Dog Attack - My Story

I'm so sorry about your losses and your agony & heartbreak. This did NOT have to happen!

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Treat me like a joke, and I'll walk away like it's funny.
Effervescent, irreverent and irrepressible, but (almost)never irritable or irascible!

I am so sorry. We had 1 dog attack our does in Aug. and he came back a few weeks ago and attacked my Bucks. I lost one of my boys and the other 3 are tore up but healing well. Everyone is still Jumpy and nervous. I still dread walking out to the barn in the morning, afraid of what I will find. Such relief when I see everyone is ok.
I hope you and your animals find some peace soon.

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http://blujemsgoats.webs.com/

I live in fear of attacking dogs. I worry about my goats every time I leave the property. One time my neighbor's LGD (a great pyrenees) came on the property and chased my chickens. Dh told the neighbor if the dog ever came back he would shoot it...period. They found the dog a new home. I've been looking for a guard donkey who has been living with goats, but haven't been able to find a suitable animal yet. I'm hesitant to get a LGD though since I would want to have very good fences to keep the dog at home. Right now the fences aren't completely dog proof. Till then I worry alot of the time.

Sorry for rambling, I think I know how you feel. Its just devastating. You feel like you'll never be in control again. Take care of yourself.

Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry for you!

Coincidentally, Nick and I ran into one of the local Crazy Goat Ladies at the grocery store today, and we talked about this very thing. We found that they have the same policy on their farm as we do on ours: If our dogs get loose and bother a neighbor's stock, we tell the neighbor to shoot the dog and we'll pay them for the ammo.

This, of course, is a warning to the neighbors that we will be sorry about it, but any dogs bothering our stock will be immediately shot.

We keep our dogs close, but there is always the possibility that they could get loose, and I certainly cannot say that they would not lose their brains and chase livestock. I love my dogs, but if they do that, then shooting is the natural consequence. Can't mess with someone else's livelihood.

Again, you have my sincere sympathy.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

We have every large north american predator roaming our woods, but what I fear are roaming dogs. I feel badly that I've had to shoot someone's pet before. And I would feel badly if someone had to shoot one of my dogs - but I wouldn't blame them. Dogs are unpredictable at best.

My dogs feel they ALWAYS have to be by me. Sometimes I wish they were more independent and stay outside without me when I'm in the house. But now I'm so glad they are overly dependent and feel the need to stay right by my side. I will put up with them bugging me constantly to go outside...and then wanting to come right back in if I don't go out. We are also lucky that we don't have any neighbors. But my dogs were trained (via remote collar) to never leave the property for the sole purpose of not getting hit by a car or truck! I work at a vet and see way too many HBC emergencies and broken hearts over that. It's all just so sad.

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Teach only Love...for that is what You are

my heart aches, this is so sad. hugs to you.

So unfortunate that you had to endure this. A few months after DW and I moved to our 'farm' and got a few laying hens, we had an incident with a neighbor's dog (which wasn't collared) and one of our hens. We heard a commotion in the backyard, and saw the hen in the dog's mouth! DW yelled and the dog dropped the hen and ran off. Hen had two puncture wounds and a lot of missing feathers, but survived with some quick first aid. About an hour later, after we rounded up the free-ranging flock and put them in their pen, the dog came back, but ran off again when we yelled at it. Less than an hour after that, our housecat alerted us to something outside - it was the dog again, circling and scratching at the fence. I'd had enough, and grabbed my deer rifle. The possums and buzzards ate well the next few days.

It truly sucked to shoot a dog, but for the safety of our birds, I felt I had no choice. DW feels the same. As she put it, "if the dog's owner doesn't want his dog shot, he should keep it at home".

Anyway, I hope this doesn't happen to your goats again. That would really suck.

sorry for your loss. i dont to be unfeeling but if dogs were bothering my live stock id follow the sss rule. shoot shovel and shut up if my dogs are bothering someone i would fully expect them to do exactly the same.

I am sorry for your loss. I feel the same way about my girls and little boys. I make sure that my dogs are behind the fence at all times. I can't see why my neighbors can't do the same. I have noticed that when people move to the country the first thing they do is get a dog, if they don't already have one, and let it run loose. If you love your dog keep it safe behind a fence. Others love their livestock and do their best to keep them safe. It's hard enough trying to keep livestock healthy from worms, sickness, disease only to have it killed in sport by the neighbors playful pet. Good fences make make good neighbors.