Dogs on property...

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Citadel99

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I’m out on travel and a couple of pit bulls were canvassing our property and back porch. I have small children and refuse to risk anything with them so I would have shot the dogs if I had been home but that’s not my wife’s style. Outside of shooting them, what are your thoughts on best thing to use on dogs if you have to go outside for whatever reason while they are out there. Sprays?

Mark
 
There are deterrents that you can put out to try to get them to avoid your property if you don't mind paying for citronella sprayer that might trigger from other critters, but the best is a fence and calling animal control if you can't turn the dogs into family friends.

Understand that you can make these dogs go away if you follow a legal process or use chemical warfare.
 
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Always call animal or law enforcement first.
Then do whatever you have to with legal standing.
I have found that pepper spray might work but it might not. It’s not 100% effective on all canines and may not be immediate in its effect.
We had 2 problem dogs from a neighbor renting almost 1 mile away. One was alpha and the other played along. I was attacked on the farm while changing a flat tire and fender them off with a wood pallet and tire iron (gladiator me). Started carrying at all times and a couple weeks later encountered them while clearing brush and fixing some down fence.
Mr alpha a pit mix is buried by that fence since I had a loader tractor right there. I love dogs but didn’t feel bad about that one. The dog owner moved out not long after and left a toxic meth lab mess behind for the landlord.
 
I don't think it would be so much a problem if they were labs or a short hair. Don't flame me on owners or breeds. Common sense says some dogs of any breed can be bad or good. I am going to take a chance on approaching a dog that might be from a friendly breed like most hunting dogs. Maybe its an escapee. Owner might be glad to find them. I would never want to hurt another person's pet. Cat, dog, kangaroo, or aardvark. Would I put down one that attacked? In half a second. Would I feel bad. I would for a while. You have a lot of options. I don't take chances with children. Do what you have to do.
 
If the dogs were just passing through I'd simply yell at them to speed them on their way.

If they were nosing into things, but hadn't done any harm I keep a BB gun for that. Pop them in the butt and I've yet to have one not run off (and are generally never seen again).

If they have attacked or killed any of my animals or seem to be threatening me then I put an end to them right then and there with no regrets. In Florida state law supports my right to protect my animals from dog harassment.

But, I wouldn't shoot them merely for being present.
 
I was being harassed every month or so when my neighbors 3 German Shepherds would get loose. AT one point they wouldn't let me out the door. I'm a dog lover so I refused to shoot them. Knowing the situation in the animal shelters, I didn't want them taken from my neighbors either. So I ordered Fox pepper spray (stream) from Amazon and problem solved. You don't have to hit them with the stream, just get it within 10' or so and they will leave ASAP!

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https://smile.amazon.com/Fox-Labs-M...+spray+stream&qid=1564507826&s=gateway&sr=8-3

https://smile.amazon.com/Pepper-Spr...spray+holster&qid=1564507857&s=gateway&sr=8-8
 
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Yeah. I watched the video from our camera and will have to have a talk with the wife about proximity to random pitbulls on the back porch. 100% it would be different if it were a cocker spaniel or a poodle or a lab but I have 4 kids ranging from 4 months to 12 years old and they don't have the best situational awareness when they take our puppy out on a leash and that's something I'm not willing to take chances with.
 
Yeah. I watched the video from our camera and will have to have a talk with the wife about proximity to random pitbulls on the back porch. 100% it would be different if it were a cocker spaniel or a poodle or a lab but I have 4 kids ranging from 4 months to 12 years old and they don't have the best situational awareness when they take our puppy out on a leash and that's something I'm not willing to take chances with.

Do they have collars ?
 
Animal control would be the obvious "black and white" answer. An aggressive dog being a threat on my property, I would drop and call the police if I thought I needed to. Wasp spray (which is a nerve agent) may be another option for the wife.
 
Another thing to question is: how did they get on your property?

We live on 3.5 acres. The front yard is open, the back is fenced. They walked up between the garage and our house. Kids had left the gate to the backyard off the porch open and I will work on the corrective action on that but, yes, our back door is accessible. Not going to fence in the front.

Mark
 
Negative. No collars.

Well, without collars I would call animal control ASAP, even if they are not present, they can at least be on the lookout. I, myself, would not kill the dogs, but without collars, at least they are not someones pets so kids > dogs, "ya gotta do what ya gotta do". If you can make the Fox spray work at least consider it.
 
Well, without collars I would call animal control ASAP, even if they are not present, they can at least be on the lookout. I, myself, would not kill the dogs, but without collars, at least they are not someones pets so kids > dogs, "ya gotta do what ya gotta do". If you can make the Fox spray work at least consider it.
Not necessarily true. My dog went out one night with a nice collar and tag on it - my 1/2 acre is fenced - but in the morning she came in without it. If she had gotten out, well........
NOW, if they look lean and hungry as if they have been feral for a while, that is something different.

Like a lot of others, first thing is calling animal control about some dangerous pits (or whatever they are)
 
Not necessarily true. My dog went out one night with a nice collar and tag on it - my 1/2 acre is fenced - but in the morning she came in without it. If she had gotten out, well........
NOW, if they look lean and hungry as if they have been feral for a while, that is something different.

Like a lot of others, first thing is calling animal control about some dangerous pits (or whatever they are)

Well, it's pretty much the owners responsibility to make sure the pet is collared and tagged. I adjust mine constantly for 2-3 finger 'room' for the first 2 years. They are all wearing the same collars for the last 10 - 12 years. IMHO if the dog is not chained and the collar is properly tight it won't come off. I've had 17 dogs with up to 34" collars (yes they're hard to find).
 
Our county lacks an animal control officer. Our sheriff instructs folks to handle dog problems. Dogs acting aggressive with me get shot.

I would still try the Fox spray if you can, might prevent a feud with your neighbor. I know how I'd take it if my dog were shot.

On a scale of 1-10:

Random small theft .. . 4
Random large theft .. . 6
Wife cheating: ............ 8
Losing my job ............. 9
Losing my Dog ......... 10
House burning down: . 12
Losing my Wife .......... 14
Losing my kids .......... 16
 
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Whether a dog has a collar or not, if it acts aggressive, then it will be dealt with immediately. We have dogs come up all the time, as well as feral cats. Most are neighboring pets, just out for a stroll and you can tell they are cared for. Every now and then, there will be a stray come up and can clearly see they have been without food for a while. Some will just run off at the sight of us. Some will come on up, let us feed em and have animal control take em. But there have been a few come up and kill chickens and other livestock just for the fun of it and they got a dirt nap very quickly. Think there has only been one dog that was aggressive and tried to bite anyone that tried to go outside. Needless to say, the hole left in the door by the bullet didn't hurt anyone's feelings.
 
I live in the middle of nowhere. And there is one animal control officer for the whole county. Real nice guy who has way too many regulations on him that prevent him from working efficiently. In my case, animal control is an unreliable option.

Depending on the dogs temperment, a cap gun will scare them off temporarily. Pepper spray can be very effective IF they get that close to you. Personally I recommend Freeze +p, as it is the worst stuff I have ever been sprayed with. The best non lethal option is what I use: Pellet or BB gun to drive them off.

I have a small son and 3 dogs. Neither my spouse or I want to shoot a dog if we don't have to. Always carry, just in case.
 
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