What can you do when people won't take care of their dogs?!?

Question

I live in the country, and down the road from me there is a man that drives a semi and is gone alot!! He has about 9-10 dogs that he leaves at his trailer all the time he is gone. The dogs are without food, and I'm sure without water! They have started eating other people's animals. They get together as a pack and kill things and eat them. They have came into my families pasture and ate a newborn baby calf. Then that same week at my Aunt and Uncles cat and kittens. I know because we live in the country there isn't much we can do. Peope actually sit out to shot these dogs, they are mean! If you walk or ride a bike by they snap at your legs with full intention of biting! I'm sure they aren't properly vacinated! What can I do though? The Sheriff says well shot it if it's on your property. Isn't there animal cruelty laws? I'm in Oklahoma. What can I do?

I have called the police and they won't do anything about the food and shelter!!! All they say is if it gets on your property shoot them!

Answer 1

Situations like this really PI** me off. I'd shoot them too - they are a menace to society and someone is going to get hurt by them before the good old boy cops do anything about it. I know, I've lived it. Not in OK, but in northern MN! Talk about a bunch of rednecks. No humane society, cops too busy chasing drug runners on the interstate and all the meth labs popping up in the country to worry about a pack of dogs.

Farmers and all citizens have a right to protect themselves on their own property... that means, if these dogs threaten you, your family, or your livestock/livelihood, you legally have the right to "do whatever it takes" (which isn't quite saying you have permission to shoot the buggers, but it's as close to it as the cop I talked to would come). There was a judge in our area who would award not only the market price for the killed livestock, he would award several generations of offspring's monetary value, too! God bless him... he grew up on a farm and had it happen to him.

I would make sure you are calling the sheriff and any other law enforcement/animal control people as often as you see problems. Heck, call the newspaper or TV or Radio station and get them involved... the sheriff won't like bad publicity and may be forced to act on this before someone gets hurt! Just be sure to make the calls so they are documented. That way if Mr. Irresponsible Trucker Man tries to sue anyone for killing his dogs, you have proof that complaints were made. Pictures help too, carry your camera around with you! Courts love pictures :-)

Answer 2

Call both the police and animal control. The dogs are starving and are trying to survive.
A complaint can be filed against the owner. The dogs need to be rescued and hopefully find new homes. They are becoming very dangerous at this point as they are starving and learning to hunt as a pack. The owner needs to be charged. If he gets away with this one, he will just get more dogs after these are gone and the cycle will begin again.
The next victim may be a child.
IF the police or animal control will not help you, call your local newspaper and see if they will run a story on it. I assure you, Animal Control WILL respond if threatened by that.
Hopefully, this will have a happy ending and the dogs will be adopted by good homes.. Another good reason to bring in the media, it will draw attention to the needs of the dogs and maybe get good homes for them. Otherwise, they may just be destroyed as soon as animal control takes them.
Keep us posted.
>>AFTER YOUR LAST POST.. Tell them you want a complaint filed (they have no choice but to respond) and CALL THE NEWSPAPER! They will make sure something is done.. It's a public interest story.

Answer 3

Threaten to bring in a news crew. Also, remind your sheriff that he is an ELECTED official. That means if he doesn't do his job, he could lose it at election time. Let him know that you will go to your local newsstation and newspaper. Get other people to make complaints also, with the same threats. And follow through!!!!!
The loss of livestock and pets is bad enough, but what if a small child got pulled down? A kid wouldn't stand a chance against a pack! Inform your sheriff of this, and that you'll see him sued for reckless endangerment if another person or animal is hurt! These dogs are falling back to old survival instincts, due to starvation and lack of care. Someday they will bring a person down if they get the chance. Good luck and be careful! Also, it may seem cruel, but you may shoot them if they are endangering you or your livestock. Personally, I feel that the owner should be shot!

Answer 4

You need to call your local animal control. Also, I'm sure there are anti-cruelty laws. If your local law enforcement is not responding, you need to email the aspca (aspca.org) and humane society of teh united states (hsus.org). I would also contact peta (peta.org). One of these organizations should get involved.

You are right that this is animal cruelty. Leaving dogs without food and water is highly illegal, and the aggressive dogs are also a problem. Just keep contacting all the authorities that you can, and you will get a response. It sounds like this guy might end up serving some jail time too.

Please do something! Call everyone you can. There are anti-cruelty laws, and the local law enforcement should be exposed for not enforcing them.

Answer 5

Two things.

One, call the police when the man is gone and report that they have no food and inadequate shelter. If they are aggressive to people as well, then the police need to do something. By your description, they are already "Potentially Dangerous Dogs" under Oklahoma state law (and possibly "Dangerous Dogs" under statute and subject to enclosure laws). These are STATE laws, so the police should HAVE TO enforce them, living in the country or no.

http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusokt4_41_402.htm

If they are on someone else's property and harassing their livestock, then it's the Triple-S solution - shoot, shovel, and shut up.

Also be sure that the folks who own livestock are aware of their rights to shoot the dogs if they are trespassing, as well as suing the owner for damages if the dogs injure or kill any of their stock.

Answer 6

First I would call the Humane Society in your area and let them know of the situation. maybe they can come out and collect the dogs & hopefully have the owner prosacuted for curelty to animals and have to do some time. Report abuse! This is abuse, those dogs didn't startout that way. What is out on that guys property that he has to have these dogs? Is he hiding something? I'd have the police out there also along with the humane society if I where you ! Don't let this go on any longer for your animals sake as well as those mistreated dogs!

Answer 7

Wow you do have animal control don't you?? They take care of CRUELTY against animals --This man needs to be charged with this big time --Its against the law to leave your animals to fend for themselves you need to check into that --even if the dogs are taken away and cant be adopted due to meanness they will be handled in a more humane way than being shot --by the way they kill to eat --its called starvation and that animal cruelty--

Answer 8

Danielle,
I am just to your West (or South?) in Texas. What we do in this scenario is to either contact the local authorities, (to make a report of Animal cruelty) or make a DIRECT EFFORT to contact the owner; if you are not successful after many tries, THEN you are allowed to intervene.
Making sure to NOT damage the confinements (fence or bordering devices) you may offer foodstuffs to the dogs.
Still trying to contact the owner, (keeping in mind that you are offering a SURVIVAL-support to the dogs) aim to NOT become "attached" to the vagabonds.
You are providing a source of nutritional support until you can get the owner's PERMISSION to intervene.
This ^ is the intentions as implied in the GOOD SAMARITAN ruling.

Answer 9

There must be a humane society, ASPCA, something in your area. I realize the dogs are out of control, but their owner needs to be held responsible! I should think he could be prosecuted for animal abuse. These dogs would not be killing livestock if they were being properly cared for. They've obviously gone wild and are trying to survive (unfortunately for them, the only way they know how). I'd be going after the so-called owner of the animals!

Answer 10

If you would be safe to get the dogs and are able to crate them and haul them to a bureau for Animal Control nearby, that is if you called area shelters and they tell you they aren't in their jurisdiction and they can't do anything, if you take them to a shelter such as that or a Humane Society or ASPCA they have to take them in. Some may be put to sleep. All may be. But the dogs are killing other animals and are starving and living like that is worse.