worst day ever!

[schnzrluv]

Sorry guys long story here....

My husband and I are staying at our new house in the country on the weekends working on getting it finished. Last week we spotted 2 big dogs at the edge of our yard. I went outside to see them, there was a large black shepard mix and a smaller black pittie mix. As soon as I went out the pittie put his tail between his legs and ran off while the sheppard stood tall looking right at me. I yelled and clapped, but he didn't move until my husband came out and yelled. The next day they were back, and this time my husband went after them, following them to the neighbor's house. The neighbor said they were his dogs, and they had escaped their kennel. My husband explained that we have a very small dog, and we don't want his large aggressive dogs in our yard because we were concerned about her saftey. He promised that it wouldn't happen again. I heard through other neighbors that these dogs were not socialized, the pittie is afraid of people but the sheppard is very aggressive and will snarl and bark if you get too close.

Saturday at 6:00 am (early for me!) I was awakened by a loud barking that sounded very close to the house. I got up and looked out the window and saw the 2 dogs again. I went outside and the pittie ran, but the sheppard was barking at something in the bushes at the edge of our yard. (we have 5 acres, so I couldn't see what he was barking at). I guessed it was the wood chuck that had been digging in our yard, and because he was a big fellow he could hold his own. Then all of the sudden I see the dog go down, and hear this aweful scream that I'll never forget. The dog stands back up and starts shaking and swinging this animal around viscously. The screaming stops, and the dog drops the animal. At this point I'm shaking trying desperatly to get my binoculars out so i can see what he has. Just as I get them sighted in on him, he picks the animal up in this mouth and I imediatly recognise it as the neighbors cat! I was so uppset that I didn't take the time to wake my hubby. I ran outside in my PJ's and grabbed the first wepon I could find. Shovel in hand I sprint across the yard (shoeless in my PJ's) screaming every profane word in my vocabulary. The dog dropped the cat and ran. It was too late, snickers was gone. Even now more furious I jump in my car and drive to the neighbors. The owner was outside working on his yard. I jumped out and told him what had happened, holding back tears the whole time. He acted like it was no big deal, telling me that there have been stray cats in his yard latley and that he had been letting his dog kill them. He said he was sorry but that was all. He said his dogs had escaped again, but now he had them tied up. I ranted on telling him that it doesn't excuse his dogs being in my yard again, and that it could have very well been my dog since she is only slightly larger than the cat. I ended the conversation with "If your dogs come NEAR my yard again I will shot them on the spot."

Animal control out there is non-existant and I really think if it happens again I will do as promised. The pittie is fine, but I will NOT stand to watch an aggressive dog run the neighbor hood murdering family pets. I can't believe I didn't try to chase him away when I first saw him. If I had snickers would still be alive, and the little boy down the road would still have his kitty. What a horrible day.

[Novel]

Oh I am so sorry to hear about snickers.
If there isn't animal control to report to, report this to the police. They need to make a report and have something on file. This is breaking the law, on many levels. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, make some noise to protect you, your neighbors and everyone's pets from this irresponsible owner!

[calgal]

Living out like that comes with a whole new set of rules. One of which is there is no leash law. We lasted 20 month in the country in TN. and ran back to civilization. I couldn't even walk my own dogs because of so many large dogs running loose. I was even bit going to the mail box.

[poodlesmom]

What a horrible situation! I agree that it should be reported. I would talk to the owners of the cat and together you should make a report to the police.

You can't blame yourself for what happened to Snickers. The only one to blame is the idiot who owns the two dogs who were running loose.

I am sorry your day started with this tragic event.

[ladydog]

ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrr! that makes me mad! poor snickers! i, once had snowball drug off by a dobbie, thinking i'd never see my fur ball agian i cried 4 days and one day my cousin came bringing my baby home in his arms. that dobbie's owner payed for that, the dog was put to sleep when the police was called to here an to find out the dog had killed other peoples cats and smaller dogs and even bit some people! some people are soooooo irresponcible! i say" if you cant keep your dog outta the trouble then givem' to someone who will!"that makes me so sick.


to you, the neighbor, and the lil' boy.......

[linnie]

I think you would be doing these dogs a favour by reporting the man. I can see nothing good coming from him owning them only heart ache for others.
I do feel sorry for the dogs but I can tell you right now if a dog came threatening my pets or animals on my property it would be one warning then I would get someone in to shoot it.
it would break my heart but I would be more broken up if it was my own dog and I hadnt protected her.

[mrsgrubby]

I am so sorry you had to see that, I am sure it was horrible. And I hope the guy takes what you told him seriously.

It is not your fault though about the cat, in reality the cat's owner is breaking the law too by letting the cat run loose. Both animals were out of their own yards and in your yard.

I agree the dogs are bad news, but it sounds like all the neighbors need to learn a lesson about keeping their beloved pets contained.

I hope the police do something. Try to keep a log of each time you have seen them and each time you have talked to the owner. That way if it drags on for awhile you have a clear record of it.

[Raised By Wolves]

These dogs are red-zone aggressive, and the owner made them that way. IMO, a dog is a direct reflection of the owner. Unstable dogs = unstable owner. These dogs have found a way to vent their frustration by escaping and killing. One dog doing this is bad enough, but when they are working together, things are beyond deadly.

Let his dogs kill cats? I'm wondering if he didn't "egg them on" to boot. This is one sick dude.

Yes, your small dog will be a target, as will any other living beings.

These dogs should be taken away from this guy. The two dogs who killed Diane Whipple, started out by killing small animals on a farm. When they were moved to the city, their instability and aggression, simply switched to a new target, a human.

I guess in a better world, you could just set a couple of large animal traps, and send them to someone who could give them a second chance. They don't have much of a chance with this guy, and neither do any of the other living creatures within their "sights".

It's only a matter of time.

I'm sorry you had to go through this.

[Shadowkins]

I agree that this man should be reported to the authorities and the dogs should either be seized or be contained from now on. If that dog was willing to attack and kill poor snickers , it's only a matter of time before he "graduates" shall we say to bigger things...like a small child.
RBW is right, the owner has made the dog the way it is by encouraging this behavior .
And don't feel guilty , for heavens sakes, how were you to know.
Let us know how things go ...and I am sorry you had such an awful time.

[schnzrluv]

Thanks guys. Sorry again, long reply!

After reading your posts and cooling off a bit I called an old friend who happens to be a state trooper. He told me that there isn't a lot that can be done unless the dog attacks a human and it is reported. He was honest in telling me that a cat killing dog was pretty low on the list of priorities.There is no local police department out here, and animal control is pretty much worthless. I also talked to the owner again, mostly so I could get a better idea about these dogs. He said he got the sheppard as a puppy from a friend, and that the pittie was a stray. While we were talking I took a good look at these dogs in their make shift kennel. The sheppard was barking the whole time, while the pittie was sleeping quietly. The owner (please understand this is NOT racist) is from Mexico so he doesn't believe in spending money on things like vet care, nor does he think his dogs need to be trained. He thinks it's perfectly fine to have them as "protection" from people, and to keep unwanted animals out of his yard. Although I did get a slightly different story this time on how the dogs ended up in my yard again.. He lets them "run the swamps" early morning and again at night for "excersise". I told him that it was unacceptable, especially since they seemed to have expanded their territory to my yard. I also told him that the way to "excersise" his dogs was to put them on a leash and take them for a walk. I got a blank stare, and he said he didn't have a leash. I truly think it's a cultural difference. He doesn't think he is doing anything wrong, ,because he doesn't physically abuse them, and he keeps them well fed. I tried my best to educate him, and again warned him that I would shoot his dogs if they came back to my house. He said he understood, and that he would do his best to keep them at home. I love all animals with my heart and soul, but will not hesitate to protect my Chloe, and myself. Hopefully I won't have to make the horrible descision of killing a dog, it's really not his fault. If it has to happen, I put all the blame on the shoulders of the owner.

Lindsey

[sparks19]

Wow. What a terrible thing to go through. I hope everything works out for the best. So the state Trooper said there was no law against dogs running at large?

Good luck. I hope you don't ever have to make the decision. What a tough choice to make

[mrsgrubby]

Where in Michigan are you???? My neighbor went to jail for shooting at a dog. I am pretty sure it is highly illegal to shoot dogs in Michigan, however you can do it out west.

Are you guys in the UP? Animal control in my area, Traverse city, is excellent and came just today to pick up a stray I had caught. They also came right out last fall when I called them.

I just don't want to see you get in trouble trying to protect your property. Tell me where you are and I will help you check into any options.

[schnzrluv]

I am in Lower MI in Montcalm county. Are you in the city in Traverse? Where I live it would be comparable to Honor, MI. It's not in a city, and animal control for the county is 20 miles away. They only come out every 5 years or so to check for unlicensed dogs. As far as being legal, it is perfectly fine to shoot a dog in self defense that is attacking you if It's on your property. Legal? maybe not, but I wouldn't go to jail for it. This is all hypothetical anyway, I'm not sitting on my deck with a shot gun in hand waiting for him to come in close so I can kill him. What would make me happy is him keeping the dogs penned as promised.

[mrsgrubby]

LOL...no I am not in TC, I am actually just a few miles away from Honor!!! LOL.. Our Benzie County animal control is also about 20 miles away, but will come if they are called and asked to.

For sure write everythign down, that way you have a log and can show that you took all the proper steps like speaking to the neighbors and such.

Then call animal control and tell them the story, ask them what else you should do, what they are willing to do, that the dogs are mean and the guy admited to letting them run loose, ect. Make sure you have the guys address handy.

I bet they will at least issue a written warning telling him to keep his dogs contained.

Let us know what happens when you call them Please.

[DaisySunshine]

Originally Posted by schnzrluv

I am in Lower MI in Montcalm county. Are you in the city in Traverse? Where I live it would be comparable to Honor, MI. It's not in a city, and animal control for the county is 20 miles away. They only come out every 5 years or so to check for unlicensed dogs. As far as being legal, it is perfectly fine to shoot a dog in self defense that is attacking you if It's on your property. Legal? maybe not, but I wouldn't go to jail for it. This is all hypothetical anyway, I'm not sitting on my deck with a shot gun in hand waiting for him to come in close so I can kill him. What would make me happy is him keeping the dogs penned as promised.

I think it is doubtful that this guy is going to change his ways unless something happens to one of his dogs. I agree with everyone about reporting this to the police. You need to start creating a record with the police on this dog. Eventually, he will attack a child. I hope not, but in all likelihood he will. If it does happen, you will have his record to show the cops and hopefully strong action will be taken against the owner for allowing such an aggressive animal to roam.

I am sorry you saw such a horrible thing. My thoughts are with you and the kitty's family. If that had happened to one of my cats or my little dog...it would be very bad.