control when in public places.

Sorry to get on my high horse, but I'm totally sick of "dog lovers/owners" trying to duck the issue as well as fed up stepping in shite everywhere!!!!!!

[doganjo]

There are laws in this country, hadn't you heard?

It is legal for a farmer to shoot a dog which is caught chasing his sheep. It is legal for the Police to restrain a dog which is shown to be dangerous.  It is then legal for a case to be brought against the owner - NOT the dog! 

The Courts will then decide whether the dogs should be put down - not you, not me, not Rosemary, not the Police - the Court!   It is not legal for the general public to take these laws into their own  hands. 

Under control means JUST that - if a dog recalls to its owner it is under control. If it walks at heel off lead, it is under control.   I'm really sorry about your partner being frightened of dogs - she must have had a bad scare, but even that can be trained out.  My son-in-law was terrified of dogs when my daughter first met him.  He is very much not frightened of them now.  As he once said "if you fancy the pants off someone, a herd of elephants won't put you off - your dogs are no problem."

So, logically, and without emotion, I put to you what Rosemary and Dan's options are - 1) talk to their neighbour and tell them of their suspicions 2) assess their response 3) if then necessary at that point to install and look at CCTV footage and take action as recommended by the Police and/or RSPCA.

[herdsman]

as well as fed up stepping in shite everywhere!!!!!!

Why do they pick it up in a bag and then chuck it in the hedge where it hangs like an alternative xmas decoration??

[sellickbhoy]

as well as fed up stepping in shite everywhere!!!!!!

Why do they pick it up in a bag and then chuck it in the hedge where it hangs like an alternative xmas decoration??

i hate this - a wee parcel of shite that'll never degrade, it'll be hanging there for centuries to come, perectly preserved in polythene

i wonder if in years to come archeologists will find these little plastic parcels of poop and wonder what kinda deviants we were!!!

"in the 21st century, it was considered good luck to have your dog poop in a bag and hang it at the entrance to public parks"

[doganjo]

Funny this, I was actually speaking to Eric our animal Welfare Officer yesterday on this very subject. He used to have the Clacks FREE poop bags printed with the message that the bag was biodegradable.  He said he had stopped doing this for that very reason.  Gartmorn dam is 'littered' with green bags - as Eric said yesterday - at least they'll always be evergreens    Joking aside, I am horrified at this - there are numerous dog bins in Clackmannanshire, far more than I've seen anywhere else.  So why people go to the effort of picking the mess up then leaving the bag I don't know - WHO do they think is going to collect all tease ornaments?  It would actually biodegrade quicker outwith the bag - just left in the undergrowth.

[Hilarysmum]

Rosemary am very sorry for the shock and pain losing your hens must have caused.  I dont know if it would work, can you put electric fencing around the hen area at levels that the dog will get a strong shock.   We too have had visits from irresponsible owners whose dogs have been let out of cars without any attempt at control, who then either laugh as their animals chase our water birds on our pond or worse (in my opinion) try to rip apart my hens. 

Some of these people are actually bird owners themselves.  Somehow they seem to lose all sense of responsibility when they take their dogs off their own premises.

[Nemesis]

That is so heartbreaking, but I echo every sentiment about it being the owners fault and not the dogs.  On another forum I regularly visit a young girl was riding her horse on the beach when it was attacked by a dog.  The owner got it under control, only to let it off the lead again and for it to attach itself, by it's teeth, to the underside of the gelding.  The owner just laughed.

Of my own dogs, our Border Collie is a minx for chasing all of the animals and has had our pet Rhody several times, but thankfully only held her down.  I eventually got so fed up I borrowed a petsafe collar and after a few zaps with that she now steers well clear.  Are the dog's owners approachable enough for you to suggest a training method?  If not I think the electric fence of your own is a good solution.

[Pigtails]

We had thirteen chickens killed today, between 9am and 12 - seven Hubbards, five Black Rocks and one Light Sussex. We know who the culprit is but can't prove it - the evidence is circumstantial. Unless the owners of the dog responsible come clean, we (and the police) are stuck, and I doubt if they will.

Last time we actually caught him chasing the hens, and were assured that he would not be allowed out loose again - until then, he was allowed to "free-range". Today, he slipped his chain. And we have thirteen fewer birds than we had yesterday.

I wouldn't have minded the fox as much.

Fortunately, my cream crested legbars were shut in their ark and our new lamb was shut in a small pen with him mum otherwise they would have got it too. The Hubbards were in a run that was demolished. Only three of our 10 survived and one of those is injured.

I don't really want the dog destroyed but if that's the only sure way of stopping this happening again, then that would be my choice. I suppose I just have to put it behind me because nothing will happen, but it's very sad and very frustrating nonetheless.

Wrong, you can demand the dogs are tested, for evidence of hen.
If, they are found to have "hen" in them or on them, then you can sue for malicious damage to your property,
these days, they /the authorities are putting ASBO'S on dogs, the owners are ultimately responsible and you should sue.