Loose Livestock & Pets Mean Unwelcome Neighbors

So often people move to the country and have a different perception from reality. The dog will happily stay on their acreage and the other critters - well how hard can it be to fence them right? Legal issues and neighborhood relationships depend on it.

Almost any agriculture or farm related internet board as well as many lists sooner or later the topic of new livestock owners and/or roaming dogs comes up. Equally on pet lists there's tearful comments from someone whose dog was shot - it was only some chickens and the dog was only playing. The thing many don't understand - there is no only there. Those chickens might have been the source of eggs for the family and playing or not the loose unsupervised dog killed them.

Several years ago a situation was ongoing where one family had a chow/heeler cross they allowed to roam. After threatening the goats many times, months of documentation, days on end calling animal control and many promises nothing was changing. The thing is the dog would go get his other loose and roaming buddies and they formed a pack. I was told I couldn't shoot despite livestock laws because of other houses in the area...which meant it was up to animal control. They finally took the dog in and the family was supposed to have it put to sleep. So imagine my amazement when months later the dog comes out of the pen with two labs - where the trio just killed an expensive show goat, chased several others through the fence (resulting in aborted kids and injuries). It turns out the dog was not put to sleep - he was temporarily shipped off to relatives. The Saanen doeling had no chance - woven wire fences and my own confined dogs couldn't help her. Once the dogs tore into the gate she was at their mercy. Any sympathy on my point wasn't happening - 7 a.m I called animal control, told them the dogs were back and they better get out here before I find the owners. After more months of legal issues, a lawsuit, laws on the books to award damages and contacting the media the dog was put to sleep. No restitution was ever made.