Neighbor's dog killed my rabbit

[rwinsouthla]

The neighbor's dog came by today (as it usually does) and knocked the rabbit cage over. The rabbit is a "pet" as I don't have a buck for it....yet. It was in the plan. My wife took two pictures of the dog running away with the rabbit in its mouth. She immediately called the dog pound but since we are out of the city limits, the city pound won't come and get it and the parish (same as county) won't go "hunt" for dogs.

I will be calling the neighbor tonight when he gets home to tell him the dog killed my rabbit. He is a gentleman and I think everything should be fine. My question is about what about when I get a new rabbit and the dog comes back and kills that one? I know I can catch the dog. And I will if it comes back. But should I bring it to the neighbor or let the pound come and get it and put the neighbor through some inconvenience? My first human instinct is to let the pound come and get it but I don't want to be a bad neighbor because this guy is not a bad neighbor. I guess we'll have to see what the guy says when he gets home.

Wish me a gentlemanly discussion........

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by rwinsouthla

The neighbor's dog came by today (as it usually does) and knocked the rabbit cage over. The rabbit is a "pet" as I don't have a buck for it....yet. It was in the plan. My wife took two pictures of the dog running away with the rabbit in its mouth. She immediately called the dog pound but since we are out of the city limits, the city pound won't come and get it and the parish (same as county) won't go "hunt" for dogs.

I will be calling the neighbor tonight when he gets home to tell him the dog killed my rabbit. He is a gentleman and I think everything should be fine. My question is about what about when I get a new rabbit and the dog comes back and kills that one? I know I can catch the dog. And I will if it comes back. But should I bring it to the neighbor or let the pound come and get it and put the neighbor through some inconvenience? My first human instinct is to let the pound come and get it but I don't want to be a bad neighbor because this guy is not a bad neighbor. I guess we'll have to see what the guy says when he gets home.

Wish me a gentlemanly discussion........

Good neighbors won't let their rabbit-eatin dogs roam free. Try to work it out with him, but make sure he understands that you will not put up with a dog attacking your animals.


Everyone should hold off on the "get your gun and shoot 'em" (which IS an option) until you have your gentlemanly discussion, but you will hear that advice also. And in the end, you may need to, but you are nowhere near that time now, in my opinion.

[james dilley]

If he is A gentle man, He will either kill the dog ,Or keep it penned up from now on.

[Bearfootfarm]

Id give him a chance to control the dog first and if that doesnt work Id shoot the dog if he came back agaiin

[Honorine]

Try to work it out first, make it clear that you don't want his dog running at large on your property, and you certainly won't tolerate it killing anymore of your stock. Do it the right way now, then if the dog shows up again make it disapear. Since the dog has made a kill on your property it will come back looking for more, and will most likely turn to your chickens next(if you have any) Sorry about your rabbit, hope it wasn't a childs pet, have had it happen to my son and I, its very upsetting. Good luck in your dealings with the neighbor, I hope he's a stand up kind of guy.

[DWIGHT DUNCAN]

This same thing happened to one of my rabbits 10 years ago. We told the owner that his dog would not be coming home if it ever came onto our property again. Not a threat, just a fact. I haven't seen that dog again in the past 10 years.

[jehehmeyer]

Originally Posted by james dilley

If he is A gentle man, He will either kill the dog ,Or keep it penned up from now on.

Kill the dog! Nuts to that. I'd kill a person before my dog! In this case the dog did what dogs do-they hunt and eat smaller animals, like rabbits.

That being said, my dogs (not large) are always leashed or in the house so they don't do something like this or get themselves caught by other animal or person. If the county doesn't have a leash law things get tough. If the neighbor is a good person, he'll make restitution and find someway to better control his dog. When the new rabbit comes, you need to protect it better, perhaps a cage inside a fenced area. Other animals, like bobcats, coyotes, etc. would have done the exact thing. Even if the dog is controlled, other animal are likely to do the same as the dog.

[HeatherDriskill]

I would expect him to keep his dog home. Let him know that, while you mean no offense, you will not tolerate his dog on your property in the future. If he is sensible, he will understand.

[highlands]

You need to fence better. Instead of the dog it could next time be a fox, coyote, bear, etc. A quick and simple solution is electric fencing right around the rabbit. How much is the rabbit worth it to protect? How much is the angst worth?

[mightybooboo]

Definitely should pay for your rabbit.I would shoot the dog next time,and tell him so it doesnt happen again.
Sorry 'bout your pet

BooBoo

[zookeeper16]

Just my two cents, since I don't post often but I've had this happen to us.

Neighbors dog got in our barn and killed two rabbits. Talked to the neighbor. Neighbor told us to shoot AT the dog if it happened again. So we did. For that dog, it worked and we haven't had problems with it again.

Now the other neighbor, we tried the same thing and shot AT it (above it) and it didn't flinch. But if it does ever come back, it now knows what will happen to it.

I hope it all works out with your neighbor.

[Ardie/WI]

If he is truly a gentleman, his dog wouldn't be running lose and on your property.

[Mountaineer]

I'm a gentle man and a couple times my dogs have escaped- briefly. I keep my rabbit, poultry, bees and veggies within electric fencing, as if a dog can get your stuff- anything can.

[lwj2]

First, you need a better rabbit cage. It's cheap enough to build one out of 3/4 inch exterior grade BC plywood, 2x4s, 2x2s, chicken wire and hardware cloth for a deck. Divide it so the centre pen is one-quarter of the length, the outside two are 3/8. This will hold two does and a buck. Nesting boxes can be built on the sides or rear, your choice. Leave overhang for eaves so rainwater won't accumulate in the nesting boxes.

Second, you need to firmly inform you neighbour that the next time his dog is caught seen on your property will be the last time it's seen. Marauding dogs are a menace to everyone. Hand him a bill for a new rabbit, make it large enough to get his attention, include your time and travel to get the stock.

Originally Posted by rwinsouthla

The neighbor's dog came by today (as it usually does) and knocked the rabbit cage over. The rabbit is a "pet" as I don't have a buck for it....yet. It was in the plan. My wife took two pictures of the dog running away with the rabbit in its mouth. She immediately called the dog pound but since we are out of the city limits, the city pound won't come and get it and the parish (same as county) won't go "hunt" for dogs.

I will be calling the neighbor tonight when he gets home to tell him the dog killed my rabbit. He is a gentleman and I think everything should be fine. My question is about what about when I get a new rabbit and the dog comes back and kills that one? I know I can catch the dog. And I will if it comes back. But should I bring it to the neighbor or let the pound come and get it and put the neighbor through some inconvenience? My first human instinct is to let the pound come and get it but I don't want to be a bad neighbor because this guy is not a bad neighbor. I guess we'll have to see what the guy says when he gets home.

Wish me a gentlemanly discussion........

[HilltopDaisy]

"The neighbor's dog came by today (as it usually does)"

Wait a minute........ "AS IT USUALLY DOES"?

[rwinsouthla]

You guys won't believe this. I spoke with the neighbor on the day it happened. He immediately went and got his staple gun and staples, and air compressor. He came over and repaired the cage. Next, he asked if I would help him catch his dog. I did. He then brought it about an hour north of here to his brother's farm. He joked he put him in the witness re-location program. Finally, he left it open and said to tell him what it cost to replace the rabbit. I figured this is what was going to happen as he has been nice to us in the past, and we have always been cordial to everyone.

Thanks for all of the posts.

[suburbanite]

Wow. I have a neighbor who is exactly the opposite of that. His roaming dog shredded a neighbor's cat and he just laughed about it. I keep waiting for the dog to attack a child.

[LittleRedHen]

I had a neighbor who let his dogs roam and i couldn't prove it until I caught the dog in the act of eating one of my chickens. I didn't give the neighbor another chance but sometimes I wonder about what if i had. But the track record says it would have been pointless. It was the first time though in over 3 years that we stopped having dog tracks in our yard every morning. He kept the rest of his dogs in for the rest of the time he was our neighbor so it worked out for me!

[MWG]

I had a neighbors' dog eating my chickens. Yes, two different neighbors. I went to both of them with the rounds that I was going to shoot their dogs with and showed it to them. I told them that the next time they were in my yard I was gong to shoot them. It was 9 mm snake shot.

I also told them that it wasn't something that I was doing to their animals that I wouldn't do to my own because my bird dog also ate some chickens and when I found him near the pen I blasted him. I no longer have a problem with my dog eating my chickens and I was no longer going to have a problem with their dogs eating my chickens.

One lady penned her dog up while the other said that I wouldn't dare shoot his dog. I said that we would see about that.

The next day I shot his dog with the non-lethal snake shot. Never had a problem with his dog eating my chickens again. Heck, for that matter I never saw his dog on my street again. Sort of stayed near his own house...


BAD DOG!

[Trixie]

What is a non-lethal snake shot?