thought my guys were safe / long sorry

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ibquackers20

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sorry for being long

Well it has been a crazy 4 days here,day 1 head heard leader sometime late at night early morning was attacked by an animal.Thought it was only one time attack since we never had this happen in 5 years of owning minis.Well it happened again the next night and to the same mini but this time I found him in shock and I called for the vet to come down. I dressed his wounds with antibiotic cream and noticed what the wounds were was a small claw hole with a superficial scrape in a down angle.Called our animal control and they gave me the number to conservation who sent 2 guys down to investigate and take photos of my guy.They figure it was a medium size animal doing this. So they contacted a trapper to come and set traps.I notified my neighbours about the traps and found that their dog has a wound on the dogs backside beside his tail.When I asked if his dog was hurt and told him my mini was attacked by something the last 2 nights they said yes something had bitten his dog.Well funny thing the bite to me looked like in the shape of a hoof ? and the dog owner said his dog is old and deff and does not roam.Well his dog heard me come down his driveway and started to bark before I saw him.

and seemed pretty agile to me,not to mention the piece of fur I found under the bottom rail looked like the same texture and color of his dog.Fishy ya I know but I warned him anyways about the traps and they are not cage traps.Well 2 days have gone by with me parked by my patio door watching all night and my cameras on tape through the night,plus I rigged up a big flood light in their muck corral which I have been keeping them in at dusk and dawn and me with my trusty bat .I also moved my barn camera from inside my barn to outside the barn viewing the whole muck corral.My 2 inside dogs have also been sleeping outside in their sleeping cages so if they hear something the barking would warn me something is stirring and to grab bat and check. Good thing all my animals have had their rabies shot this year - dogs and horses,and now I get this call from the trapper who said by the looks of things when he was setting the traps it is very likely that a domestic animal could have hurt my guy especially since he also noticed quad tracks in my back area,never heard a quad running during the day.I do not know if I will ever think now that my 4 minis will be safe, going to take a long time before I can ever get another good night sleep without worrying about my guys safty.Now I will keep the floodlight on every night and a tape in my VCR tapeing what my 4 cameras see.I really hope it is not my neighbours dog but if it is he will either be missing his dog or if I catch him on tape his owner will pay for the damages and the stress to my guy/and vet bill.Not sure if my mini will ever get over this tramma and if he can handle anymore attacks because like I said he went into shock after the second time and took 6 hours to come back around and start moving and eating.

How can I help my mini to get over this and move on - in a way I feel I let them down since I am the true leader and should have been out there protecting them and not my poor guy (he is a 5 year old gelding I have only owned for 1 1/2 years now )and he was slowly starting to really trust me now he is jumpy and not to easy to aproch(sp)like before

Will let you guys know what the trapper catches
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I sure hope they catch something soon so you can get some sleep
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I'm sure this is stressing you out!!! But my thought is, that if it was the neighbors dog and you notified them of whats going on, they are probably keeping him contained now so if it was him, there aren't going to be anymore attacks anytime soon. I think you are doing the right thing by keeping watch
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well what ever it is its like a ghost,it comes in quit and leaves the same way,if it is the neighbours dog well sooner than later it will either be cought in a trap or on camera. Both ways I will have proof of what attacked my guy.
 
Brandi is right--if it was the neighbor's dog they will be keeping it at home for a few days now that they have been warned about traps. It probably won't last long--they'll get tired of keeping him at home & let him go, thinking that after a few days you'll have given up.

It could have been a wild animal of course, but chances are much better that it was someone's dog. It's too bad you didn't keep watch the night after the first attack--generally once something attacks once it will soon be back for second try--doesn't matter if up until then you've had no problems for 10 years, once it happens once it will happen again if the problem animal isn't caught.

It always amazes me how many people will deny that their dogs go anywhere or do anything they shouldn't.
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I've had neighbors like that--confronted one about her dog that was coming over here nightly, and she claimed the dog NEVER was loose. I told her that for a dog that's never loose he's sure in our yard often enough...one night it was 4 times that I chased him home...she shut up when I pointed out that I'd chased him home...right home to his yard...often enough to know that it was her dog. The old deaf dog that never goes anywhere is probably about 4 years old & as spry as a dog can be!
 
Prayers this goes quickly. Hope you get some evidence real soon. Prayers for your minis safety.
 
ya I bet the dog is spry as well because he was moving all over pretty quick while I was there, forgot to mention that after the first attack I went over to the neighbours and heard no dog nore did I see one around and the dog house there was empty,did not hear the dog at all the first night that went by with no problem and again no problem again after I told him about the traps.

sure makes me wonder,I even called all the vets around here to see if an injoured (sp)animal was brought in and both said nope .

As for the first night I had everyone on alert here that if they heard something during the night then yell so everyone is up inside to see what is going on,plus every camera was up and running but their distance is limited even though they are info red (sp)except the one in my barn that shows up pretty good (close area)which surprised me that when I disconnected everything and moved it from inside to right outside it actually worked and ment $50.00 in my pockets because I did not have to call the people that installed it to move 1 camera. I really shocked myself that I did it,guess even in an emergency you can do the impossible when it comes to a loved one or ones.will not know till 5 this evening if the trapper cought anything in his traps - that is when he gets around to my area and if necessary will set more.
 
I sure hope that whatever attacked your horses is caught. I'm sure you must be extremely worried and upset. Fingers crossed here so your horses can be safe again!
 
When I was young there were several incidents of dog attacks, where the town dogs would form packs and run livestock till they dropped.

Our farm bordered on the town. I am still living on our family farm and I am now 67 yerars old, so we are talking a long time ago...l.o.l.....

I think that once they get a "taste" for it you will find they keep coming back.

We lost a pony mare to the dogs.

In Ontario, Canada, probably most other places, if a stray dog is on your property you may shoot the animal to protect your stock
 
Genie is right......

Give it time......don't give up the vigil. I bet the dog (or whatever it is) will be back.
 
Hopefully the mystery is solved soon. I am sorry your babies were attacked. I would be extremely upset if it was a neighbors dog. If a dog gets taste of live blood, they will always want more. Just went through this with my sister's dog at my Dad's farm.

The dog has now killed two chickens and is now locked up. She will not be able to come back to the farm when my sister takes her home. And of course she has taught another of my parents dogs to chase chickens, although I have not seen her with a dead one yet. Hopefully she hasn't gotten the taste for it, otherwise - new home one way or another.
 
well the trapper was detained and could not make it out to check the traps,so looks like I will have to wait another day and night out.If I knew where the traps were exactally I would go see but to scared that I might step in one so I will wait and watch again,but not give up or give in.I think I will add another thing to my flood lights tonight and the dogs out as well and that is playing music /radio have it going all night just in case the critter is getting brave with the dogs and light.I will not have it to loud because I do not want to totally keep it away,I want it to go around the traps in the dark back area where there is bush just in case the traps are empty.

What do you think on having music playing all night?good/bad or a waste of energy
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Sorry you have had one of your mini's attacked.. No fun.

In my case it was a Bobcat... steathly creatures..move about like ghosts and is what attacked Ella my Jenny. Since that attack.. the "Night pasture" has been redone with just shy of 8' tall fence combo of woven field fence and many strans of hot wire so thick that you hang your car off a crane with it, predator rated charger... is beefed up like fort knox. Going under or over this fence will be extremely painful if not deadly for what ever predator.

As for music and noise at night.... hasn't done a thing to keep the predators about here at bay. And I found..that if there is an attack.. if you have noise already going you are less likely to hear what is going on, which is not good. I rather have it quiet so I can hear if something is going on and be able to deal with it.

Hope you can find out what animal is going after your minis.
 
I hope everyone is ok.

You need a heard protector. I have a herd protecting dog. Well he will keep any animal out of our pasture let alone any stray two legged type that want to walk off with a mini foal or mini goat.

I have had that happen.

Barb
 
My dogs can not get to that area where the traps are and they are both chickens of the horses,they will not go near them. Did try once to get the dogs in but when one of the minis took a step towards them they ran out of there before you could count to 2. ALL bark no bite

Was thinking the other day that after the animal is cought maybe if I hucked fresh doggy dodo over into the bushes there where the animal is paceing around and getting in if that would make the animal think twice about comming close. No one goes over there.
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I did have another big dog called a leonberger but she was a great guard dog for the family but not visitors she wanted them for dinner and I watch 2 girls that she hated and I was scared of what she might do if she broke off her line while the girls were here.I also had to fix any area that lead to my minis that she could get in because she would run after them,she did get out of her yard one day on her free run in the yard that she got every evening and was chassing after the farmers cattle/with calfs, the farmer said he would shoot her next time so we had no choice but have her put down or find her another home.We found a dog trainer willing to take her and was looking for that breed of dog(we had her fixed so no mill for her)true breeder - checked her out

Told hubby no more dogs,4 kids/2 chicken dogs/and 4 minis is enough for me.Will have to find another way to keep my guys safe.Plus no electricity to rig up an electric fence there, only a extension cord running there for a fan or barn light if needed.
 
We run our Charger on an extention cord, just get one rated for outside and all weather. DH built what looks like an over sized bird house with a door to put it in, I painted it and that is where the charger is. We nailed it up to the nearest post closest to the house. I can take a picture of it if you would like. Very easy to make and do.

Or if you are in an area that gets a lot of sun,, a Solar charger is another option.
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Do you have a herd Guard. I read that you watch 2 little ones.

In my area of Canada we have lots of predators. I have 2 Great Pyrs, and they do an amazing job at protecting all of our critters. We also have a donkey and 4 alpacas. Are minis are with all of them. I have seen predators walk the fenceline, however they will never get too close because if my donkey is not charging the fence it is the alpacas. Then the pyrs follow suit..

I would recommend getting a Great Pyreneese. THey are amazing with all types of animals and they love kids. THey are very gentle. However they take their work very seriously. ONe of my Pyrs has killed a coyote that was threatening his family of pygmy goats.

I hope you find out what attacked your mini and best of luck
 

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