Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have had a go at the woman whose dog killed my chicken today

98 replies

IDoAllMyOwnStunts · 01/10/2010 20:06

SO this is the story, bear with me but I don't want to be accused of drip feeding!

I have 3 free range hens who wander all over my garden and the surrounding area (rural).

My house is adjacent to a v quiet lane, walkers pass by daily, often with dogs and only a couple of times in 3 years have dogs ran into the garden to chase the chickens (the occasions this has happenned before the dogs have always ran back to the owners when called off and chickens have escaped unharmed). Still with me?

So today I'm in the kitchen and see a black streak across the garden and hear the chickens sqwaking. GO outside to see a collie type dog going hell for leather across the garden after a chicken. It runs after it into the field at the bottom of my garden, kills it and then plays with it - owner no where to be seen.

All this time my kids are watching (and me) in horror) completely helpless. I was yelling at dog but it just kept ragging the chicken until it was limp and its wings stopped flapping. Kids v upset (and me).

Dog continues to play with chicken in the field, I go out and see the dog owner, completely pathetically trying to get the dog to drop the chicken. I had a go at her, told her my kids had to watch that and she should control her dog, that it should come back when she called it. Nearly there don't worry..

She retorted by saying as the chickens were free range then I should expect this hazard and there was nothing she could do to stop her dog chasing the chickens - ie it wouldn't come back when called. She said it legged it from her when she was up the road as soon as it got a whiff of the chicekns and then wouldn't come back when called. To me, she should have control of her dog at all times, AIBU to expect this? If she calls it, surely dog should come back? Isn't that basic dog training? (I love dogs and have a collie myself)

She did say sorry and looked mightily upset and embarrased, but I was still peed off at her comment that she a)admitted she couldn't control her dog and b) the chickens were asking for it being free range. DH came home and spent ages in the field trying to convince the dog it needed to let go of the chicken - which it did eventually.

Sorry its a long 'un, AIBU?

PS. The woman only lives half a mile from me, know her by sight - her dog is usually acting like a looney whenever I see it.

Do your worse.

OP posts:
Original poster
IDoAllMyOwnStunts · 01/10/2010 23:09

bumpsoon - the owner was calling the dog over to her (which it ignored - it just carried on playing with the chicken). Everytime owner walked up to it the dog ran off with the chicken in its mouth. DH eventually threw a stick at the dog which hit it on its side - it dropped the chicken in surprise, at which point DH was able to grab the chicken. He walked off back to our house and left the woman with the dog.

Thanks to all for your replies - MissBeehiving - good info thanks, didn't know that about Poultry. Not that I'd be able to have a pop at it with a real gun - plenty of Nerf guns in the house though, wonder if that would've worked?!

OP posts:
NicholasBrisbane · 01/10/2010 23:09

You are clearly NBU. Who could possibly consider allowing an uncontrolled animal to attack and kill another to be reasonable?

We live in the country, and if I had chickens (or other livestock), and a dog was allowed to attack and kill, I would be quite within my rights to shoot it.

Lesson to idiot dog-walkers - use discipline, or a lead.

conkie · 02/10/2010 00:22

I think that if you have chickens you should make sure they are secure and not dependant on others. Is your garden totally secure I plan to have chickens in a few years and would do my utmost to ensure it. It is your responsibility right now, not the dog owners

SugarMousePink · 02/10/2010 00:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ocdgirl · 02/10/2010 10:48

YANBU. I have got 2 dogs, one is a collie cross and the other a ckcs, The collie cross is very obedient and i know from experience if she chased anything she would come back on my command but the ckcs would not so guess what, she stays on a lead !!

Dog owners should have their dogs under control at all times and if they don't/can't then imo they shouldn't own dogs !!

violethill · 02/10/2010 10:54

YANBU - it's the dog owners responsibility to stop their dog roaming into other people's gardens (or indeed onto any land which isn't public)

I don't get this weird idea a minority of dog owners have, that it's everyone else's responsibility to prevent other dogs getting into their gardens. Rubbish.

BuzzingNoise · 02/10/2010 10:56

YABU in my opinions because the chickens were wondering around. A dog going for a chicken is different to a dog going for another dog.

violethill · 02/10/2010 10:58

The dog ran into the OP's garden! You seriously think that's ok? Hmm

BuzzingNoise · 02/10/2010 11:00

No, running into a garden is not ok, but I would argue that the chickens should have been secure in a garden and not wondering about.

Morloth · 02/10/2010 11:04

We shoot dogs that kill livestock where I am from.

If the hens were on your property YANBU, if they were not then a little.

She was being totally unreasonable walking a dog she cannot control off the lead. Idiot.

MissBeehiving · 02/10/2010 11:05

So I have to fence my land in to prevent your dog getting in? Because you can't control it? Why is the fact that you can't control your dog my problem?

BuzzingNoise · 02/10/2010 11:08

No, your land should be fenced to keep your chickens in and safe.

sarah293 · 02/10/2010 11:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

NothingButTheTeuch · 02/10/2010 11:09

Wait a minute....so the dog is allowed out of its garden but the checkens are not? Hmm

Anyway, regardless of whether it is 'on your land' or on 'common land', the dog should have been under close control. This is not defined, but generally means either on a lead or being kept in at heel. If the dog does not stay to heel then it should be on a lead (recommended less than 2m long).

If the owner of a dog that is worrying your livestock either cannot be found, or cannot get the dog under control, you are legally allowed to shoot it (although you need to show that you attempted also to get it under control!).

YANBU at all. Even with the wandering chickens, she still had a duty for her dog to be under her control.

Imagine the OP had written that one of her children were bitten by a dog in the street whilst wandering outside their garden gate....

Tippychoocks · 02/10/2010 11:09

Buzzing, it is irrelevant whether the chickens were doing a tapdance on the wall or "wondering" about. An uncontrolled dog in the country is a menace and should be restrained.

Morloth · 02/10/2010 11:11

There would still be posters blaming the OP if it had been a kid Nothing like queuing the English obsession with dogs is quite odd.

BuzzingNoise · 02/10/2010 11:11

yes, I completely agree, the dog should be under control (fwiw my dogs don't go off the lead, so no need to have a go at me!).
But it wouldn't have happened if the chickens were safely enclosed.
A child being bitten is a completely different kettle of fish. I bet my dogs would go for a lone chicken, but not a child.

MissBeehiving · 02/10/2010 11:17

But the chickens were in the garden - so they were enclosed. The enclosure was not sufficient to prevent the dog getting it.

LilyBolero · 02/10/2010 11:17

If you have a dog you have a responsibility to trsin it properly. And if you walk an out of control dog in the country, it will end up chasing sheep and get itself shot.

Training dogs is hard work and if you're not prepared to do it, you shouldn't have a dog.

Tippychoocks · 02/10/2010 11:18

Not having a go at you or your dogs, I am challenging your statement that the OP should be responsible for penning her hens. Smile

NothingButTheTeuch · 02/10/2010 11:28

FWIW I have dogs and they are the biggest nuisance to our livestock on the island! They do occasionally run off and roam the island (thankfully not having done any damage to anyone else's livestock), but I don't expect everyone else to keep their lambs/sheep/cows/chickens/ducks/female dogs safe from them...

...It is totally and completely our responsibility.

Deux · 02/10/2010 11:30

YANBU. The owner is responsible for the dog's behaviour. It's not like your chickens were asking for it, is it? Though some posts are suggesting this.

Where I am from (v v rural), the dog would have been shot, without question.

ChaoticAngel · 02/10/2010 11:35

YANBU It doesn't matter if it was a chicken, a guinea pig, a rabbit or a cat. It was the dog owners responsibility to make sure her dog was under control, which it clearly wasn't.

Deux · 02/10/2010 11:42

OP, just thinking about this some more and wondering what I would do in your shoes.

As this dog is local to you and poses an ongoing threat to your livestock, it might be worth speaking to the police.

Alert them to an out of control dog in the area, you're concerned the dog will go for the sheep etc and may end up being shot.

Let the local farmer know about the dog too so that he can be vigilant.

If the police speak to the owner and tell her her dog is at risk of being shot, then she may keep him on a lead. Well she should if she has any sense.

sethstarkaddersmum · 02/10/2010 11:43

yanbu