Can I shoot a Dog?!

Monkey Spanker

Well-Known Member
I had an incident this morning in a wood where it is clearly signed that deer management is in operation and it also clearly states that any visiting dogs must be kept on leads. Imagine my surprise to see a young Fallow Doe charging through the wood with a very large German Shepherd dog snapping at its heels! The crashing through the wood continued and I have no idea of the outcome. The owner could be heard calling for the dog in the far distance.
This got me thinking......
Could the dog be shot if it either chased or caught the deer, or does that only apply to domestic livestock and not wild animals?
Would the same apply to park deer or deer in an enclosed area? Any thoughts from the legal boffins?
MS
 
I would have said no but what about shooting the dog humanely to prevent suffering to another animal? Is it different as a dog belongs to someone? Maybe get in trouble for criminal damage?
 
I had an incident this morning in a wood where it is clearly signed that deer management is in operation and it also clearly states that any visiting dogs must be kept on leads. Imagine my surprise to see a young Fallow Doe charging through the wood with a very large German Shepherd dog snapping at its heels! The crashing through the wood continued and I have no idea of the outcome. The owner could be heard calling for the dog in the far distance.
This got me thinking......
Could the dog be shot if it either chased or caught the deer, or does that only apply to domestic livestock and not wild animals?
Would the same apply to park deer or deer in an enclosed area? Any thoughts from the legal boffins?
MS

I have been having exactly the same in one of my woods, something along the lines of a large black lab x belgian shepherd chasing the fallow through the wood 3 times now except there was no owner calling which made it even worse. The trouble is in the half light and you hear a crash through the undergrowth and see a fallow fawn appear you check behind ready to aim at the follower in case that stops, in this case it was a puzzled dog to my surprise!

Be prepared for a trip to the courts if you do pull the trigger though as it is a very grey area!
 
Legal minefield, so best avoided at all costs. Some interrupted stalking Vs someones much loved pet being shot.. It won't go in your favour & you have a lot to loose if it goes wrong. If there is an owner in tow then you should find them & make your case firmly enough that it does not happen again. That said there must be some creative ways of dissuading an unattended dog form chasing the deer repeatedly that don't involve carrying a shovel from now on...
 
One of the additional conditions on mine states:

"The certificate holder may possess, purchase or acquire expanding ammunition, or the missiles of such ammunition, in the calibres authorised by this certificate and only use it in conjunction with the shooting of animals for the protection of other animals or humans"

I suppose if you were protecting the deer and if you took the wording literally it could appear you could shoot it however proving you did it to protect an animal would be a hard thing to do.
 
I had an incident this morning in a wood where it is clearly signed that deer management is in operation and it also clearly states that any visiting dogs must be kept on leads. Imagine my surprise to see a young Fallow Doe charging through the wood with a very large German Shepherd dog snapping at its heels! The crashing through the wood continued and I have no idea of the outcome. The owner could be heard calling for the dog in the far distance.
This got me thinking......
Could the dog be shot if it either chased or caught the deer, or does that only apply to domestic livestock and not wild animals?
Would the same apply to park deer or deer in an enclosed area? Any thoughts from the legal boffins?
MS

I suspect you already know the answer to this one MS but the answer is you can if the deer is worth money to you ie if you take people out on that ground for money so were the dog to kill the deer it would deprive you of an income from a kill/trophy fee. As i understand it you cannot shoot a dog for the loss of a carcass fee. It's one of those strange areas in law where you can shoot a dog in some situations but not in others.
 
One of the additional conditions on mine states:

"The certificate holder may possess, purchase or acquire expanding ammunition, or the missiles of such ammunition, in the calibres authorised by this certificate and only use it in conjunction with the shooting of animals for the protection of other animals or humans"

I suppose if you were protecting the deer and if you took the wording literally it could appear you could shoot it however proving you did it to protect an animal would be a hard thing to do.

That condition relates the the ammo only, your rifle may not be conditioned the same. The particular condition you quote is a common one applied to FACS with expanding ammo on them.
 
its a pity that the dog pays the price for owners ignorance in there abilaty to control there charge , they just havent got a clue ! i can understand and fully agree with Mr farmer shooting one for livestock worrying , but for chasing wildlife ,as you said it hadnt acutualy caught it yet , could you explain a shot dog and no dead deer ! your FAC would soon be revoked , it makes your blood boil i no, but try to get hold of the owner and educate them ,it just aint worth it .atb arron.
 
But the question was: Can I shoot a dog?

Answer, of course you can.

There are, however, very few circumstances in which you might do that lawfully.
 
NO - you can shoot a dog if it Is harassing livestock AND you have taken all other necessary steps to deter the dog.
As you know deer are not livestock.
 
What Scubadog said.
Done it once at the request of the attending police and it was a last resort after the dog had bitten 2 people who had attempted to stop it killing x number of sheep on a fenced field.
Not pleasant at all for all those concerned
 
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