Originally Posted by
RugerM77.270
Let's See...
Dog chase things that's what they do.
Coyotes chase things that's what they do.
You can't blame a dog for being a dog.
You can't blame a coyote for being a coyote.
Its not the dog's fault for a bad owner.
Its not the coyote's for for not having an owner.
Its inhumane to shoot a dog.
If its inhumane to shoot a 45# dog with highpower rifle is it inhumane to shoot a 150# deer with the same?
Shaner you did good by gettting the problem reported but if it persist do what you feel is right.
Haha. Well said.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the argument of dog hunters / dog owners is set up in a way which allows the land owner NO PRACTICAL RECOURSE. This is no coincidence, and it is very self-serving.
According to their argument I should: try to contact the owner which inevitably involves catching the dog. Catching the dog can be nearly impossible. Even if you do catch it, the dog won't necessarily have a tag on it. Even if it does have a tag on it, by contacting the owner you are alerting them to who you are and where you live, a fact that can come back to haunt you regardless of whether or not you ever harm the dog. And even if you do contact the owner the problem won't necessarily stop. Then you are expected to contact the law. The law may or may not be willing to help you; likely they'll just tell you to get a lawyer and/or give the dog owner some minor civil citation or a warning. Even if the law is willing to help you, you are likely going to have to actually catch the dog multiple times (which again may be impossible) before any serious penalty will be given to the owner. And if the law isn't willing to help you, then you have to get a lawyer and file a nuisance lawsuit which will likely cost you at least $5,000 between court costs and attorney's fees.
All of this means hours and hours of frustration, effort, and headache. And the reason dog owners/hunters say you should jump through all these hoops is because it is SELF-SERVING for them to assert it. They know that either (1) you'll give up and let them continue their nuisance behavior, or (2) they'll know your name and address and can deal out some vigilante justice of their own.
As I said before, it would have to be a persistent problem before I would shoot the dog. But I would do that before I would before I would spend hours and hours going out of my way for the benefit of a jacka$$ who is continually burdening me with their nuisance behavior.
And yes, it may or may not be illegal. So is your nuisance behavior. But when it happens it will be virtually impossible to prove or prevent. The remedy is to be a responsible dog owner.