Lets say you planted some lovely bushes in your front yard. These aren't just any bushes, these are the bushes you have wanted for so long! They were expensive, they were researched, purchased from the most reputable seller, shipped at no small fee and looked after daily. They were growing beautifully until one day when you came out to find the neighbor's dog had dug up and destroyed one of your bushes. What do you do in that situation? I decided to approach the neighbor, after all I had told them in advance about these bushes and asked them to keep their dog out of my yard out of fear it would destroy one. I didn't imagine that the neighbor would become so defensive and flat out deny what I had seen had even happened. Fast forward a few weeks later and the same thing happened again! Again I approached the neighbor this time to be greeted by more hostility. I was told that I should put my bushes in the back yard where the dog wouldn't be able to get to them behind the fences. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! The nerve of some people! I should put MY things in my BACKYARD so your dog can be in my front yard?!? I was retelling the story to another person and before I could finish they actually said to me, "you're just going to have to keep them in your back yard." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Am I just crazy? Am I the only person who thinks that I should be able to do and have whatever I'd like wherever on my property that I please without fear of someone's dog coming onto my property and destroying it?
Lets change the context a bit and see if it changes your opinion. Lets say that they aren't bushes but kittens, sunning themselves in the front yard against the fence. If a neighbor's dog comes onto your property and kills you kitten does it change your opinion? Does it make it your fault for not keeping your cat in the back yard? Does it negate what the dog did? Are the neighbors not liable for the damage?
They aren't bushes that the dog is destroying and it isn't kittens, they are my chickens. The ones that I raised from chicks, that the girls and I have cared for, the ones that are feeding my family. I researched the types of chickens, I researched the care of chickens, I have made educated decisions on how I would raise and care for these birds based on what is healthiest for them and, in turn, us as we consume eggs and eventually meat. Our chickens free range on our 2 acres where the majority is fenced and occasionally they hop the fence to eat the fruit from a crab apple tree in the front yard. These yards are not stacked on top of one another as in the suburbs, there is substantial space in side yards as well as from the house to the street. These chickens hang out within a few feet of the fence line well onto our property. On two separate occasions the neighbors dog has entered our yard and taken a chicken from along the fence and drug it into it's own yard where he kills the chicken. We have no legal right to shoot the dog once he is on his own property so we have tried to talk to the neighbor to solve the issue to no avail. Does the fact that it is the chickens being killed change your opinion?
We made a point to introduce ourselves to the neighbors as we moved in, brought Christmas cards and gifts, wave as we see them because having relationships with our neighbors was important to us because 1) we have small children who will inevitably be talking their ears off, kicking balls into their yard, riding bikes down the street etc 2) I'm a social person and I like to reach out to people and a sense of community is important to me and 3) because we knew we were getting chickens and the person who previously lived in our home liked to welcome neighborhood dogs into her yard with treats and we knew that needed to stop for the safety of our future chickens as well as my sanity (because I despise stepping in dog poop when we do not have a dog.) Every neighbor responded well to our requested to keep their animals off our property... except the one. We battled and battled with that dog to finally break the habit of being in our yard and worked tirelessly to close every hole in the extensive fence line. We made every effort on our part that we could to resolve the issue without conflict yet the neighbors find us to be the problem, not their dog.
I'm frustrated with the situation because it isn't getting better and a second dog ate a chicken the day after the last one. I guess I don't see the difference between a bush and a bird, my yard is my yard. Because my birds a food source for us does it make it okay for a dog to eat them? Is the neighbor no longer liable? I understand that there is a risk in loss because we choose to free range our chickens, however unless my birds leave my yard I feel there is a responsibility on the part of the neighbor for the loss due to their animal entering my yard. Simply making a real effort to keep the dog on their property and an apology would have gone a long way. Now that we realize this is going to continue to be a continuous issue we have some decisions to make. Do we go against what we decided and enclose our chickens, taking away all their freedom, having to compensate with more store bought feeds and overall making them more stressed by the confinement? Do we document and try to get compensated for our loss? (we have invested a pretty penny in these chickens) Do we take one on the chin and keep going?
Rest in peace "Elsa Chicken" #1, 2 & 3
No comments:
Post a Comment