Worst day ever: Dog attack Bella stopped eating.

[rockdoveranch]

We went to the sheriff's office only after our neighbor's dog was back on our land, and having been promised their dogs would be contained and never go our land again after their one dog killed our ram lamb.

First off, the sheriff told us to shoot the dog.

But we were also told we could file a report, and we were given the option of having the sheriff go out to talk to the people and/or have him ticket the people.

He also suggested we simply talk to them or send them a certified letter as a paper trail.

The certified letter worked, and the incident is on record with the sheriff's office. Prior to this we had had over problems with these people.

We cannot see their property or our far pasture from our house or middle track. We now keep the mature rams out there; hair sheep Texas Barbado rams. We have another neighbor who was so badly injured by their Texas Barbado ram that she has been on disability ever since.

Talk to anyone out here and they think our neighbors are the nicest people.

We DID put one of those wildlife cameras out there and so far have not seen any activity near the fence line.

 

[Holachicka]

And, I know that was a terrible thing for you to have to see. We recently lost two goats to a dog, they were screaming for me as I ran to them. It was gut wrenching. For days afterward, I keep thinking I heard the other one screaming, when he wasnt. Even now, when they talk during the day, I run to see whats going on.

I was a nervous wreck for awhile, worrying every night, even though they were shut up in the barn. It really, really sucks to lose that sense of security, to realize that your animals arent safe in the own home.

I feel for you. I am an avid dog lover, have had and loved dogs my whole life, but I have absolutely NO tolerance for ill mannered, out of control dogs, not even my own.

Hugs to you, and hats off for taking such good care of your goaties.

Yes!! I am a nervous wreck! I am always running out to check every little sound, and as soon as I open that door, DH is right behind me with a gun.

We are dog lovers too, and we can empathise with the guy, One of our dogs has a very strong prey drive, and if he had the oportunity he would do the same thing. BUT we don't give him the chance.

I'm pretty sure this is his dogs first offense. the owners have a fenced in vinyard that the dogs dug out of and into our pasture. I'm hoping he won't allow his dogs to roam anymore. I'll find out more tonight when he comes by.

We are going to file a complaint after we talk to him, that way if we do have to shoot, it's on record that the dogs have a history of harming livestock, just to cover our A@@. We will let the owner know that if they come back we will shoot to kill.

Bella girl is hanging in there, Lots of pain because the dogs's teeth went straight to the bone and chiped off peices of her vertabrae, and the vet said it's just pure nerve endings there. She is lucky because she is our pig and has always had a voracious appetite, because of this she's still eating with gusto and keeping up her strength. She'll be on pain meds for a week and of course antibiotics. I just wish I could make her more comfortable. She's in a 6x6 kennel our with our other girls so she feels more at home. I'll try and get a pic posted so you guys can see the awful bow in her neck.

Thanks for all the support and warm wishes, I really appreciate it!

Anyone have any experiences with donkeys or burrows as gaurdians?

 

[Okie Amazon]

JUst bear in mind that that generally speaking, they will guard against YOU just as well as anything else. I have also heard of people getting them and then having to get rid of them for attacking the very animals they are supposed to be guarding!

 

[carolinagirl]

I think you would be better off with a dog. We had a donkey once and it brayed at the moon all night long. And we had a llama once that liked the neighbor's dogs. My livestock guardian will be an anatolian shepherd. I am really glad Bella is hanging in there. Poor thing!

 

[20kidsonhill]

I am glad to hear she is eating well, it will help her heal faster.

 

[goodhors]

Even at this late date, you should report the attack to the County Sheriff or Animal Control. Take photos NOW of the goat injuries, before they heal.

If you don't make reports, there is NO RECORD for the authorities to work with. Dog has "never been a problem" say the owners, and there is nothing but you whining about repeated attacks.

Some states give dogs a "first Bite" probation, while others do not. You need to ask about Livestock Protection laws as well. Here ANY DOG after another animal, Wildlife, farm animals, birds, is allowed to be shot as a menace.

If you kill it, SSS comes into play. However some folks will want damages paid, so they go after the owner. MUCH better chance to collect if this is not the first report, dead dog at your house.

And some dog owners get irate, even with dog caught in the act, may sue you back. Defending yourself in court can be expensive, mentally tiring, and then trying to collect the damages from owners.

However with no "Official Report" made to authorities, the livestock owner has no leg to stand on when the second or more attacks happen later. And the dogs WILL be back as stated, that goat chasing was FUN!! They are just dogs, so you have to get Owner involved with an AC officer visit, hit them in the checkbook to get their attention. Dogs might go after screaming children next time. Once a dog gets in with another, Pack Law rules, they are totally different animals than Fluffy is, in the house.

Just noticed this was an OLD post, with new comments added.

 

[Holachicka]

Lol, Not that old, the attack happened Saturday! But we did decide that we will file the complaint. Also, the owner has not said this was the dogs first offense, I was assuming based on his suprise. We will be talking to him tonight, and prefer to not attack him unless he does not take responsibility. He is our neighbor, and a great person, I don't expect him to make this a legal battle. but we will be prepared if he does. In my experience, if you go into a situation with your fists up and ready to do battle, you will get a fight. We plan on talking with him about his responsibility, and weighing his reaction. When he said he wanted to help, I don't think he realized that he was fully responsible. Again, we won't know until we speak to him.

Here are pics of my sweet bella, showing the bow in her neck due to the lack of her muscle, and we are praying not due to any fractures.

If anyone creates a first aid kit for thier goats, please include some diapers. The vet used a diaper as part of the wrap because it is clean, absorbs fliuds well and has velcro tabs to hold it in place. Her wrap comes off tomorrow and I will take more pics.

 

[chandasue]

That looks awful... I hope she recovers.

We have a couple strays that have been coming around and luckily we're also in an area that it's legal to shoot strays if they're acting threatening. Our neighbors prized hunting dogs got into our chicken coop a couple years ago. We're not on unfriendly terms since then but we don't stop to chat anymore since we informed him that if they come on our yard again they're dead. Fortunately his dogs have not been a problem since but a big fence between our properties helped that. We can't fence in our property entirely though since it backs up to wetlands so we still get dogs that are running up and down the creek once in a while. Always be prepared....

 

[Holachicka]

We spoke to our neighbor today, and are really lucky! He feels terrible, and will pay the bill, as well as keep his dogs contained! He plans on getting the electronic shock collar fencing for them.

Bella didn't look so good today. Her face started swelling so I removed the bandages a day early, and that seemed to help. I spoke with the vet about the swelling and they agreed with the bandage removal. Their thoughts are as long as she's eating and drinking, we can only wait and see.

It's so hard watching her in so much pain! I wish I could do more!

 

[Roll farms]

I hope she feels better soon. Bless her heart...

Hopefully the neighbor 'gets it' and is able to keep them away.