Lanse couche couche

Coyotes= Game/Wild animals that are often classified as pests and almost universally legal to shoot under most circumstances.

Dogs= Domestic animals usually classified as chattel property, protected by various animal cruelty laws, and illegal to shoot under many circumstances.

Big difference. Do your homework and think it thru before pulling the trigger.

toyota4x4

Ive done the homework. And to me dogs fall under the defenition of yotes you just gave. On my property, if there runnin deer they are pest legal or not..shhh. I put in to much work on my land for some dogs to run and chase my herd off the land so under my circumstances there pest. Sorry.

Stonewall308

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.

Lanse couche couche

If you have done your homework could you provide us with a link to your state laws which make it legal to shoot dogs under the circumstances you describe?

Otherwise, good luck with the coyote defense if you get caught.

Stonewall308

The likelihood of having to make a defense at all is infintesimally small.

Just like allowing your dogs to run loose on someone else's land, its a crime that is virtually impossible to detect, prevent, or prosecute.

Jacob Garrett

If you get caught shooting a dog you won't be happy. People are getting very active in prosecuting idiots who shoot there dogs!
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/3661/GA/US/1
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/3690/VA/US/36

Lanse couche couche

The chances of me getting arrested for sneaking out and headlighting deer on my property because i don't like them jumping up and scaring the squirrels while I hunt is very small too. But that does not change the fact that it is illegal. Seems like folks are very much law and order around here until it comes to their personal pet peeve and then suddenly it is only illegal if you get caught.

Also, if you check around you will find some cases of people being arrested and prosecuted for shooting dogs. Such cases may be rare, but they do happen. And in some cases, shooting a dog is felony animal cruelty and one can face high fines, jail time, and a civil suit. Depending on the felon, it could also result in loss of the right to own guns. Thats kind of a steep price to pay for pulling the trigger before exhausting all other options.

For those who are interested in this topic from a legal rather than emotional issue, check out the Georgia Animal Cruelty Act of 2004. Shooting a dog is illegal unless a human, livestock, or property is in imminent danger from the dog. Texas, Michigan and a number of other states have similar laws in place. Shooting a dog for chasing deer is not protected in such legislation.

People can do what they want. To tell the truth i don't really care. But this is a discussion forum and i am just trying to discuss the fact that people do not have near the freedom to legally shoot dogs that they think they do. So while they CAN shoot and shovel, they CAN also get in very hot water if they are caught.