“The good thing is that the dogs are in the kennel a lot of the time.”
Now that’s a great idea. And I’m glad the kitty is looked after. I’m sorry that I got the wrong idea. I was relating it to what I see here, which is dogs running loose, getting lost, getting hit on the highway, it’s so sad. I should have known your kids are way more responsible.
I am pretty sure the dogs would kill a chicken if they got one. That’s the nature of the beast with these Black Mouth Curs. They’re dogs generally from the southern states.
The dogs are in the kennel most of the time, and out to run free when Matt is out and about on the farm. There is an invisible fence going across the front of the property, and down both sides and across the back which gives them a good 3 acres to run loose. They get zapped (it’s one of those vibrating collars) if they go over the lines.....so, if someone was walking along the road, for instance, they don’t go within 10 feet of the property line - they learned very quickly where the boundaries are, and never cross them. Sometimes when Matt takes them out to the back forest for a run and a squirrel hunt, he has to remove the collars so they can cross the invisible fence line. Those invisible fences are expensive, but they’re a great idea. The dogs never leave the property.
It is quite the conundrum what to do about a dog that bites. A neighbor had to put one down when Natalie was 3 because the stupid thing bit her in the face. She got stitches between her eyes on the bridge of her nose, and he ripped her bottom lip wide open, so that had to be sewn up as well. I still felt badly because the owner really loved the dog.
I have mixed feelings about the whole thing with dogs going after chickens and rabbits, etc. It is the nature of the animal. Even Mike’s dogs (3 labs) would chase birds and likely hurt or kill them, and they’re the most gentle dogs around. I think they don’t bother Mike’s chickens or ducks now because he has laid down the law....but if they were ever loose and he wasn’t there, I don’t know if they’d go after them or not. Hard to know exactly what to do when it’s just the way animals are sometimes. They’re dogs. Dogs have chased cats since forever.
In any case, none of the dogs are ever allowed on roads, at neighbor’s homes, etc. They’re very well contained....now if only we could train the rabbits to stay out of their run zone, it would all work out!