Nice weather

[altivo]

Mostly nice. Otherwise frustrating day. I chased a neighbor's dog away from the sheep with a broom while they stood in their driveway watching. I'm tired of them letting their dogs run loose all over my land to bark at my animals and me. The sheep and horses don't like it and neither do I. Their dogs have absolutely no obedience training. They usually know when the dogs are being a nuisance, and they stand over there screaming for them to come. Those dogs wouldn't know how to come to their names even if there was bloody beefsteak as a reward. They are as stupid as... well, rocks. Except that rocks don't bark.

Still no resolution for the XDMCP issue with OpenVMS. It makes no sense. Everything is set up as instructed by the documentation, but it doesn't work.

Oh well. Who needs computers anyway. I'll just go read a book.

Oh, the Ursa Major Award Nominations have been posted. Now you all have two weeks to cast your votes.

Comments

[equusmaximus.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about the problems with the neighbour's dogs. I know some horse-folk that have a "shoot on sight" policy when it comes to dogs, and while I feel that's a tad extreme, I also have to consider the value of the horses they have. To be sure, all horses are valuable; To the owner, some beloved swaybacked nag is just as priceless as a grand-champion Thoroughbred, but the fact of the matter is that the Thoroughbred is worth X-Amount of obscene money, and thus the dog bothering it is expendable.

I don't know where I stand on the Horses & Dogs issue... I've heard plenty of horror-stories from horse-owners who are dead-set against dogs, but I've also heard just as many stories about horses and dogs that get along together splendidly. I've always liked dogs, though if I had to choose, horses would take the top spot. The kidling is desperate for a dog, and the wife thinks that having a dog around would keep some other animals at bay. I don't know what to think. :/

In any case, here's hoping your neighbours will get some common sense before something terrible happens. In that sort of situation, it seems to be more of question of when rather than if.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

Dogs can get along fine with horses, but it seems to be from being raised around them - and raised properly. "Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up" doesn't seem all that uncommon for the others. But Altivo is not one for firearms and I doubt he cares to harm the dog(s). Not sure what the, or a, solution might be in this case.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

These dogs are not vicious, they're just stupid and ill-mannered. If Tess doesn't stomp one into the ground eventually, they'll learn to stay away from me. As they say, "there's a reason that some dogs resemble footballs."

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I like dogs. We have two, and have had many before who were worth a thousand of those ill-behaved mutts.

The truth is, any dog is worth the effort it takes to win their attention and obedience. People who "own" dogs but don't bother with that... I have nothing good to say about them.

My mare doesn't like jumping, barking little rats. Someday she's going to kill one of them. A well-behaved dog who doesn't leap at her or bark at her is fine, she has no problem with that.

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

tell them that if they don't get the dogs under control that you are going to start calling animal control. i'm sure that there are plenty of homes that would put in the time to train them if they get taken, and if not, well, maybe having to pay a fine will convince them to train the animals.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

"Animal control" is a joke around here and they know that. We are cursed with neighbors on both sides who just don't get it when it comes to respecting propertly lines and keeping their animals at home. Of course, if mine got onto their lawns, they'd be hopping mad. It's hopeless.

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

i'd suggest throwing fire crackers, but that would just spook the horses worse than the dogs...pellet guns perhaps? sting the frell out of the dogs, with almost no noise.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Nooooo fireworks. Those spook me. And we've already had an episode over them firing off bottle rockets over my horses' heads and letting them land in my pasture.

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

yeeeaaah....i'd have shot them on the spot. well, in the leg, at least. defense of your property, as that is intentionally trying to destroy your horses. also, blowing stuff up is fun. come on, i'll hold you if you get scared :p

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Ever try to hold a wild horse? I don't recommend it. No, I don't like things that explode, I *really* don't like loud noises, and I can't see the point of it at all.

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

good thing that i'm a dragon, then, yes? and, well, to each their own. swords are more fun anyways :p

[keeganfox.livejournal.com]

Dogs worrying livestock can be shot in most states, so I would remind the owners of that. (You don't have to shoot them, just let them know that you could) Then if they still come over, have animal control get them. Sounds like this is the only lesson these people are going to learn.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I may start carrying a slingshot. I have a good one. A navy bean on the butt can be a good deterrent to most dogs. No point in taking this up with the neighbors on either side, they just don't get it at all. No point in calling the local authorities either, they look in the voter rolls and if you ever took a democratic ballot, well, you get negative priority.

[kakoukorakos.livejournal.com]

A nice cattle prod or stun gun might get the point across to the dogs. You can also get an assortment of blunt stun arrowheads that would leave a nasty bruise but would otherwise be non-lethal...that really gets the message across both to the dog and to the owners (if they happen to be watching, Fido tends to yelp all the way home.

Or, if you just want to get the message across to the owners, a visit from Deputy Friendly usually will get all but the most malicious offenders in line.

One of my dad's neighbors isn't talking to him anymore and is refusing to acknowledge his existence, which he doesn't think is altogether a bad thing. One of her renter's dogs was getting out of her yard, and would go over to my folks' place and just follow my dad around, snarling and baring its fangs. My dad first called animal control, they came out, the dog ran back home, and my dad didn't press charges. It didn't get out for a couple of weeks, but then it did and was back to harassing my dad as he worked outside. He walked around with an axe handle the rest of the day for protection, and left a message on the neighbor's answering machine to the effect that the dog was menacing him on his own property, he was concerned for his own safety, and he would try to kill it if it attacked him. The tenants came over and chatted with him the next day, wondering why he was so mean, their dog was the sweetest thing ever! That's apparently only when they're around though. He smoothed things over with them a bit, they moved away not too long after that anyway, but the neighbor still seems to be mad.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

A low powered pellet gun works well. My old Benjamin air pistol will barely penetrate 10 sheets of newspaper with 2 pumps, so it probably won't even break the skin, but it'll still sting enough to drive them off.

Just aim for the butt, not the head.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I have a good slingshot and am fairly accurate with it. I hate to go that far, but I've threatened to do it before when the neighbors from the other side were letting their cat hunt the birds around my feeder. Said cat seems to have become roadkill, haven't seen it for months. Now it's their chickens scratching out all my flowerbeds.

I'm really not on speaking terms with either side any more. We haven't fought, they just know I'm "not their sort" and don't approve of their behavior. I'm afraid though if I started anything serious, I'd lose. The side with all the rotten dogs has been here a while, knows everyone in the county government, and throws big parties regularly.

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

you know what to do about those chickens, right? have soup for dinner!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm hoping our local fox will show up with kits soon. That will take care of the chickens, just as it has the prior couple of springs.

I have plucked and cleaned chickens before. It's a yucky job, and if I had to do it in order to have chicken I probably wouldn't have chicken any more. ;p

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

ah, but just think of the looks on their faces when you bring them freshly cooked "wild" chicken that you caught yourself.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Whinnyhi.

Dogs are great and doing their jobs. They are as good as any horse and probably a lot more faithful. Just play nice and it will work out. Sure we get angry and frustrated but the dogs are just doing their jobs. My Rocky Top is a good example. He tends to nip and bark too much. It is up to me, he is doing his job. Grin.

Steed

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's an owner's job to teach a dog where his boundaries are. This lot is a bunch of little mongrels none of whom weigh more than five pounds. Our cat could take any one of them. You know how little dogs have an inferiority complex and have to bark and threaten everyone and everything. I just hate that.

The real problem is the horse. Tess really hates them, and they come running under the fence to pester her any time they see her. She sometimes gets really wild. That's dangerous, and a threat to both her well being and my own.

[equusmaximus.livejournal.com]

That's dangerous, and a threat to both her well being and my own.

And that's where the people I know that don't think Dogs and Horses mix are coming from. Too often, they've seen the disastrous results from uncontrolled dogs bothering a horse that really wants nothing to do with them. As you've pointed out, you can't blame the dog for being a dog, but it's a pity you can't shoot the neighbours. ;)

As you probably know, we lived in the city with our horses for 11 years, and we had dogs on all sides. Overall, PoohBear and Dirk have no problem with dogs, and seem to like them - at least, if they're well behaved. There was a Pug next door that used to sneak in through the fence, then work his way to where the horses were. Finally one day, he worked up enough nerve to actually wriggle under the secondary fence and into the top paddock. He wasn't barking or yapping, and the boys were quite content to share their space with him. Unfortunately, the friendly "Hihowareya?" nuzzle-nip that horses seem to enjoy so much is apparently quite painful to a Pug, and the little fellow yelped in pain and shot back home, never venturing on our side of the fence again.

Compare that to one of those little dust-mops-with-legs that sneaked in one day, all barking and yapping. The boys pinned their ears back, bared their teeth, and almost managed to stomp it to death before it managed to escape back under the fence. A half-second later, and there would have been one dead dog. So perhaps I'm worrying over nothing; The horses seem to be able to deal with dogs pretty well on their own. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm not too worried about Tess as long as she's free to run in the pasture and the dogs are barky little rats like these. Yes, she'd be fine and they might not.

What worries me though is the violent reaction she sometimes has when being ridden or walking on a lead. That's what would be dangerous.

I've never had a problem with larger dogs and horses together. The golden retrievers and St. Bernards and collies seem to love the horses and the horses love them. These little ratty things just have to bark bark bark at everything and everyone to prove how big and tough they are. People think it's cute or something.

The trouble with tea cup dogs is that they never get any obedience training. It's too easy to just grab one and hold it. Even if it tries to bite, it usually can't do much damage to an adult.

[heraldotbadger.livejournal.com]

I have known rocks to bark.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

In what alternate universe was that?

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Sling shot or BB gun should do it,
When I had kitty xrayed awhile ago we found a plastic pellet lodged in her, but it wasn't doing any harm. That must have happened ages ago because she doesn't really wander from the property line. Still if she was harassing someone's pet then well deserved. I tended to use starter's pistols to scare cats that were worrying kitty. With dogs though I'm not sure what'd work, I'm sure there's a few ways to scare them off without hurting them.

[soanos.livejournal.com]

Hmm... IF I had to choose between a dog and a rock, I think I'd fo gor a rock. :P

But if I had a horse or a donkey as an option, I'd take that without hesitation. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Aww, dogs are great. They just need a little direction in their lives, and when you give it to them they love it.

[soanos.livejournal.com]

That is why the rocks are better. They are usually going the same direction as I am :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, a rock isn't likely to inspire any improvement, that's true.

[soanos.livejournal.com]

And usually it just falls down. :P