Update on Court

Getting a ruling and actually getting money out of them without additional legal action i two different things. Many people get awarded a sum but never see the money. Hoping for the best for you.

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Judy
Oat Bucket Farm
Central Kansas


The past is valuable as a guidepost, but not so if used as a hitching post.

I'm well aware; however, there is the option of wage garnishment if not paid.

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~Trish~
http://harvestmoon-farm.blogspot.com/

Sorry to hear what you've been through, that's just awful.

I wish you the best of luck.

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Future shepherd/dairy farmer.

The dogs were killed that day, when they came back more than 3 hours later, on their way back to the barn, and went after our chickens.

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~Trish~
http://harvestmoon-farm.blogspot.com/

This is a very sad event. No amount of money can replace what you lost.
I have heard of businesses that won suits over their loss of business. But I’ve never heard of a farmer getting paid for the loss of potential milk and potential offspring. But, I hope you do!
Often times, in cases like this, the market value of a similar pregnant goat is set by local livestock auction prices, without regard to their value to you. I am afraid you’ll only get a judgment of around a grand, maybe two, plus costs. Be prepared to prove a higher amount. Have it clearly typed out, so any idiot can understand, even a Judge. Then collecting is a whole other thing. Do they even have a thousand dollars? Collecting $20 a month for four to eight years won’t heal a broken heart.
Try to stay positive. Don’t let your hurt and anger effect the present and future. There are always troubles. Sometimes the trouble is small and long lasting. Other times trouble is huge and instantaneous. You have had a tragedy. Don’t let it steal your goal, your drive, your happiness, and your future. The sun will shine again, I promise.

I am one person who has been on the other end of this type of situation.

I had a Malamute (it was dropped off on my street and my wife wanted to keep it badly so we did)

Right from the beginning it killed all my chickens. I wanted to get rid of it wife begged me to keep it.

So I bought a run for it and it would get off it (slip out of collar, break ring on better collar, break metal that held the cable to the pulley, ect)

It came back with 2 dead chickens one day. I only have one neighbor so I knew where they came from. I went to the market and bought 2 of the same chickens and went to the neighbors with them told them what happened and gave them the replacement chickens.

I bought a chain link pen to keep the dog in. That worked good for a while so I bought myself some more chickens. Then he started getting out of the pen. He would break the straps that held the chain to the post, break open the chicken coup and kill a chicken or two.

Now I want to add that the whole time this has been happening I had 2 other dogs that ran around free, mostly stayed around the property, and never ever bothered any of my chickens or any of my neighbors animals.

Back to the story: I reinforced the pen in every way I could. I was at the end of my rope. For 1 I think it is stupid to contain a dog in a 6x10 area for 23+ hours per day and 2 I was real sick of spending time and money to keep this dog.

One day my neighbor is angrily banging on my door, when I opened it he was screaming and cursing at me. I do not take that kind of behavior well but I swallowed my pride long enough to understand that he was telling me that my dog was in front of his house with a dead newborn piglet.

I walked out to find the pen empty walked out to the street and there was that Malamute laying next to the dead pig (he never ate anything he killed, just killed it and liked to walk around with it)

I dispatched the dog that day, then asked my neighbor how much the piglet was worth. He told me $150 (even though he sells them a few months old for $60 each) I paid him the $150 - it was the only thing to do. I never even thought of not paying him.

Even though I knew he was making a little extra from me ($150 vs $60) it was my dog that went on his property and killed his animal.

You neighbor is wrong and should have paid you what you asked.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I've spoken with others who have had this same thing happen, and they have been awarded lost milk, lost kids, lost future kids, etc. I know there's no guarantee the entire amount will be awarded, and I honestly doubt I'll ever see a dime, but I want people to realize that, when an animal is killed, there's far more to the loss than just the loss of one life. In this case, 6 lives were lost that day (my 2 does, the 2 kids they were carrying, and the 2 dogs), and it wiped out half of my herd. Regardless of whether you have 2 head, 50 head or 100 head, the loss was still 50%. I've subpoenaed a witness to the fact that this was not an accident - the dogs didn't just "get loose;" they were allowed to run loose on a regular basis.

The dogs' owners are trying to charge me $744 for the loss of the dogs, and though they have never (so far) filed any kind of civil suit, they've included $80 in court costs (based, no doubt, on the amount I'm charging, which actually increased after having to send 3 more subpoenas yesterday). It's a mess, and I just wish they had done the right thing when it first happened, instead of trying to say something else killed my goats and their dogs smelled blood and "followed the scent" to my barn.

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~Trish~
http://harvestmoon-farm.blogspot.com/

crispin, you did the right thing, all the way around. What a terrible tragedy, for you, your wife, the dog and the neighbors (and animals.) But you made the best of it. The only one to blame in your case was the person who dumped the dog. Not the dog.

Harvestmoonfarm, I do hope it all goes your way. You've been through what continues to be my worst fear. Personally even if you never see any money from this, it is worth it just to have these dog owners admit that they were at fault. Just so once and for all some one takes a stand and says "Take responsiblity for your dogs!" And if they get thier wages garnished, so much the better! A little unpleasant reminder now and then....Take care, I wish you the best.

I hope this doesn't sound silly to you...

Have you thought about contacting Judge Judy about going on their show? I'm serious. A mom I know had their 2 year old son run over by a big kid on a bike and took him to the ER even though he seemed ok. The parents of the big kid wouldn't pay because they didn't think the 2 year old was hurt enough to go to the ER and that the little boy's parents should have waited and taken him to his pediatrician the next day. They all went on the Judge Judy Show, the big kid and his parents got a thorough tongue lashing on TV, all court costs plus the judgement were paid right away by the show, leaving the defendants owing them instead of the plaintiffs.

So if you were to go on, you could get the word out on TV that this crap the owner is pulling is completely unacceptable and you would see all the money awarded to you right away....and you and your family and witnesses would get a nice paid for vacation where justice is served.

I remember that case. Love JJ!

As for getting losses. I am on a chicken forum and people do sue for loss of eggs and cost to buy a chick and raise it to laying age. For an expensive bird that you are hatching eggs from, you get that loss for the period of time you are loosing that income.

There is no reason OP should not expect to get not only the value of the goats and their babies but the cost of the milk that she has lost as well as vet bills and court costs. That is not padding. Those are actual losses she can prove.

Good luck to you! Out of curiousity, what breeds were the dogs?

Totally agree. We are starting our own little homestead business, just enough money to support our lifestyle, and the loss of some chickens or a goat would impact for a long time when not only the life of the animal is wiped out but their production which we rely on. Even if not selling your produce, it is now milk you'd have to buy in, so a cost to you.
Wish you the very best in 2 weeks time....and Judge Judy sounds fab - they would be humiliated since they wont face up to their responsibility and you'd get paid.

Another thought I had...it sounds like they are planning on replacing their dogs. Perhaps you could push for some conditions being ordered to make sure your livestock and those of your neighbors stay safe. F.E they need to be under controll at all times or their dog owning privileges will be revoked.

Judge Judy would be a bit tough since I don't fly, but you're not the first person to mention it. I also have school and farm obligations, so no way to get away for even a day, as I'm sure most of you can relate to.

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~Trish~
http://harvestmoon-farm.blogspot.com/

We got it We move in March. NO Neighbours. NONE. There's a house "nearby" but the owner's daughter uses it as her 'spare storage house'

Closest neighbour is over a mile and doesn't even have dogs.

You have no idea how joyous this makes me

Best part is the rent is so low that we can save up for a few years to buy our own space outright.

Shamefully we never witnessed them on our property and since the goat thing and the police were involved... when they claimed their dogs could have *never* gotten through their fence we said, "Then how did our GOAT?" The blood trail comes from OUR SIDE. They kept denying. Finally my husband said, "Fine, if they can kill a goat on their property, I can kill dogs on mine."

FUNNY how their electric fence magically started working [as it 'kept falling out of the socket'] when this happened. And magically new steel fence pegs appeared. Oh LOOK, you CAN be responsible.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I cannot wait to see how this plays out. I am so sorry you had to go through it and still do. You're being so strong in the face of all this.

It is awful when people do not control their dogs ad even worse when they do not take responsability for the damage they cause. You will win the value of the goat and I hope you win on the lose of the babies and milk.

I few years ago a pitbull attacked and killed my little sisters (11yo) min pincher she had tied outside, I always carry a handgu but that day I had just gotten out of the shower and hadn't put it back on yet. I heard yelling so I went outside to see a woman yelling and chasing a pitbull, I reached to grab it as it ran towards her dog but missed and it grab her little dog. I ended up on top of the pit puching it in the head, I got the dog off (broke my hand) but it was too late. They paid for the cost of the puppy and creamation and we went to court to have the pit ruled as "dangerous" which ment it had to be muzzled whenever outside.

A year later I heard screaming from two houses down, I jumped over two fences ad got there to see a woman with her poodle on a leash and the same pitbull with the poodle in its mouth. I drew my gun ad was about to pull the trigger when my neighbor jumped on the pit and started punching it, with no clear shot I reholstered and kicked the dog in the ribs several times until it released the poodle. The pit was taken to be put down right after, the husband of the owner wanted to put it down after the first attack but the wife would not.

I think the Judge Judy suggestion is brilliant. Not only would you not have to wait for the settlement, the word would go out on national television that dog owners can be held legally responsible for the behavior of their dogs.

All dog owners should be as responsible as Crispin! Being a good neighbor brings its own rewards, and endlessly. For as long as you have run ins with this person, even passing them on the street, everything is affected when someone does not do the right thing.

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Proud Mama of eight LaManchas.