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[RC] Advice on Dealing with "Strange" Dogs - rides2farI don't see the point of using methods which have the very real potential to> cause serious injury to an animal when there are plenty of other > effective> options. I beg to differ. I can honestly say that the firecracker has been the best tool for saving friendships and not hurting a dog. You don't have to be within 50 yards of the dog when you drop it. As far as turning and facing a dog to get them to leave you alone... I don't know how much ya'll have actually done that but I've done it plenty. About all it does is get the dog to back up a few steps and as you turn around he comes right back. Works kinda O.K. on one dog but multiple dogs are much more brave. We end up turning many times to keep the dogs back and the dog just keeps staying bold because they are plenty quick enough to stay out of the way of anything but a cutting horse. When I was a kid there was a big German Shepher/Boxer cross named, of all things, "Eric" We would cut big long sticks and when Eric chased us we'd lure him out into an open field, then wheel around and attempt to play "dog polo" with our sticks the whole way back. Our ponies were pretty into it but I don't think we ever touched him and he never gave up coming after us. I have had two neighbors who were ready to go to court with each other because one's beagle was eating the other's cat food. It was a sweet beagle. It learned where my dog's automatic feeder was and I tried to chase it off. It just gave me puppy dog eyes and hunkered down. It would have let me kick it and still be all pitiful and keep eating at our house. I dropped one firecracker, not even close to him and he never came back. After I told his owners they took some firecrackers to the owner of the cat food and he was cured with one boom. How is that dangerous or inhumane? They were losing friends and probably going to get rid of the dog. They thought it was a miracle. I know bird dog owners who have installed sprinkler systems in their kennels to shut their dogs up when they barked all night. I could have saved them some money. >g< As far as my ammonia in a super soaker. Heck, I'd heard people talk about shooting a stray with ammonia before. Honestly didn't know it would blind one. Sounded like a poor man's mace. The dogs I planned to use it on run in a pack. Their owner had a pregnant stray put out at his house and there have now been about 5 generations of inbred puppies, 10 or 20 per year produced at that farm. The guy's sort of an eccentric person who had his nervous breakdown in the city and moved to the country. He just feeds them as they reproduce. Around here there is no animal control officer. We have a sherriff. If you call him he says, "shoot them". Last year I was riding on private land next to his farm where I had permission to ride. I counted 15 approximately 10 week old puppies (had to be 2 littlers) on the ridge behind that house. Then about 6 grown dogs came after my horse *very* aggressively. I was trying to turn and face them but these are dogs who habitually harrass cows and may have even pulled down a calf or so. *That* is when I started carrying the super soaker. Didn't work. These dogs were very wise about staying just out of range and waiting for you to turn your back. Fortunately we have a new deer hunter on that ridge who was encouraged by all the neighbors to take them out. I rode my bike by there today and never heard a bark. Was it cruel to shoot them? I think it was more cruel to let more be born. It was definately cruel to the neighbor's sheep they killed. Also, with all the talk about rabies it's scarey that I'm pretty positive none of them had ever had their shots. A firecracker was the least of those dog's worries. Angie ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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