Posted: 11/4/2004 5:32:46 PM EDT
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here's the story: I live in a very rural area in KY. I have a neighbor who breeds pitbulls; they routinely end up in my yard, terrorizing my 5 y/o daughter's cat, and getting into my garbage. I have spoken to my neighbor twice about his dogs. The first time I went over to see my neighbor, I had his dogs in a crate---caught 'em in the act, and they're definately not peoply shy. I told him that I am NOT going to bring them back again, but will take them to the pound and/or call the sherrif. I caught those damn mutts again today trying to get into MY kennel to fight with MY german shepherds (who haven't been AWOL in over 3 years). Being a dog person myself, I understand that occaisonally a dog will 'escape', and it isn't the dog's fault that the owner isn't keeping them up--so I went against my instinct and DIDN'T shoot them. I caught 'em and crated the little bastards up and took them to the pound just like I had promised my neighbor I would do. I just had another 'talk' with my neighbor (he's drunk and wanted to fight me for stealing his dogs) and I learned that his cousin runs the dog pound here....his friggin' pack of animals were back in my garbage and chasing the cat in less than 3 hours. (sorta like people jail!) I DO NOT WANT TO START A FEUD because this guy is armed, spends most of his days high or drunk, and is either related to or knows EVERYBODY in the area. I'm just the damn yankee who moved in a while ago. I've called sherrif, PD and dog pound too many times already about this and the problems continue. I don't have any other reasons to dislike this neighbor--he keeps his crap to himself and has never personally bothered us...he just doesn't keep his animals up. So far, the dogs have only gone after the cat. Normally, I wouldn't care...it's only a barn cat but it IS my daughter's pet...and what if they got bored with chasing a cat and decided to go after her instead? The pitbull stereotype is around for a reason! I will definately research prospective neighborhoods much better the next time I move! Anyone have any ideas that don't involve antifreeze or subsonic 22? |
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I spend a lot of time away from home due to work schedule....I don't want to start a feud that could end up with a drunk redneck torching my house. How about some ideas that don't involve smoking the dogs? (or were you referring to the neighbor? I'd kind of like to stay out of jail myself!) |
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I had a similar problem years ago. I caught the offending dogs and spray painted their asses and back legs with orange paint. They didn't come around anymore; maybe I was just lucky. At least it's an idea. Good luck, I know how frustrated you are. As a last resort, S S S |
Lay out some Prestone meatballs out at night (bring the cat in  ). Once the dogs eat them, they will run away like mad looking for water and will shortly die somewhere else.I know this works from having dispatched racoons and skunks in town, where popping them would not have been well received. |
| I would try to find some legal authority to document every time they get into your yard. After a few times you would probably be justified in shooting, at least by law. How to deal with the neighbor is another story. That sucks. Might want to talk to a lawyer. Don't let your daughter get hurt. Good luck. |
WE HAVE A WINNER! There's another pound about 30 miles from here. I personally don't like pitbulls, but I don't believe shooting them is really the best option. Thanks for the advice...I shoulda thunk of this myself...too pissed off to think straight. |
If you don't get rid of those dogs you will be posting about something MUCH worse someday. I would try the police once more and find out just exactly why they can't seem to get their heads out of a southern part of their anatomy and take care of this. If that fails then S,S, & S. NMSight |
Man, you got some real creative ideas here...
May require 7-10 days for death to occur. The prestone (ethelyne glycol) coats the digestive system and blocks the apsorption of water and nutrients. Pretty bad way to go. |
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I also live in KY and a few years back ran into a man who does trapping on horse farms for a living. Apparently any dog that is on your property and not on a leash is considered feral and can be shot by anyone who sees them. No threat by the dog has to be made, no harm done by the animal. Several stories in this vein: There is a horse farm down near Versailles that was experiencing troubles with the newly developed subdivison. The homeowners were allowing their dogs to run free and the dogs were running in packs through the horse farm, damaging the cattle and the horses. The horse farm manager went to town and told everyone he saw that he was going to start shooting dogs. No one believed him until he hung the first carcass up on the south fence . . . then every dog owner in the neighborhood was out calling for their mutts. Trapping on a farm on Leestown road a Rhodesian Ridgeback got caught in a lead type trap. It apparently had never been on a lead before and attempted to jump back over the fence . . . hanging itself. When he went to check the trap there was a man standing next to it, getting purple in the face. "Is this your f**king trap?" "Yes. Is that your dog?" "You are gonna pay for this dog. It cost me $3000. I am gonna take you to court!" "That's fine. Just come down to the farm office and sign a paper saying that this is your dog and the farm will pay for it . . . and then they will take you to court for the $17,000 in damages that this dog has done on the herd." A moment of silence. "Now, is that your dog?" "Never seen it before in my life" and jackass turns around and walks away . . . Shoot the first dog into your yard, say that it growled at your daughter. Tell him that if he wants the rest to live more than a week that he will keep them off your property. Alternatively, call the KSP and see if they will come destroy the dogs. They are a threat to public safety and animal controla nd local sheriff's office have refused to bring a solution to the matter. Last alternative . . . buy a mastiff and train him to kill the pitbulls. I have heard of this solution to dog problems in the backwoods. Some guy let his dobies run wild and they bit a young girl. Her uncle let his wolf/shepherd mix into their yard and he killed all three of them (possibly apochryphal, but sounds good). |
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Documentation. Pictures. That way if anything does happen, you can show you did what you could. If he is a breeder, do your best to resist from shooting his dogs because it could be very expensive for you. The dog could be worth $500.00 when alive but as soon as you kill it the thing will turn into a $2500.00 dog. Trust me on this one. If you do kill it do not hide the fact. Call the authorities and report that you did it for your family's safety. If you take it out and bury it the act may be considered hiding evidence...concealing a crime...etc. Fence the area your family uses if possible. It will show that you are trying to be civil and responsible for your family's safety. Documents of Events, Pictures of Occurrences, Responsible Actions and being Prepared will get you through this. MT I am assuming you live close to the neighbor? City setting? |
| From my perspective, the trick is getting rid of the threat without causing more problems with your neighbor. If the neighbor is tight with everyone else in the community like you said, you are screwed. I'd say SSS first or build a real good fence a distant second. |
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For all you "Prestone Heroes", Poisoning with anti-freeze is cowardly and cruel; if you need to get rid of problem animals, grow up and handle it like men. Colt45guy - don't listen to crappy advice. The pitbulls are a threat to your family and you; if you don't own a firearm or don't have the heart to kill these dangerous pests, get a relative or friend to do it for you. There is no joy in this work, but it is necessary. Individual dogs are bad enough and pairs or packs are seriously dangerous. If you want a legal route, call the county prosecutor and file a complaint, and follow up to make sure he does his job. "Routinely" sounds like you have already gone out of your way and tolerated the problem sufficiently. |
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Have you ever heard the saying "good fences make good neighbors"? It is very true. My neighbor raises pitbulls also. I have a 6 wire high tensile fence attached to a fence charger. The dogs will not go thru it. The cost of the fence is about 26 cents per running foot including posts , insulators, and wire. Bottom wire hot, next grounded, the rest hot stops all kinds of trouble. You may not want to own any livestock, but the solution to your problem is a good sized female donkey or mule (male or female). Donkeys are used in many parts of the country as guard animals. They delight in chasing off dogs and killing the ones that aren't fast enough. I can supply you with a source for a pair (don't just buy one) if you like. My mule "schooled" a pitbull just the other day.  Not my neighbors, it was a stray that came under my gate. He won't be coming back.Oh, and I have had zero problems with the neighbors dogs for more than 2 years, and no hard feelings accross the fence either. |
Well fall is here and you need t clean the leaves up. Go to the local equipment rental and get a BIG chipper. Next time instead of the crating the dog, chip them up too. Plus this method sacve the shovel time others recommended - no need to break too much of a sweat. Oh yeah, the mulch will work great in the flower bed.
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For sure. Too bad you can't deal with the problem. The owner. Maybe later. |
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thank you Aero. The voice of reason! I happen to be a card-carrying-right-wing-gun-totin'-whacko, and have no problem ventilating these mutts IF THEY GIVE ME A VALID REASON. So far, I haven't been able to justify shooting them. I will not use the antifreeze (see my first post) simply because the dogs are only doing what comes natural to them and don't deserve a slow and painful death. I would PREFER not to use the .22 because the neighbor in question would likely retaliate or escalate. We're in a VERY rural area, and there's about 12 acres of land that we use regularly....I'm not going to fence my whole yard. My daughter doesn't play outside without either me or her mom with her, and we're always armed--I'm as concerned about my daughter's safety as you all have said I should be--pitbulls have reputation for a reason...which is also why I haven't shot these dogs yet. I spend a lot of time away from home, and if this neighbor gets it into his head that I killed his animals, there's no telling what he will do to get even. (I'm starting to like the idea of having the sherrif take the dogs back to his house too) |
Holy crap, that was a tear-jerker. 
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Stop right there grasshopper, you have fucked up. HE initiated the problem by not agreeing to your terms. Your neighbor should worry much more about what you will do to him persoanlly than visa versa. Drop the hesitation and do what is neccessary to portect you and yours. It is the basic fundamental right. |
Fuck them [edited out personal attack]. Who wants to be bothered with burying a dead piece of shit? I like the big yellow bottle because they run away and die off someplace else. [violation of the code of conduct #1 - Paul] |
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Using the cops to solve domestic issues is BS. Find a reasonable solution with your neighbor, build a fence, etc. Or move into a better neighborhood. You have already invested too much time and effort into this, along with alerting your neighbor and the cops to really do any covert problem solving on your own. Protect your kids. |
I used that on purpose. Definition of 'Feud'-noun-Deadly quarrel between families or clans. Webster. He has a family...more of a clan if you include all the extended family he has in the local area. I have a family. Hattfield/McCoy feud was REAL LIFE, and I don't want it happening again if it can be avoided. |
another reason why I really don't want to dispose of the dogs unless absolutely necessary! |
A "neighbor" like that isn't likely to give a shit about the problems he is causing. He'd probably enjoy a good feud - it's a reason to sober up, or drink more. |
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On a serious note, something to keep in mind, From: www.lrc.state.ky.us/krs/258%2D00/245.pdf 258.245 Dogs with rabies vaccination and identification considered personal property -- Destruction prohibited. All dogs that have a valid rabies vaccination and bear identification are hereby declared to be personal property and subjects of larceny. Except as provided in KRS 258.235, it shall be unlawful for any person except a peace officer or animal control officer to destroy, or attempt to destroy, any dog that bears identification. Effective: July 13, 2004 History: Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 189, sec. 19, effective July 13, 2004. -- Amended 2003 Ky. Acts ch. 181, sec. 3, effective June 24, 2003. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 440, sec. 6, effective July 15, 1998. -- Created 1954 Ky. Acts ch. 119, sec. 27, effective June 17, 1954. And www.lrc.state.ky.us/krs/258%2D00/235.pdf 258.235 Authority to kill or seize dog -- Return by court to owner of vicious dog -- Liability for damage -- Proceeding by person attacked by dog -- Disposition of dog after seizure -- Powers of animal control officer -- Vicious dog not to run at large. (1) Any person, without liability, may kill or seize any dog which is observed attacking any person. (2) Any livestock owner or his agent, without liability, may kill any dog trespassing on that owner's property and observed in the act of pursuing or wounding his livestock. (3) Any dog determined to be vicious by a court and allowed to be returned to an owner shall be confined in a locked enclosure at least seven (7) feet high or a locked kennel run with a secured top. The dog may leave the enclosure only to visit the veterinarian or to be turned in to an animal shelter. The dog shall be muzzled if leaving the enclosure for either of these purposes. (4) Any owner whose dog is found to have caused damage to a person, livestock, or other property shall be responsible for that damage. (5) (a) Any person who has been attacked by a dog, or anyone acting on behalf of that person, may make a complaint before the district court, charging the owner or keeper of the dog with harboring a vicious dog. A copy of the complaint shall be served upon the person so charged in the same manner and subject to the laws regulating the service of summons in civil actions directing him to appear for a hearing of the complaint at a time fixed in the complaint. If the person fails to appear at the time fixed, or if upon a hearing of the parties and their witnesses, the court finds the person so charged is the owner or keeper of the dog in question, and that the dog has viciously and without cause, attacked a human being when off the premises of the owner or keeper, the person shall be subject to the penalties set forth in KRS 258.990(3)(b), and the court shall further order the owner or keeper to keep the dog securely confined as provided by subsection (3) of this section, or the court may order the dog to be destroyed. (b) The animal control officer shall act as an officer of the court for the enforcement of any orders of the court in his jurisdiction pertaining to this subsection. (6) For his services in the proceedings, a peace officer shall be entitled to the same fees to which he is entitled for performing similar services in civil cases. In all proceedings under this section, the court shall place the costs upon either party as it may determine. (7) It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any vicious dog, after receiving an order under subsection (5) of this section, to permit the dog to run at large, or to appear in public except as provided in subsection (3) of this section. Any vicious dog found running at large may be killed by any animal control officer or peace officer without liability for damages for the killing. Effective: July 13, 2004 History: Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 189, sec. 18, effective July 13, 2004. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 440, sec. 5, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1976 (1st Extra. Sess.) Ky. Acts ch. 14, sec. 223, effective January 2, 1978. -- Created 1954 Ky. Acts ch. 119, sec. 26, effective June 17, 1954. |
| So crate the animals up, clip off thier collars and take them to the dog pound in the next city or county, tell them you were driving by and saw these loose dogs chasing cars along the road, problem solved no one at the pound in the other county knows where the dogs came from. They will kill them for you since they will probably be deemed as un-adoptable pets. |
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While SSS or the Prestone Meat Treats sound like the easiest solution, they are not. Your cheapest solution is investing in a fence that the wandering dogs cannot easily penetrate. Yes it is expensive. But, G-d forbit you get caught poisening the dogs. You may be held to account by the law, not to mention the owner. If the owner doesn't have the sense to keep his dogs from wandering, he certainly will not possess any amount of restraint when it comes to exacting revenge for the killing of his dogs. I agree also with not using Law Enforcement to satisfy domestic issues. Or the courts. Go in front of a judge for a civil matter and you are rolling the dice. Take out a home equity loan and have the fence built. A nice privacy fence (treated or PVC) If you have ever spoken with someone who shot a pit in defense, the dogs are tough. Five-O cornered a pit that had mauled another dog in my old neighborhood. Two shots of .40 to the head didn't phase the dog. Officer #2 had to hit it with 2 rounds of 00 Buck from his 870. It's hard enough hitting something at 10 yards that is seemingly large and imobile. Try hitting a medium-size dog that is moving rapidly. |