Should a farmer have the right to shoot a dog they believe has harmed one of their livestock?

"Should a farmer have the right to shoot this dog without any notice to the owner or any proof that that particular dog has carried out the attack." - My oath they have they should and they do. The damage both physical and financial that can be done by these dogs is enormous.These dogs might be cute and cuddly at home but they can maul farm animals very quickly when running loose, just chasing farm animals can cause broken legs etc. The farmer does not have to wait until his stock has been harmed he has a legal obligation to protect his stock from unnecessary pain and discomfort

by coin saver

Excellent question!
And what a difficult one.

I guess the owners are at fault however having lived on 5 acres with dogs and llamas as well as smaller animals, this was sometimes difficult.

People would leave the front gates open and so the dogs got out -occasionally there was a problem with the fencing which we were not aware of until a dog was out.

I know this is all the owner's responsibility however I do not think it is fair to just shoot a dog without a warning.

And also without proof or photo of the event -I would rather report it, with the photo to the ranger and let the council decide.

I understand that there are problems with this as what if an animal is killing a whole lot of farm animals? I think then perhaps you need to take steps to stop him but not to shoot him dead.

As I said, it is a very difficult question and depends which side you are coming from, and each situation is different.

I am sure however that farmers on really large properties do this anyway and no one would know what has happened to their dog.

Either way, it is a horrible thing....

by Finy

"Should a farmer have the right to shoot this dog without any notice to the owner or any proof that that particular dog has carried out the attack" - They have they should and they do.A farmer has a legal and moral right to protect his livestock (and income) from any injury or stress. That 1kg dog might look cute chasing his cows around his paddock but can cause him thousands of dollars in loses due to broken legs etc not to mention the fact that stressed animals do not perform well."And also without proof or photo of the event -I would rather report it, with the photo to the ranger and let the council decide." So in the meantime the livestock continue to be stressed and injured . The only time i had a problem with a dog i warned the owner once he obviously didn't listen because the next time i seen the dog the cows had pulverized it.

by coin saver

I really don't think too many farmers out there wish to shoot someones dog for fun - at least I hope to think so - but there are many who do not want to shoot their livestock that they have spent so long caring for because a dog has caused it injuries - the farmer has a right in my opinion to shoot an animal that may cause serious damage to one or more of his animals. Although I do believe that there are other options in some cases like if the animal seems approachable to capture it and contain it whilst trying to locate it's owners.
I know this sounds terrible but it comes from a vegetarian daughter of an ex cattle farmer.

by Valadhiel

If you live in Ontario you are allowed to shoot any dog that is a hazard to your animals. I use to have a hobby farm with dairy goats, cats, dogs and anything that wondered in. The farmed next door had a few pigs, cows and lambs. One spring a new neighbour had two large Puddle dogs, they killed one of my cats and one of our pet rabbits, and a lot of piglets. The farmer next door shot both of them and hung their hides on the neighbours gate. They had been warned to keep the dogs tied up, and they paid the price, they went back to England.

by lmars