Rural Attitudes regarding Dogs and Cats? (village, houses, chicken, costs)

[mlulu23]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Done with this ridiculous thread.

This thread is not the least bit ridiculous. It is a real issue in many communities, and needs to be discussed.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by mlulu23

This thread is not the least bit ridiculous. It is a real issue in many communities, and needs to be discussed.

As someone with rural property who routinely deals with unwanted pets that were dumped as well as attitudes that letting animals roam is just the "country way," I agree that it needs to be addressed, but a discussion on City-Data isn't going to have any impact.

[mlulu23]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I agree that it needs to be addressed, but a discussion on City-Data isn't going to have any impact.

"Do not despise these small beginnings" Zechariah 4:10

All things worth doing have started out as a seemingly insignificant thought in someone's mind, and grew from there. This forum is a sounding board for ideas. I'm grateful that it is here.

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

...Any city dweller going to the country and allowing a pet to roam here is... (being kind) about to be smacked in the face with the reality of life and death in country life.

There are established ecosystems in the country. Household pets might survive for a while, but I have never seen an individual stray dog more than a couple of times. The question of ethics gets resolved so quickly by nature that it isn't an issue.

Onetime city dweller here, who then spent ~20 years in the countryside, before moving back to the city. Two cats in the country house, free to roam via cat-door, hunting mice and occasionally wandering into a neighbor’s barn. Despite numerous local dogs and frequent yapping of coyotes, the roaming cats did absolutely fine.

Then after moving to Los Angeles, one of the cats was eaten by coyotes.

[Mikala43]

We have had neighbors that lost their cats to birds of prey, also small dogs.

I wanted to get barn cats for the mice and such, but that seemed potentially cruel to the cats.

One of our neighbors has an outdoor cat that visits, well no collar so I'm not sure. It's big enough to be fine from anything but eagles, which pick them up, drop them and then eat.

[Hawk J]

We have 3 beloved large dog pals & 3 beloved mountain cat pals who run around pretty much, as they please, in & out of our home, playing/exploring/hunting on 80 acres. They are all fixed. None of them have left our property in a long time, that i am aware of. Before they were fixed, sometimes they left our property to explore, etc. They weren't gone long. A day or two, at the longest. Thankfully they all made it back home. One of my cats looked like he had been fighting (scratch's). We live out in the country on a beautiful, forested mountain.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

I just cannot understand the mentality of people who let supposed "beloved" pets roam when they KNOW there are predators out there. Talk about cruel. [ETA: Hawk, this wasn't directed at you; we posted at the same time.]

I live on 1.29 acres in southwestern New Hampshire in a small town just outside of Keene. I get lots of wildlife in my backyard, which backs up on conservation land. I've seen lots of deer, foxes, wild turkeys, hawks, a rabbit once (that was actually this morning!), and bear tracks (I haven't ever seen the bear itself, just his tracks around the perimeter of my house -- many of my neighbors have seen him). I have never and would never let my cats go outside; besides the damage that THEY could cause to my neighbors' property, the cats themselves could quite possibly die a horrible death, or simply disappear and I would never know what happened to them. I think I would go nuts.

This thread makes me very sad ...

[dijkstra]

Originally Posted by SnazzyB

I have always lived in a suburban environment, but we have some camping land in a very rural area. I am curious if there's a difference in attitudes, regarding suburban feelings about dogs and cats, and rural attitudes?

I'm well aware that lots of times, dogs and cats have 'jobs' in rural environments. Barn cats keep the rodent population down, and dogs herd, and guard sheep and cattle, etc. I get it, don't have a problem with it

BUT...IS it a general thing to let dogs roam all over the place? Not just all over YOUR own property...but just roam in general?

I ask, because where our camping land is, we have a Facebook group page, and apparently there is a farmer who lives close by, and he continually lets his dog(s) (a mother and puppies) roam, and they roam onto other people's property who then get on Facebook and complain about it.

It seems that one of the property owners has taken the mother dog and several of the puppies to a dog rescue organization, but it caused a controversy and one lady tried to defend the idea of just letting dogs roam, saying it's been happening for years and years, and that's just how it is in the country. You let your dogs and cats go wherever they want to go. And she was chiding the property owner who gathered up the mom and pups, saying that the property owner was basically stealing these dogs.

Is this classic misunderstanding of the differences between country life and city life...or is this particular lady wrong, or was the property owner wrong for gathering up the mother and puppies and taking them to a shelter?

If I wasn't clear, the mom and pups were continually showing up on the property owner's property, looking for food and attention.

I have my prejudice on this...but really, I'm just curious on what the attitude on this might be. And I don't feel judgy about it...just wondering.

It is normal for dogs in particular to roam freely. However, they generally know their home turf and guard it. That is why in rural areas they are free to roam about. In most rural areas, the people have all lived there for generations and of course all know each other and they all know each others dogs as well. They may even give them treats when they come by and pet them. If someone gets a dog that is misbehaving such as getting into livestock or chickens or whatever, his owner gets a call or a visit to let them know he is being bad and it is handled from there. Sometimes a shot gun is fired a few times and the dog knows not to come back to that property.

The problems generally arise when someone that has lived in suburbia their whole lives decide it would be cool to move out to the country but then don't like some of what comes with living in the country. They want the suburban/city rules and structure in the country and that just isn't how it works. Some of them will call the county police to complain about things like roaming dogs, gun fire, loud farm equipment and loud cars. It all works out though because after a few wasted trips, the sheriffs department soon know the newcomers by name and quit responding to their nonsense calls.

[Hawk J]

Our cats parents came here from living outside in the forests, on the local mountains. Our cats & dogs would not be happy if they had to stay inside most of the time. They are much happier being outside when they want to. Predators take some fish out of my bass pond (which is the way of Nature), but they have never attacked our animals.

[Mikala43]

Heck, if there has been a mountain lion sighting I do not leave my 100 lb dog in the fully fenced yard unattended in the evenings thru morning.