Two weeks ago we lost 25 out of 50 birds from our laying flock to a neighborhood dog. As you can see in the photo below, our land connects directly to our suburban neighborhood.
Having the land in conjunction to our neighborhood has great benefits for us but also has it’s downsides, one of which being domestic dogs. Wild animals kill out of a need to eat and will only take what it kills. At the most this could be 1-2 birds at a time. A domestic dog however isn’t hungry, it’s usually just bored. One dog can wipe out a significant number of birds for the sheer ecstasy of the chase.
After discovering the dead birds and cleaning up the mess I came back inside and posted what had happened on facebook. Within minutes my neighbor called me to say he saw my update and wanted to let me know their dog accidentally got out that morning and had been gone most of the day. I thanked him for the call but assured him there was no way to tell if the culprit had been his dog. We hung up, but within 5 minutes he called again.
“I ran my hands all through his hair and found feathers…it was him…I’m so sorry.”
Immediately he said he would do whatever it took to rectify the situation, and I was floored. Fast forward two weeks and we have agreed on a resolution we both feel good about.
While this was a staggering blow to our small farm, it has also turned into quite a life lesson. My neighbor didn’t have to call me the first time, but he did. He didn’t have to check his dog again to find feathers, but he did. He didn’t have to call me to say he found the feathers, but he did. He didn’t have to be so eager to right the wrong…but he did.
In a world riddled with self-serving, integrity-compromising, dishonest people, a man like my neighbor shines bright. Our world is better for having him in it and in moments when I think there isn’t a single person of strong moral character left on this planet, I am reminded…they do exist.
best,
-nate
