Stray Dogs attack & kill pet duck in broad daylight at Mossflower Woods

[MossflowerWoods]

In reality I know there is nothing I could have done even if we were not separated, because I was at work at the time, but...

Yesterday afternoon two stray dogs, and brown and black pit bull, and a black lab, came onto my property and attacked my daughters pet 1-winged female duck in her pen, and the male duck they have been nursing back to full health all winter (he got sick in the fall and then he got frostbitten, lost half a foot and his caruncle off his bill, the other ducks/chickens in the pen pick on him if they put him in now).

Some of you may know these two ducks live inside the house at night, and out in the yard in small pens during the day. They are completely pets. First pic is the male "Cyclone", second is the female "Syrrus" sitting on my buddies lap.

So the girls hear barking and come out, scaring the dogs into the woods, but it is too late.

Their princess duck, who's left wing was ripped/chewed off by a racoon last spring, was unhurt yesterday, the pen collapsed around her but the dogs did not get in. the male duck busted out of his pen and they chased him and chewed him up big time. he has at least one hole the size of a silver dollar on the top side of his tail, and he was bleeding terrible bad in the girls laps after the attack. They put him inside in his pen, and from descriptions he was in shock. I fully expect he will not be alive this morning when they get up.

This property has had so many harsh lessons for my wife and girls, it really is no wonder my marriage is on life support and my kids are very unhappy...

My daughters, and my wife are traumatized by this viscious attack.

I called the neighbor to the north, and he had seen same dogs earlier that morning and ran them off his place. He is the one who told me they were a pit bull and black lab. I've called the animal control folks, and the deputy will be out today I assume to take a statement.

Even if I had still been in residence, and armed, I was at work.
Candidly, by the time they heard the barking, it was all over but the bleeding and crying.

I need to learn from this. When I can reconcile my marriage, if I EVER expect to live out in the country with my family again, there are certain things I MUST do differently to prevent such traumatizing events (in as much as they can be prevented in our fallen world).

So... Teach me brothers & sisters.

What do I do differently next time?

Be well & God Bless,
David

 

[TripleR]

Sorry to hear about that, but in my experience growing up on a farm, it is just one of the vagaries of living on a farm. You can work to mitigate your loses, but I don't know that you can ever totally eliminate them absent a great deal of effort and expense.

I gave up as did my sister in law and father in law, so maybe someone can offer you their solutions.

 

[Stick895]

I don't see how you could, short of keeping things penned all day in a stronger pen and standing guard to ward off dogs, foxes, 'coons, hawks, owls, coyotes, etc. Rather than prevent it, maybe just use it as a life lesson, cycle of life type of thing.

 

[PsRumors]

How old are your daughters? May be time for a 410 and the lesson of protecting their own animals over other's animals.

 

[KTurner]

Yea, multiple lessons from this. First, I would say that your girls need to know to STAY IN THE HOUSE when there are attacking/rabid/etc animals outside, unless they are adequately prepared to put down the threat. This could have been easily turned into a MUCH more tragic situation.

As far as traumatizing events. You're going to have to find a balance between sheltering them and preparing them to deal with the real world when you aren't there to shelter them. Do you let them grow up thinking that nature is accurately portrayed in Disney movies and that meat comes in a box from God? Sometimes nature/life is unpleasant. Being able to cope with that is much better than just trying to hide from it all the time.

Keith

 

[jimmyj]

This sucks, so sorry to hear. I remember when stray dogs killed one of my pet goats. I had just turned the electric fence off for a bit of repair and forgot to turn it back on. i was so mad I wanted to go find them and shoot them, boy was I pissed.

Dog owners, don't let your dogs run!! Please.

As for lessons, you can't anticipate everything nor can you prevent it. Ducks are everything's favorite prey it seems. When you have animals in the country the lessons are about guard animals, containment, your own protection (i.e. gun) and sadly, acceptance.

 

[Bikewanderer]

This is just part of living in the country. My tenant at the property said his beagle wet missing last weekend. We both heard gunshots while there when the dog went missing but disagreed about the direction. He thinks the neighbor shot it. My response was that the dog has bitten me and been agressive towards my mother and that I can't think the neighbor shot the dog without good reason. He agreed but was lamenting the fact that nobody came to tell him they shot his dog.

Who knows, being agressive or chasing livestock is a good reason to shoot a dog.

 

[Stimw]

As far as I am concerned the only good stray dog is a DEAD stray dog!!! Their pack mentality makes even family pets dangerous when loose.
I spent $4000.00 to fence my property and they dug holes to get in to attack my cats.
I keep a loaded pistol and a Mag Light at the ready.

 

[brin]

Just last week two stray dogs killed Lilly one of my grand daughter's cats....then yesterday Tigger, her other cat disappeared...we feel certain it was the stray dogs or a coyote ....

David....these things happen in the country...they even happen in the suburbs...go to the inner city and it is people getting murdered...Like others have said...just have to prepare them to survive in any environment to understand life is full of risks and dangers but joy and reward also...

 

[creekbend]

Good to hear from you again. On the other hand, I wish to point out several things. Mother Nature is Mother Nature. When dogs start running in Packs, they become Wild. They tend to lose their fear of man. No matter where one lives, there will be situations that will arise and must be dealt with. We lived and worked in Florida for many years. Before I moved my Family to North Carolina, Coyotes became a problem in the area where we lived in Florida. Even in the wealthy sections on the Gulf, people lost their pets to Coyotes. I even saw on a local TV station, where an elderly man was walking his Poodle in a Cul-de-Sac, a Coyote snatched his dog right in front of him. The Poodle was on a leash and it was broad daylight. I am sincerely sorry about your Family's pets. In Mother Nature, as in Life, the Strong will attack the Weak. Take care of yourself and Best Wishes.