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We have a rural acreage property and we have gone to great lengths to fence our dogs IN and other dogs OUT.
We have had a few neighbors over the years, one currently, who let their dogs run. I have never been happy with it. There is no rural "right" to let dogs roam, in fact people have the right to shoot loose dogs that are harassing people or livestock. We're not talking about thousand acre farms here... we're talking about 5-10 acre properties, where it is NOT neighborly to let your dog just go where he pleases.
Lots of rural people have Livestock Guardian Dogs, which are notoriously difficult to keep fenced in, but most owners of them do try. We keep ours in.... she's only been out once (knock on wood) so far for a short time and we were looking! At least they would not likely be a threat to livestock.... and would be a deterrent to predators.
Cats, I do think are in a bit different category, there's no real expectation that they would be contained, and indoor-outdoor and barn kitties are common and considered a beneficial force in controlling rodent populations. We have three barn cats... they are loved, but they are working members of the farm, and that does carry some risks.
I have always lived rural and keep two rural houses.
One thing that all of the areas I have lived in was that we did not like trespassers.
No way.
No how.
It’s just rude and your pets aren’t welcome either.
I don’t have need to SSS but I respect that right.
Neighbor pets comes over and is well behaved I might not care but I normally bring them back and inform the owner that their pet could get bit here.
I am polite but after a couple returns they understand.
I like cats and I use them to do a job.
Their job involves them being indoor/outdoor cats for varmint control duties.
We have eagles and coyotes the smart ones survive.
Chickens do tend to help warning all that there is danger close by.
Never ever have I heard that you need to tolerate your neighbors dogs trespassing.
That’s just stupid and needs a quick fix .
One last thing,
Nothing cheap about some rural areas.
When I lived out of town everyones dogs/cats run wild on THEIR property. You had to train your dog to stay on your property. If your dog went to a near by farm it would be shot and killed no questions asked. Cats if seen more than about a half mile from a farm house would also be shot. Here it is accepted as the way it is and it was considered the dog owners fault, not the person who killed it for not training their dog. The half mile with cats is because if it is that far from the house it was a wild cat.
When I lived in a small village just out side of town everyone let their dogs/cats run wild and nobody cared. Well as long as your dog wasn't aggressive. If it was in any way it got shot.
Now I live in town and your pets better stay in your yard or the pound will be called and it is not cheap to get them back. After he third time you have to go to court and you will get a several hundred dollar fine and maybe even some time in jail.
I have had large dogs in all 3 locations with no problems at all because I train my dogs.
I confess to having outdoor cats back in the 1990s. We lived in a suburban area that abutted a large area of state land. For many years it worked out well .... everyone knew whose cat belonged to who (dogs as well). Then the area became occupied by coyotes. After the loss of a couple of cats we stopped allowing them outside. Part was due to the coyotes, also I believe societal attitudes aren't the same as they were then .... much more pressure to have indoor cats (or catios.) But what I did notice was that while roaming cats were OK, unspayed and unneutered was not. I don't believe there was one in the whole neighborhood that wasn't altered.
We moved to a more rural area earlier this year and there do seem to be more roaming cats.
We have one cheerful and very rambunctious dog my son planted here a few years ago.
It’s friendly as all get out and it is a very large/muscular pit bull.
We use an electric adjustable zone type collar on him.
Works great.
Our dogs aren’t much on barking but they make collars for that too.
More people should consider these.
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 ...
Cats, in particular, are predators.
They are just living their natural life.
... There is no rural "right" to let dogs roam, in fact people have the right to shoot loose dogs that are harassing people or livestock. We're not talking about thousand acre farms here... we're talking about 5-10 acre properties, where it is NOT neighborly to let your dog just go where he pleases....
Quote:
Originally Posted by MechAndy
...
Never ever have I heard that you need to tolerate your neighbors dogs trespassing.
That’s just stupid and needs a quick fix ....
Quote:
Originally Posted by sam812
...If your dog went to a near by farm it would be shot and killed no questions asked. ...
Wow, tough crowd! In my former locale (5-10 acre properties interspersed with ~50 acre mini-farms) it was common for dogs to roam. One of my neighbors in particular had itinerant dogs, including a beautiful German Shepherd who'd come over to play. Far from being a nuisance, I considered the roaming-dog culture to be a privilege! It allowed me opportunity to play with dogs, without incurring any costs of ownership.
The only danger is if I'd left the garage door open, with open containers of automotive fluids such as antifreeze. Hopefully none of the roaming pooches ever got into the antifreeze!
In my original thread, I said that I had my prejudice regarding the topic. My prejudice is...dogs need to be contained to THEIR property, and that's it, end of story. Now...I LIKE dogs and cats, so it's not going to be my first instinct to go get a shot gun. If the dog is friendly and a neighbor dog, we might visit for a minute, and I'd let the dog meander on.
If the dog is aggressive in ANY way, I'll probably go inside with my dog, and hope the other dog moves on. If the mean dog visits again...we'd probably get more aggressive about taking care of the problem.
Regarding cats...I figure anyone who lets their cats roam needs to understand it's most likely going to end up as a meal for some other animal. And I shrug my shoulders at that. No one is going to get any judgement from me about it. I live in a suburban neighborhood, but we have coyotes and hawks and foxes too...so I know.
Everyone's responses have been interesting and informative. What I've deduced is...some people do it this way, and some people do it that way, just like in just about every other aspect of life. Thanks folks!
Wow, tough crowd! In my former locale (5-10 acre properties interspersed with ~50 acre mini-farms) it was common for dogs to roam. One of my neighbors in particular had itinerant dogs, including a beautiful German Shepherd who'd come over to play. Far from being a nuisance, I considered the roaming-dog culture to be a privilege! It allowed me opportunity to play with dogs, without incurring any costs of ownership.
The only danger is if I'd left the garage door open, with open containers of automotive fluids such as antifreeze. Hopefully none of the roaming pooches ever got into the antifreeze!
Roaming dogs kill chickens and other small livestock. They're not welcome by anyone who has animals of their own who are vulnerable.
Roaming dogs kill chickens and other small livestock. They're not welcome by anyone who has animals of their own who are vulnerable.
^^THIS^^
Weirdly a dog will not chase/kill animals in its own yard but will have no problem chasing/killing at the farm a mile away. Seen it many times.
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