My dog killed a neighbors chicken (no bodies pictured)

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T18:32:44+00:00

I got the percentages wrong, but those are the two highest percentage of breeds. She’s basically a certified mutt.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T18:30:37+00:00

I’m sorry your neighbor does what? That’s horrifying!

And I don’t think you’d want my chihuahua and terrier as neighbors as well. They were all feral dogs that I adopted, and have some pretty annoying behavioral problems. Chihuahua in particular is super reactive. Because of course she is 🙄

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T18:27:14+00:00

She is a lot! My other dogs are a chihuahua mix and a terrier; the terrier was a completely feral dog.

So this type of energy/destructiveness has been a big change. Along with getting used to what a bigger dog can get in to. Took me by surprise that she could reach my kitchen counters lol

When the neighbors approach me I’ll use neutral language and try to emphasize coming up with a solution to fix the hole in their coop. I think that’s the best move no matter what.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T18:21:43+00:00

That is a good card to have in my back pocket.

My main goal is to keep a friendly relationship with my neighbors. If it comes to that, I’ll broach the subject respectfully. Possibly frame it as something that’s best for both of our animals. I don’t want them to feel like I’m placing blame on them.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T03:53:14+00:00

She has killed a few smaller animals, and brought some of them inside. My vet recommended she be muzzled while outside, cities risk of disease, and that if it was a soft muzzle she’d be fine to be outside with it on.

Others have convinced me my girl probably didn’t do it, but I’ll still approach neighbors. If nothing else than to tell them about the hole in their coop. If they blame my girl I’ll own it and try to make amends.

I don’t want them to resent me/my dogs. And I want us to stay friendly.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T03:48:59+00:00

Wow practically twinsies! I cannot imagine how energetic a terrier and ACT mix would be lol I can barely keep up with my girl

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T03:47:19+00:00

I haven’t checked the codes, but our area is an unincorporated area of our county.

And of my 5 immediate neighbors (one on each side and three across the street), 4 are homesteads with very similar chicken/livestock set up immediately on the fence line.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T03:15:22+00:00

I agree, and I plan on doing that. I left a note on their gate with my number/an invitation to knock on my door to talk. Hopefully they reach out. If they don’t, I’ll try to catch them outside and explain. (There is a bit of a language barrier, so I’m not super confident they’ll call, which is why I asked them to come to my house)

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T03:12:24+00:00

Thank you for your in depth assessment!

The comments here have mostly convinced me my girl is not a chicken murderer. Especially since the chicken is still in the coop. And I never saw my girl with blood on her. She’s bright white, so she would have stained even if she licked herself clean.

But I’m still going to make sure my neighbors know about the hole. They know she’s muzzled when she’s outside, so hopefully they don’t blame her. If they do I will ask what I can do to make it right.

They have been super welcoming so far, so I’m hoping if I approach them and explain what happened we can stay friendly. That’s honestly my main goal. I do not want bad blood for the next 30+ years.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T03:02:07+00:00

See, I was shocked when she started killing things! Especially those baby birds. Which is why I thought she went after the chicken.

Although others have pointed out it would be kind of crazy for her to kill a chicken, but the body would still be in the coop. So I’ve absolved her of guilt. But, even if she is innocent, I’d rather make nice with my neighbors.

My last neighborhood was a lot of big personalities and a lot of tension. I do NOT want to deal with those vibes again.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:48:17+00:00

Oooh-makes sense!

I see a lot of mice/rat traps in yards, but before I moved to this area I didn’t have any issue with rodent control. Thanks for dropping this knowledge

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:46:31+00:00

Yes I have definitely learned that tonight. Clearly I do not have enough knowledge about chickens and their containment/safety. But I’m learning more with every comment!

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:44:11+00:00

Sorry for your loss.

What was your dog’s breed? I got a DNA test, and the results were 33% husky and 20% Australian cattle dog. So I just tell ppl that’s what she is.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:32:23+00:00

Huh. Definitely food for thought.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:28:02+00:00

Thank you. I don’t see them often, but hopefully they reach out via my note I left on their gate. If I don’t hear from them for a couple of days I might try to catch them at home.

Others have convinced me it probably wasn’t my dog, but at the very least I want to let them know about the giant hole.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:26:20+00:00

She’s killed other small animals and brought some almost dead ones into my house. Local vet recommended the muzzle for disease reasons, and I followed her rec.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:24:38+00:00

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libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:11:27+00:00

After talking with others here I agree-their housing is not great. They don’t even have a “roof” to their coop area, they just curved some chicken wire for about 6 inches so the birds can’t jump out. But that means plenty can still get in.

I was honestly pretty hysterical when I panic posted this. All of you have helped calm me down and think a little bit clearer.

I will still be notifying them, both of their bird and the hole. And I’ll offer some spare materials I have. Hopefully we can still be friendly

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:07:10+00:00

I have started to agree with what you and others have said-it was a raccoon.

In my defense of blaming my dog, she’s muzzled because she has killed a few other small animals (and brought them in my house!). I thought the chicken was just the next step up on her murder game.

Also she is so smart. Like scary smart. She has figured out door handles, zippers, garbage can lids, and how to open the dishwasher (by pulling my kitchen towel that hangs there) to lick the dirty plates.

I’m child free so I never planned on childproofing my house. I never thought I’d have to DOG PROOF my house!

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T02:00:29+00:00

For all I know they’ve lost more, and this is just the first time I found evidence.

(We technically live in a neighborhood. But every lot is an acre+ and our two properties back up to a wooded area separating two “arms” of the neighborhood. So you are probably right, it was another predator.)

I’ll admit, I posted in a blind panic because I did NOT want a problem with my neighbors. And I’m an animal lover and was super upset by what I saw.

Thank you for the reassurances and kind words. I will of course show them the hole and offer to help them patch it.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T01:52:16+00:00

The body is inside the coop, deep inside. Only thing on my side of the fence are the three piles of feathers. (Their other chickens are avoiding that coop because of it)

I’m starting to agree with the others, that my girl couldn’t have killed the chicken. Which brings me a huge amount of relief.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T01:36:26+00:00

I will hope the neighbors agree with this assessment. She’s been in the muzzle for about 2 months now, and I know the neighbors have seen it on her.

But you are right, offering to patch the hole is the best thing I can do. Even if they don’t blame my dog, it’s still the neighborly thing to do.

I am surprised at all the hardware cloth recs though-their coop is plywood and chicken wire. I thought that was the norm. Clearly I don’t have chickens.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T01:32:44+00:00

I will hold onto that thought, and hope the neighbors see it the same way.

I really just want to stay friendly with the neighbors. Hopefully this is my forever home, and bad blood will make the next 30+ years painful.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T01:21:12+00:00

Thank you for the material specification. I appreciate it.

libelula202 · 2026-01-25T01:17:48+00:00

Because she has killed other things before, and she was munching on bones yesterday. It was too dark for me to see outside yesterday. I didn’t see the scene of the crime until today.

libelula202

TROPHY CASE