EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Thru Facebook I've made some new friends that I wouldn't have known otherwise, but have also been noticing more and more lately several "lost pet groups" A sick new trend where these busy body homegrown animal rights women take it upon themselves to either steal any dog that they deem improperly cared for, or are forming possies to mass call a county animal control dept and report folks who have working dogs so that by sheer volume of calls the county will believe the report. While it doesn't always work to have animals confiscated, it does often lead to the owner being harassed and feeling intimidated by the law, when in reality, it is simply these jerks who think they are saving poor animals.

Now first off, we as keepers of working dogs need to ensure that our dogs are healthy, well kept, their areas are clean and we are beyond reproach, but outside of that, I'd like to start a discussion as to what our rights are as dog owners who keep dogs for a completely legal purpose. What are the things a dog owner should say or show in the event of a visit by animal control? Who should a dog owner contact for up to legal advice and representation? What are the tricks and schemes that animal control will use to scare an unprepared dog owner?

Lets keep this civil and really post some great strategies to helping each other out.

Thanks

good thread...I reckon for starters we need to show proof that our dogs are registered if it is required where we live and have up to date rabies tags in Texas that has been given by a Vet...for dang sure it will be a pain in the butt...if a Vet depended on folks like me to make a living they would be on food stamps and government assistance...

Maybe we need to fight fire with fire and form our own posse's and show up and protest and retaliate as they do...  popo  ;)

Its sad that people can't mind their own business, but: shot records, adequate housing, secure enclosure and a privacy fence. May want to post some no trespassing signs. Be mindful of what u post online.

Number 1 feed
Number 2 water
Number 3 shelter
Number 4 proper containment
Number 5 shot records

An obviously healthy well cared for dog is hard to take. I can't stand seeing pics of a dog that is supposedly top notch yet it looks to be starving. There is a difference in fit and half starved and it starts at the second rib.


Shotgun
Arkansas

Animal control was at my place today. Said he had reports that I was fighting dogs in my back yard, that I had multiple enclosures with dogs crowded in them and that I sometimes had pit bulls running loose.

I don't own any type of a bull dog. Each dog has it's own kennel with clean water, housing and shade/sun/rain protection. No dogs run loose. Kennels were clean. I have some 2 week old pups I had even brought in the house during the heat of the day . . and there was a fan blowing thru the kennels on the grown dogs. None of it is fancy but it is effective.

Officer looked around, verified my rabies shot records . . . and then he apologized. Said I shouldn't be too upset because he gets crazy housewives making all sorts of random, baseless complaints. AND . . he gave me the name of the woman who reported me. I did a couple internet searches for this JESSICA PONCIO . . but so far haven't located a local address for her. Figure she has to be a neighbor somewhere close so I'll continue looking. But, at this point I'm not sure if I want to retaliate somehow within the law . . or reach out and try to show her that I'm not abusing animals. Probably all a waste of time. I doubt she even cares about the "abused" dogs as much as she cares about getting credit for reporting me from her rescue dyke homegirls.

Yes people are out there making animal rights groups to spy!!!  I trust very few people !   Hog hunters are being targeted hard so just watch y'all postings , People are using apps to locate dog kennels and bay pens ,etc with the photos some people post... I know if you do the 5 steps Shotgun talked about then you have nothing to sweat  ! I will not let a cop or animal control past the fence without a search warrant and my lawyer on site while they bs around!   

If you have good dogs number2ty people try to get your good dogs by buying them for $75 each from the spca instead of paying the working price tag!   Cover y'alls butts !   Enjoy hunting your dogs while we can legally!

I worry about this daily I have a neighbor who has already called the cops for "animal cruelty" sheriffs office apparently wasn't real concerned cause they never talked to me. Guy is a newspaper photographer and his wife is wheelchair confined so she sits and watches my dogs all day (apparently they need to be kept in the house) and he apparently has taken photographs of them not having shelter in the cold (you can do that easy just choose a good angle all of my dogs have store bought houses cept one has a barrel) Truly worries me I can't afford a court battle if they ever do get my dogs taken. This is a fairly rural county so hopefully good sense stays on my side.

Oh yeah I found out via Facebook they never approached me with it.

Living in the country or "rural" area along with being on acreage eliminates me from having to deal with such nonsense. Anyone who comes up around my house looking for trouble will be sure to find it, and I don't care who I offend ;)

X2 , I live in the middle of the river bottoms , no neighbors and you can't even see my house from the road , I have a huge sign by my locked gate that says prayer is the best way to meet Jesus but trespassing on this property is faster , most folks around here believe it also lol, I take very good care of my animals , all but one are on 80 to 100 ft cable with pulleys and a chain , they love it , I have dogs everywhere , it's like a maze , I would hate to haft to worry about people messing with me over my dogs

I agree with all of the above but I think that by far the best evidence of an owner properly caring for his animals is what I have highlighted in red. People can get all crazy and call all they want but if when an animal control officer does show up and all of the dogs are obviously healthy then I think 99% of the officers will laugh off the call and apologize and go about their business.

We live in a pretty rural area too, but busy bodies and city people find their way out here for the peace, quiet and freedom, and then immediately start trying to change country towns into the urban/suburban hell holes they fled from.
I had a complaint against me a while back and same thing here, the county folks recognized what kind of dogs they were and left us be, but the post I saw on Facebook last night got me hopping mad.
It was in my own town, a guy down the road I'm assuming in town has a yard of dogs and a young pit is always running loose. The lady saw a tick on her, saw that she's not fattened like a Christmas goose and found a wound that was dressed and stapled and decided to put the dogs picture on that group and they spent several hours scheming on how best to have all the dogs confiscated! It hits too close to home.

First things first, whoever that guy is needs to keep those dogs better contained and hidden, but outside that, what does the TDHA or The LSWDA have to say about our rights as dog owners?

I am always shocked to see what people put on Facebook without a second thought. People have got to stop putting videos and pictures of dogs working penned hogs. It looks horrible to the sport and is illegal in most cases.

 I get into pissing contests weekly with people on Facebook. You need to watch what you post. Pictures of dogs for sale on chains five feet long , crap every where etc. Keep your dogs healthy and your place picked up. Appearance plays an important part sometimes.
  If you can't keep your dogs healthy don't have dogs. Pretty simple. I am amazed at the number of people who have over 15 dogs. That's takes time and money. I don't care if you have 100 dogs as long as you take care of them.

A prime example of videos is that Patterdale terrier getting tossed around and into the fence. The people in the video are laughing and cheering. You can't tell me with hundreds of thousands of views that video hasn't made it to the anti's.

Agree with you 100%.  We live in a rural area, and if you're coming up to our place then you're there for a reason.  Take care of your animals, feed & water, keep an up to date rabies shot record, don't post pictures/videos and mind your own business. You're covered.
Also posting a "Beware of the Dog" sign makes you less liable if your dogs bites a trespasser. The "Warning: Dangerous Dog" could get you into trouble, bcuz the wording could show the owner was negligent. Animal Control's main goal is to see if the owner is taking the most reasonable precautions with their animals. but that's not always the case.

4th amendment, if they cant see it from a place they can legally be, they need a warrant.  Put a 6 foot privacy fence around your kennels or yard and nice and politely tell who ever shows up, to show you the warrant. 

Ive dealt with more than you could ever imagine from a neighbor, animal control and law enforcement.  Once I had enough this was my position, from the road way no longer at my door or in my yard.

Had a person post a bunch of negative things about my dogs on FaceBook. I took all dogs to the vet. and caught up on all shots a had the vet. wright up a statement as to the health of my dogs . He looked them over an told me that those people have got to be crazy!!             These dogs are to fat !! HUNT'UM UP!!!!

Boils down to common sense really. We know these PETA and busybody anti's are out there. That's yet another reason why I despise Facebook. People want to cry and complain when people target them for the aforementioned reasons, yet they still keep putting their dogs up publically and not putting thought into what's in the photos or videos they are posting up. We've all got to be conscious of these things, and think ahead.

Now, that being said, I know first hand that the general ignorant public will likely think ANY dog at working weight is "skinny" or "malnourished." That's a whole other issue.

I'm more referring to people posting pics up of legitimately skinny dogs....injured dogs...dogs in kennels with like twenty piles of crap festering in the backround (Yes I know, dogs crap all day, but for pete's sake, before you snap a photo to post up, hose that pen out!).

I'll share general pics on a couple select forums of my dogs, hell we're all proud and like to share pics of our dogs from time to time, but I have actually had people call me out and tell me that because I don't post pics of my dogs scarred up, or cut up, etc, I must just be an 'internet dogger.' I call it being smart.
To each their own.

People should simply just stop posting their dog pics and/or get off fakebook, aka facebook.  I got off that nonsense about 3 years ago. I do use an fake account with fake name, no friends just to look at pages I like.  I don't post pics, or anything just use it to lerk.   

   I've got me one of them facebook thingy,s  lol  I've posted a couple of pictures of dogs that I owned a long time ago and one picture of an after hunt [  no blood or cut up dogs ] . 


  I accept all the friends that ask , and i use my facebook page to mainly like and share post from the USSA [ united states sportsman alliance ] , peta kills , the calvalry group , and my favorite www.humanewatch.org as well as a few political anti obamy propaganda   lol . the more people not in the know hear about the real agenda of animal rights groups the better . the friends that I accept by liking and sharing my post to their friends and so on and so on helps to spread the word faster . other than that my page is set on private and only whom I consider [ close friends ] can see . you can find out a lot about folks on facebook and most of it is not good . all the ammo from the anti hunter comes from facebook or you tube and sorry to say try as we might and holler all we want it will never stop , it's sad but true .
 

  a lot of little old ladies with def and blind poodles have quit donating to the anti's as a result of being informed of the true agenda of the h$u$ . as a result of the sharing of these post from humanewatch and the donations are way down for the last few years as and after the ringling broths deal they should continue to fall . so use that facebook wisely and spread the word .

 

I'm on fb somewhere. I was going hunting had them on a chain across back of cab with snaps because it was like 70 . it started to spit rain, mist really and some numb nuts like to have run me off the road trying to get pictures of me.passed on shoulder and all else. they followed me for a long while i figured i had all day and a full tank so lets make them work for it. I know for sure that pic was up on fb before i turned out.one was calling someone on the phone so I guess they called the po po.I crossed oklahoma line and they gave up so I honked and waved and had a great day.  i had a great hunt and killed a pig and bayed another under a lady's trailer house. went home wore out and happy. they got to complain i got to mess with an idiot. we both got some of what we wanted.I cant do anything about those people but i try to keep my stuff low key.

Like most people have said, I think as long as you are actually caring for your animals, there is nothing animal control can do.  As with any LEO encounter, be polite, civil, and answer only direct questions with as little information as possible.  If at any point you feel you're being cornered call your lawyer for advice. 

If your following the law there is nothing to worry about 99% of the time. 

As for 'busy bodies' the legislature needs to pass harsher 'harassment' laws so that people who are unduly harassed by people calling animal control can pursue criminal action.

It is a fine line though.  There are those people out there who are 'abusing' their animals and they need to have them taken away.