Neighbor's dobermans on my land, protecting "their" property ...??

[psj12]

The best mailman I ever had carried a pocket full of dog treats and all the dogs on his route were overjoyed to see him. I would occasionaly even leave a bag of treats in my box for him. I knew he probably spent a good amount because we lived in town and I bet he gave out 50 or more treats a day.

He had never been bitten in 30 years on the job and did not carry pepper spray.

The worst mailman I ever had carried pepper spray and sprayed my dog through the front screen door once when he thought no one was looking. All the dogs hated him and were very aggressive towards him. I hope a couple ate him.

So my suggestion is, meet the neighbors and their dogs and get permission to give them a treat. Dogs do remember. You could make some solid friends, of both species.

 

[RobertN]

Interesting to add to this thread...

A couple neighbors down, another neighbor has two dogs penned up along the road. They never pay attention to them. If there is a car go by, or someone out walking, and sometimes in their own yard, the dogs bark incessantly.

There are only 5 houses on our street. The neighbor directly across from the dogs, well, their in-laws house(2nd house or "Granny flat") is right near the street, across from those dogs. It drives them bonkers. The Grandfather never comes in front of his house(I guess I shoulda called it a "Grandpa flat") becuase of the incessant barking from those dogs if he does.

The neighbor with the dogs has done nothing. I do not see how it does not bother them.

I have asked the affected neighbor a couple time, "Why don't you go talk to them?". They answer that ya, they should. But they have not. Yes, it is an uncomfortable talk to go have. So instead they recluse in the house to get away from all the racket.

We're a couple properties away(our area is 5 acre lots), so I do not hear it much.

The shame is, these dogs should really be rescued. I think they are Aussie shepherds, working kind of dogs. The daughter wanted them. Had them a few weeks, and since has paid no attention to them. They just sit out in a penwasting away, barking at anything that moves. they are in a large fenced pen, with a dog house and shade. But, they are totally ignored.

So the dogs lose, being just ignored out in a pen. The neighbor loses, because they have to endure the endless barking. If they would just talk, I think it could be dealt with. Both sets of neighbors are really nice folks(besides handling the dog issue).

I have had to talk to two neighbors in the past. One for barking, one for cruising the garbage cans. Both were fine, and we still talk. It was uncomfortable having to call them, but I calmly told them what what happening, and it was taken care of with no hard feelings on either side.

 

[EE_Bota]

Beppington,

Check the laws, and determine if there is a leash law and how it is applied.

Then, consider that goats may also escape, and cause damage.

Then, consider that if the dogs will tolerate your future goats, they may not tolerate dogs that would attack your goats.

Consider if your children or relatives will ever be on the land, and what duties you are willing to impose on them to insure their own safety, such as none, pepper spray, or can't go unless you go, etc.

You may decide to do different things, but here is what I think I would do

Approach the owner and tell him that his dogs concerned you the other day, and ask what diciplinary actions he is comfortable with you taking if needed. Tell him you are willing to get to know his dogs, and you are willing to introduce him and his dogs to your goats when they arrive in order to acclimatize the animals, and so you both can see how the dogs will react. Tell him, in the nicest terms possible that upon arrival of the goats, it will not be made YOUR problem on YOUR property to protect YOUR goats from HIS dogs.

Tell him you would like a situation where all the animals and all the people can be safe, healthy, and happy, and you have no particular issue if a friendly harmless animal can't read plot plans, but you intend to enjoy your property and use it according to the your needs.

Tell him that although you do not wish to be **** retentive about the comings and goings of animals, you reserve to right to demand his dogs stay off your property for any reason, or no particular reason at all.

Optional (very optional): Consider how you would prove his dogs killed your goats. DNA will work, but is not cheap. He likely knows more than you do about it (legally.)

That is my advice. I may follow with a story to help people understand how people may wish to shoot a dog.

 

[RoyJackson]

The best mailman I ever had carried a pocket full of dog treats and all the dogs on his route were overjoyed to see him. I would occasionaly even leave a bag of treats in my box for him. I knew he probably spent a good amount because we lived in town and I bet he gave out 50 or more treats a day.

He had never been bitten in 30 years on the job and did not carry pepper spray.

Some folks do have a great rapport with dogs...I do with most. But as your post stated, some do not have a rapport.

 

[RobertN]

My Dad could tell. He grew up on a chicken ranch. My Grandfather used to keep some sheep and cattle to. Dad had to shoot a few dogs that ran and attacked the sheep, even after notifying neighbors. Took them and set them on the owners porch, with a bill for the sheep.

My Dad said it use to really be hard, because he has always loved dogs. Tore him up inside every time he had to shoot one, because of a owner who didn't take care to contain. He hated every time he did it.

That is my advice. I may follow with a story to help people understand how people may wish to shoot a dog.

 

[rundogs]

Abe Lincoln had another saying," Good fences make for good neighbors"

 

[EE_Bota]

Why a man would want to shoot a dog, or WORSE.

I haven't shot a dog. I have cut their heads off, or sawed their skull open, and removed their brains to send to the animal disease diagnostic lab, but I have never actually killed a dog...except once..a black dog on a new black top road in the black of night. The owner cried, I cried, it was a mess. The dog was old, and appreciated the heat the road puts out at night. For some reason that made it sadder to me. The dog just wanted a heating pad.

My neighbor wants threatening dogs to roam freely so their house is protected. I was once bitten by their pit bull right in front of them while chatting* with them, on my property. That dog eventually disappeared, perhaps they got rid of it.

They then bought a Rottweiler: One day, that Rott would not let me leave my own house to go to the store. Not only would he not let me leave the porch, you could tell he was calculating how to get to me before I could get back into the house. I yelled "go on" several times, and he just stared and growled. I went into the house and got a few firecrackers, lit them and threw them. His response was unbelievable to me..the only thing that happened is his coat jerked a bit, but he stood there and growled in exactly the same place. I suffered a lost time episode next that ended with the dog running and me on the fourth shot with my pistol. It was not really lost time (but I was furious) and I deliberately did not shoot the dog, but the dirt flying up at him convinced him that real missiles were hitting near him.

I went to the store, and when I returned the Sherriff's deputy was there. The dog owners called the sherriff to report me. A long conversation happened, here are the highlights:

"It is unlawful to fire a gun within 100 yards of a house in this county, even your own house. You would be better off shooting the owner than the dog, since people like dogs better than they like people. If you shoot that dog, you better be bleeding, or your sentence for dog murder will be longer than for people murder."

About a month later, the same deputy is back...to caution me about firing my weapon again. I told him I had not fired a weapon EVER on the property but the one incident. He said "you did it last time, so why should I believe you?" I replied "because I admitted it last time and am denying it this time."

It was dove season, so the neighbors reported the shots as being from me. The deputy heard the shooting while there, and was convinced it was the hunters not me. He was about to leave, and I asked him to stick around. I wanted to put him in my situation, since he did not do one darn thing to protect my rights...so he went to the border with me. The neighbors saw us coming, and opened the door to come out, but immediately their dogs busted out and circled us threatening to attack us both:

"Your dogs are threatening me and the deputy.Your dogs have bitten me on my own property before, and they are threatening me now, and you may think reporting false allegations to the sheriff is appropriate.." (interrupted.)

They yelled "don't shoot my dogs!" And I turned and saw the deputy had his gun in his hand, trying his best get a bead on the circling dogs. I shouted at him "put that gun away...is it unlawful to fire a gun within 100 yards of a house in this county. You will serve more time for shooting the dogs than the owners, so you better put your gun back in that holster! You better be bleeding before you shoot those dogs!

He got all angry and told me that what he does with his gun is his business, not mine. I replied that I understood perfectly, and that is exactly how I felt when he visited last time and told me that I better be bleeding before shooting a dog. But when I calmed down, I decided he was doing me a favor, and when he calms down, he will decide the same.

The dogs were put up, and a three way pow-wow commenced.

The neighbors had lots of concerns about the deputy suggesting that shooting them was safer for me than shooting the dogs!

I had lots of concerns about being tortured day in and day out by a pack of dogs. I also brought up concerns about why the deputy was targeting the dogs instead of the neighbors, contrary to the advice he gave me!

The deputy had lots of concerns about why I think he is not above the law, and why I thought that not all lawful orders had to come from lawmen, and why I thought he could not do anything he likes on my property regardless of the law.

It was fun! And enlightening! It was a mess! I made enemies and failed to influence people.

Then a few months later:

I was trimming a huge boxwood so large that it obscured my view of the neighbor's house. I heard the sound of a horse galloping up and a loud piercing scream. I stepped sideways so I could see around the bush, and the Rott was coming right at me at full speed. I yelled like a banshee and as soon as he saw me, he slammed on the brakes and actually made skidmarks in my yard trying to stop and yelped like a pup as I was coming down with my trimmers to crush his skull. I missed him by ~six inches, and he ran into my smaller bushes with me behind...another lost time white-hot blur where this time I was in the bushes like a rabbit trying to dismember the Rott with hedge trimmers, but he was always just out of reach. Juuuust out of reach.

Another piercing scream brought me to my senses, so I let the Rott escape to investigate the scream.

There was a be---utiful jogger in my yard. She said that the first scream was when the Rott was charging HER, not me, and the Rott didn't even know I was behind the bush. She came into the yard to thank me for saving her life by intervening (for once) with MY dogs. The second scream was when she saw me trying to butcher the Rott. She didn't want to see that.

She told me that everyone pretty much hates me and talks about me in the community because my dogs threaten them all the time, and I won't lift a finger to stop them. She was shocked when she found out the truth...that I own no dogs at all, and that the dogs belong to the neighbor. She said those neighbors have been talking me down because I asked them to stop parking on my property (blocking my circle drive), and when the topic of the dogs is brought up the neighbors say they are MINE. She promised that she would make sure the entire community knew the true story.

I never saw the Rott again that I recall. Maybe he broke camp and left after I terrorized him, or maybe the neighbors bar-b-qued him.

They got a boxer to harrass me now. If I go out into the yard, their dogs bark at me constantly, circle me and try to sneak up on me. I endure it until they get tired...since they cannot kill me outright like the others. But I do have to resist the urge to strangle them with my bare hands. There is no way I can do that without getting bitten at least once, so it is all legal, fair and square, and remains an option for when I have had quite enough. I have heard of stray dogs, stray bullets, but never a stray strangling.

 

[not2old]

After reading these 12 pages, I'm thankful that my only dog problems are trying to get the neigbours to take better care of theirs by providing better shelter from the cold and getting her more excercise. When off leash, both dogs nearby enjoy the sun on our front porch while waiting for their treats.

 

[Milton Burro]

Not exactly what I meant, but am familiar to that line of thinking.

My personal experience is a "neighbor" who thought it was cute to feed our puppy when he would visit their dogs at the property line with our older dogs. Eventually inviting him on their porch and feeding him treats while we were hollering for him. Now 5 years later we have a dog loved by our kids that will escape if loose even for a couple of minutes.

Oh yeah she complains now if he goes to her house. It is also OK for her dogs to chase mice and dig up my hayfield. NOT!

I wasn't serious, just an attempt at sick humor.

 

[RoyJackson]

The first thing we did when we bought the house we're in now is to install a chain link fence behind the house (about 11 years ago). This gives the pup about an eighth of an acre to play in. There's also a doghouse out there, but the dog stays in the house at night.
Of course, she is spoiled...but she's our kid, so to speak, as was our old girl we had to let go last year.