(04-27-2024 02:00 PM)Redbanksdog Wrote: (04-27-2024 01:37 PM)BlueDragon Wrote: (04-27-2024 08:51 AM)Redbanksdog Wrote: (04-27-2024 02:05 AM)BlueDragon Wrote: Better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt definitely applies to Tom.
I did grow up on a 15 acre family farm. Too small to do anything but survive on. Enough land for just enough farm animals and garden area to live off of. Not enough to grow large bumper crops to make any money.
We kept quite a number of dogs. We had what we called yard dogs usually 3 to 5. These dogs were never penned up stayed out all the time. They alerted you if anything or anyone different showed up. The hunting dogs were penned up.
One of the yard dogs was mine. He was a Decker Rat Terrier about 30lbs very muscular and athletic. Great rat killer and squirrel dog. He also was a great companion.
One day he got into the chicken yard and killed some hens and ate some eggs. We and other relatives depended on those eggs and I was told to take the dog into the woods and put him down. I begged for his life about an hour and finally was told if he does it again you know what to do.
I put him on surveillance and then I saw him looking around and I knew he was checking to see if anybody was around. Granted, we lived about 400 yards from a farm to market road and he is the only dog I ever saw always stopping and look for vehicles before crossing. He snook into the chicken yard by a nicely dug trench he had made and when he came back out with an egg and saw me he screamed and dropped the egg.
I jerked him up and beat him unmercifully with a swing set chain. He laid in a wooden crate for two days before finally getting up. He never sucked another egg and chased another chicken. I can’t tell you how many people said they never heard of a dog being broke of the habit.
So, this is a one off.
Dogs are a liability especially pit bulls. You just can’t take the stupid chances Tom suggested
"Decker Rat Terrier"
One of the smartest dogs I ever had, man he was smart. Skipper was his name and we had him for 16 years from a pup to the day he died. It was a sad day in our house when he died.
You should get another one. I know a place outside of San Antonio that breeds them.
No rodent will be alive near you if you have this dog.
Thanks for the offer Blue but at our age (wife & I) I feel like the dog would out live us and we just couldn't do that to a good friend (dog)
They are a smart breed and quirky. Picky eater even table scraps. He would look at the food then look at you and just walk off.
If you took him squirrel hunting don’t miss the first two shots or he would stop hunting and your hunting trip was over. He would scour the area looking until he realized you had missed then he would just look at you.
He would fight any other dog or animal. One time I heard a commotion and I went outside and two of the largest dogs I’ve ever seen before or since were playing tug of war with him. Step Dad told me to get the water hose at the well and spray them they’ll stop fighting. He was right they both stopped fighting and started coming for me. I was 17 at the time so I jumped on top of the well house and kept spraying. Step Dad was yelling the whole time like a lunatic so much so these dogs who made Great Danes look like little brothers started towards him and he was in dead man’s land nowhere to run or escape. His face turned pale and he looked like a ghost. And, right before they could get him the Terrier somehow was ready to fight again and intercepted them. He ran to the back door where we kept our shotgun and killed the dogs. They bit a hole through the Terriers left testicle that we sowed up with fishing line as well as other wounds that needed fishing line. Funny he never liked the dog until he saved his Azz.
It took both of to load the dead dogs in the back of his truck. We went around to our neighbors until we found out who the dogs belonged to. We drove up and threw the dead dogs in his driveway and Step Dad told him if there would have been any small kids out playing today your Azz would be going to prison.
The dogs were either
Irish or Russian Wolfhounds. They were 7 feet in length and scary to look at especially when it attack mode. The dogs were Irish Wolfhounds.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/36/8d/2d/...4e62e0.jpg
Step Dad said on the ride back home he saw his life flash before his eyes.
Looking back now, I realize how dangerous and deadly that could have ended up.
Yes, Decker Rat Terriers are great for small farms sometimes in more ways than you think.