Last night Bear and Baloo went completely crazy barking and howling in our fenced back yard. I went out with the trusty Malkoff flashlight and heard a pack of coyotes yipping and yowling behind our back pasture. I spotted the horses and donkeys, clustered together, agitated and upset in our front field. And then I heard a dog barking in the lower part of the front field.
This is the second time in a few weeks a dog has been on the property. One neighbor reported a loose dog in the neighborhood in this same time frame and another neighbor acknowledged it was their dog and came home from work to get the dog in.
Ever since we moved to November Hill we have had ongoing, though not frequent, issues with dogs coming onto our property. I have dealt with neighbors individually educating and asking that they please adhere to the law regarding dogs. Some neighbors have been super responsive and apologetic. Others have been totally uncooperative and the issue has never been resolved. This is what has fueled our refencing project and my plan to bring a pair of Maremmas to guard the property and the livestock.
Although we have a larger area we do not allow the Corgis to run free on our own property. The Horseguard fencing is very secure for the horses but not as secure for dogs who run through quickly, and we do not want our dogs disturbing neighbors.
For the record, allowing one’s dogs to leave the property off leash is against the law in our county! And North Carolina has a livestock law which protects livestock from being harassed or endangered by dogs. Any injuries or damage to property are the responsibility of the owner of any dog who breaks this law.
I sent an email this morning to the neighborhood going through this yet again and asking that people please keep their dogs on their own properties. Since I haven’t been able to spotlight the dog barking with my flashlight I do not know whose it is, but I think a wildlife camera might be helpful in figuring that out.
Sigh.
The new fence can’t come quickly enough for me.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
2 comments:
The fence will definitely help. I do agree that dogs need responsible owners. It’s dangerous for everyone involved to let them roam. You could try explaining that their dog may get kicked or trampled, that might help. Our dogs have collars they wear at home and the farm. They learned in a day not to go where the wire is buried or they get shocked. It may seem cruel to some but it would be worse to have them lost or hit by a car. We live by busy roads.
Been there done that ad infinitum with explaining. One of the perpetrators is a horse person so I am sure they know the ramifications. One uses invisible fencing and says it was broken one day when the dog was out in the neighborhood. Another says I am being “aggressive” about this. I did send a very blunt email out but I know from experience that the likely perpetrators won’t respond to anything but total bluntness.
I think the collars are fine since they work so well for you and the dogs obviously learned what not to do! We may need to do something like that around the front gate to keep the Maremmas back a bit so we can drive in and out with no problems.
It is also hunting season here and there is NO WAY my dogs would be out the way people are about getting deer whether legally or not. :/
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