Dog killed 3 of my girls

[real_redhead]

Well, I came home from picking up my kids and find my husband going crazy in the back yard...and I see a dog. Our yard is fenced in and a neighbors dog jumped the fence and tore open the run and killed 3 of my 5 girls, one is pretty much unharmed and the other one my husband finally found wedged between the fence and compost bin with bite marks and a big tear on her back. I came running in the back yard and the dog ran out the gate, I flew into the front yard raving like a lunatic and cursing like a sailor! I am sure my neighbors think I am crazy but they all knew how much I cared about my girls! I knew who's dog it was and immediatly drove to their house, dog was there with blood on its mouth. I was so mad, I don't know them that well but I told her what her dog has just done, and laying right there on the porch was his invisible fence collar. Really, you have the fence yet you don't use it!!! What really ****** me off even more was I had just seen her walking her dog! We live in the CITY and you can have chickens but you can't let your dog run loose! X%$&** My kids were devestated, even my husband is mad as hell and had I not left the gate open there would have been a dead dog to go with my girls. I called 911 and animal control came and said we could have killed the gog since we caught it in the act, now I wish my husband kept his gun loaded but there wasn't anytime to get it! luckily one of P.O. them is a chicken lover and was able to take a look at my girls and spray blue kote on the injured one. I hope she will be ok, I don't really have anywhere to put them in the house but worry about her wound getting infected. Any ideas, I know the 2 remainig are in shock, I loked them in the cook with food and water but now don;t know what to do let them out in the run tomorrow or what, The dog owners agreed to pay $200 for the cost of the chickens and fixing the run but that isn't enought, the Animal control officer said we could take them to court but the court will only make them pay $10 per bird, a fine and court cost so we are better off settling this way. AI had to vent, sorry about the misspelled words but I am still shaken up . Any help with the injured bird would be appreciated!

 

[speckledhen]

I'm so sorry. After hundreds upon hundreds of stories like this over the years on BYC, we will drop any dog that harasses or hurts our birds on our property. The neighbors know it, too. The law backs us up. It doesn't bring back the birds, but the dog owners need to be sent a loud and clear message about responsible dog ownership. I don't care if the dog got out one time, that's one time too many.


Keep injured birds in a quiet place with low light for a few days and good nutrition, maybe vitamins in the water-Avia Charge 2000 or even Polyvisol children's liquid vitamins without the iron. Chickens can heal up amazingly well with just triple antibiotic ointment (no "caine" pain killers, please!) slathered in the wounds to combat infection.

 

[real_redhead]

Thank you, I ended up calling the avian vet that Animal Control recommended and they were in the office and told me to bring Topper in. The wounds were more extensive than I thought and it was going to be close to $800 to work on her and then there was a chance things still wouldn't turn out good. So I decided to put her to sleep, It was awful I couldn't even say goodbye I was too torn up. It still cost over $200 but I will make sure the a-hole neighbors pay for that as well. I guess one good thing is that the Dr asked if I would like to donate her body to VA Tech vet school so students can learn about the insides of birds! I said yes!! I just got home a little while ago and brought my one remaining girl into the basement, she is in a large dog crate and I put the heat lamp on in the room above the crate not too close so as to overheat her but enough to help warm her up, gave her a treat and then she started eating and drinking and seems to be coming out of shock. I checked her out and she doesn't appear to have any wounds but the dog did get her because she is missing a large chunk of feathers on her back and on her belly but no blood or puncture wounds I could find. I told my husband he needs to keep his gun where I can get to it quickly and Animal control said we could shoot if we caught the dog in the act...it happened so fast my husband did the best he could. I am having very disturbing thoughts about that dog right now!!! I might have to go to the shooting range this weekend!!

 

[Cetawin]

I am sorry about your girls. I would ask animal control for the ordinance or statute number that states you can shoot the dog and let the dog owner(s) know that if the dog returns and tries to harm your remaining bird you will shoot the dog. It is often illegal to discharge a firearm within city limits so check out that law carefully.

I am so sickened over these stupid dog owners (I own dogs myself).

 

[AllyJane]

I know this may not be related in any way but we have a horse, foal and three chickens.
We also foster 3 small kids (We call babies) They are 4&5 years old. We have a family dog "Bear" A german S, He will protect thick and thin for our family and animals (he has shown this to a puppy we bought and it was getting harassed by a relatives dog, so he went and got all angry at the dog) Lol. Anyways, one day the three babies were playing outside while we cleaned the yard up a bit, the next door nabs had two or three aggressive dogs, and they decided to have a go at the kids, so Bear killed the dog.. Sad, but the moral here is, get a puppy and let it grow up with your family and let them grow up, (Make sure its a big doggie) And make sure they don't harm humans unless they go to harm you. Let it protect your flock..

(Sorry for bad "Story telling" )

 

[riverpilot69]

Exactly. We got our dog when he was a pup. He is now 130 lbs. of big oaf. He would not hurt a fly unless you were trying to harm a family member. We live in the country and we let our son, who was 3 at the time, play in our front yard. We always sent the dog with him. One day the mailman pulled up in the driveway to deliver a package and the dog would not let him out of the vehicle. I had to go out and show our dog that he was no threat. The mailman said that he never did that to him before. I told the mailman that he was only protecting our son. The mailman then says that he would pity the poor fool that tried to break into the house. I said yes and if you do get past the dog, the owner is heavily armed, military trained, and has a general hatred for thugs. I opened the box that he delivered and showed him what was inside. He looked at my combination LED tactical light and laser sight. He smiled, shook his head and left.

 

[Ole rooster]

So what is going on with the dog? I really feel for you folks that have to tolerate dogs like that. So far Morgan, my dog, has kept everything away from my place. He's not real big but does have a big mouth.

Did you get the $200 or was that just so much sweet talk?

 

[Suri]

My girls and a rooster were killed by dogs two weeks ago while I was at work. They tored up my chicken coop run. I was so shocked and angry at the same time. But I didn't see whose dogs or which dog killed them. Anyway, I called the county sheriff and animal control too. The despatcher didn't even want to sent the deputy at my property and asked me to call animal control who then informed me to call the county sheriff again.. Finally, the despatcher sent a deputy over to look at my girls and informed me that I could shoot the dogs if they enter my property again. Also, the animal control said to me that I could call them up again so that they could put the dog traps if I decided to raise another chickens.. Well, perhaps I'll take the animal control offer since I've 10 new chicks in the house. I've finished fixing my tored up chicken coop. I use cage wire which is thicker then I use harware mesh on top of it then I secured it with 2x4s like a sandwich.. Am thinking of putting up the electric fence too in the future...

 

[real_redhead]

My 10 year old who reads my chicken magazines suggested we run hot wire too. The owners did drop off a check for $200 with a note word for word quote:
"Again, please know we are sincerely sorry for the unfortunate incident with Pete and your beloved chickens. I know they were your pets, and very special to your family. We are truly sorry, Warmest regard" I didn't like the note and feel like there isn't any sympathy. I could be wrong because I am still so angry. Had your dog had on it's electric fence collar this would have never happened. It would have taken you 2 second to put on that collar that was laying on your porch, but no you got your mail and let him off his leash in the yard and went in the house. What angers me even more when I went to her house to tell her what her **** dog did she said she walks down the alley whith her son and dog so she can see the chickens. We have a privacy fence along 3/4 of the yard and a 4 foot old wire fence on once side where the dog jumped and you can't see over it, the only way to see the girls would have been to open the back gate which I think she was about to say when she stopped herself. So the **** dog knew where the chickens were! Tomorrow I will be getting a lock for the back gate along with a no trespassing sign. And I hope she doesn't walk down our ally anymore. She lives 2 blocks down and one street over from us. Since I took Topper to the vet last night and the bill was $204 she owes us that too!! I wouldn't call her so I asked my husband to do it...I need to find out if he did. Animal control told them we may be taking her to the vet and they agreed to pay for that. the vet said we could try to save her but the cost was going to be between $550 and & 750...I did breifly think about trying to save her and make them pay but the best thing for my girl was to let her rest in peace, I didn't want her to suffer for weeks in pain. I don't think $200 covers the loss I have had the the sleepless night I had last night and probably tonight because I am so worried about the one left who is scared. She came out of shock and was eating, drinking, pooping ok. I slept in the basement with her last night and kept her in while I was at work today, I let her out in the backyard with supervision of course and she was fine until I tried to put her in the coop, she didn't want to go and when I finally got her in she was scared, then she went into the run where the incident occured and she freaked out running back and forth, clucking like no ones business. It was awful but I can't keep her in the house so I know she has to adjust, When I checked on her earlier she was sleeping in a nesting box. My kids seem to be handling it better today and want to know when we are getting more girls. Before we do that I will be spending some money to get a better run!!! Man these eggs sure do cost a lot haha! Who knew I would become so attached to these chickens.
About shooting the dog both animal control officers said if we catch the dog in the act we have the right to kill it. We could press charges and go to court, both civil and criminal but he suggested that since the dog owners wanted to make restitution we would probably make out better not going to court. I am still having very negative thoughts about that dog if you know what I mean. As I am writing this I think the dog owner should have apologized for her role in this, again if she had put on that collar this may not have happened.

So sorry for eveyone who has had to go through this!!!!

 

[Strikefalcon]

I think you should reread the note that came with the check that your neighbors brought you.