Stupid neighbor dog just killed my chickens

[Gravy]

I'm not one to rant but some idiot neighborhood dog just killed two of my chickens and chewed up another that I just dropped off at the emergency vet at the cost of $190.

Went over there and I could see blood on the dog's muzzle that he obviously had tried washing out. (I could see him in his backyard washing the dog with the hose right before I came over). Pretended he didn't know what happened. Guy says he knew his dog was getting out because the fence was down and had intended on fixing it. I guarantee they knew what happened because the wife yelled at the dog and drug him back home once he crossed the road. He says doesn't have any money to pay for the vet or replacement birds since he's not working.

We've chased the dog off a couple times before. Big hunting type dog.

I talked to animal control and they said they'd talk to him about leash control but what are my rights here? What ramifications can I go after? We depend on these bird for eggs and they lay every day for us. And when they're stressed they don't lay eggs.
I don't want to have someone's animal put down, but if it's that aggressive- I don't want my boys out in the yard with this careless neighbor's dog on the loose every day.

My wife was bawling and shaking. I'm pretty level headed and spoke to the guy calmly and collected but I'm ticked off.

 

[The_Lobbster]

Piece of hamburger meat laced with arsenic, toss over the fence. Well, maybe that’s too extreme haha. But if you happened to snap a pic of the dog with a bloody mouth, take him to small claims court.

 

[Unimog]

That is horrible! Good on you for remaining calm. I don't have any advice.

 

[Houndoc]

If you can prove it, they are legally responsible for the damage, both loss of birds and veterinary bills for the injured one.

 

[glockman]

That SUCKS Stratton. Sorry to hear that. My wife would have been a mess too. I think you can likely take them to small claims but good luck ever collecting on it.

 

[Herzog]

Trail / game camera

 

[Tonkaman]

Ive been in those shoes before, it is heartbreaking to see.

Your well within your rights to go after him, but you shouldn’t have to! To make things worse, he is probably telling you the truth about not having any money. Unfortunately your about to find out that eggs are kinda hard to come by right now, so that’s a double whammy!

I wouldn’t worry about the dog being aggressive. Honestly I had a couple dogs growing up that decided they liked to eat chickens and pheasants, but we’re otherwise perfectly behaved. He is just playing off his instincts and poor control from his owner.

We’re the chickens inside a fenced yard?

 

[Gravy]

Well resolution.
I got my bird back from the vet after a slew of stitches and antibiotics. I'm very lucky to have a relationship with this vet for the last decade or so selling them x-ray film so they gave me a very kind discount and I spent about $295. We'll see if she survives she's on antibiotics and some pain meds. I'll have to change her dressings everyday. it might seem a little silly to spend money on this bird but I'm allergic to cats and dogs and so this is as much of my pet as anything and she's been with us for 6 years. She comes when I call and she'll jump up in my arms and let me hold her. And if my garage door is open she'll come inside and perch on the handlebars of a bike and just hang out.

and went and talked to him again (with his wife there) they had both more level heads and they agreed to pay for the vet bill and I won't worry about the two other birds that got slaughtered.

I'm going to keep my remaining birds cooped up for the next couple of days to hopefully get their stress levels dropped down so they don't freak out. When they get super stressed or freaked out they molt and don't lay eggs for a while.

 

[Tonkaman]

That sounds like the best possible outcome.

What about future dog attacks? Once a dog has tasted chicken there is no going back

 

[Magerdgr]

Back in the day, my grandpa had this same problem with his neighbors dog, multiple times. Neighbor kept denying it was his dog, so my grandpa set a bobcat trap by his hen house and didn’t stake it down one night. The next morning the trap was gone. He walked next door and knocked, told the neighbor he was just there for his trap. Neighbor walked in the other room and came back with the trap, didn’t say a word but it never happened again. 😂😂😂

honestly, I’m surprised my grandpa didn’t just shoot the dog, but it was an effective lesson.

 

[YouKnowWho]

Claymores. They work.
Seriously, when I was a kid, and even now- if someone's dog is hassling livestock, it's dead. And the owner can shut up and go suck a rock, because hassling livestock (and I think that fol are included in the livestock definition) is a crime and you have the right, the obligation, to preserve your livestock.

 

[notajeep]

Sucks 100%, and you're well within your rights to protect your property and expect payment for lost/damaged/dead property.

That being said, and I realize this is somewhat off topic, a dog that attacks chickens isn't necessarily an aggressive dog.

 

[jeeper]

We have a dog, and we bought ducks as well. We were very cautious to introduce the dog, and kept an eye on the dog very closely. We got to the point where the dog would just chill with the ducks in the shade. We finally decided we trusted the dog. We left for some lunch, no longer than 20 min. When we got back, the dog was finishing it's lunch of fresh duck. The dog is still ok to be around the other wild ducks in the neighborhood, and is not aggressive towards them, or any children. It's instinct to eat meat. The bad neighbor is the issue. Same with all the people who think it's ok to let their cats roam free. My kids get almost hospital sick from cats. I have removed many cats from the neighborhood for being in my yard.

 

[pELYgroso]

We had 2 dogs, and at one point had 6 chickens. We thought they would be ok together. One day one of the dogs killed 2 chickens. Didn't eat them, just tossed them around and plucked out the feathers and left them when they weren't putting up a fight anymore (no more fun) We kept them either apart when we weren't there, or under close watch for 2 years after that and all was well. They got to the point of ignoring eachother. Then on Christmas (this was like 6 years ago) we left them all out together and the same dog killed the other 4. The dog was a softie and harmless to any person, super playful and gentle. But not to chickens. Too playful to them. Never even drew blood on any of the 6. Just tossed them around and pinned them down to pluck the feathers. Anyways, no more chickens. Both dogs lived to 13 and died last year and the year before. I told my wife that we're done with animals for at least 5 years, besides our 12 year old spoiled inside cat. I'm excited to have a yard this year that I'm not constantly picking up or watching for poo in the yard.....

 

[N-Smooth]

I don't want my boys out in the yard with this careless neighbor's dog on the loose every day.

I'm going to go against the grain here and not defend the stupid dog.

You shouldn't trust a wandering dog with your kids anyways- even before this happened. If the neighbor lets their dog wander around you keep reporting it until they stop. Honestly this situation gives you an "excuse" to tell them that is your plan and if they want to avoid the hassle they'll control their dog. Easy peasy.