We are down another goat. I saw the carcass this morning on my way out to work, and Herself confirms it is a canid kill. This one isn't eaten at all, which is leaning us to think that we've got neighbor dog problems again. It's an old and ongoing story for us, an ugly one too. One neighbor who doesn't believe in keeping his dogs in control, and who's response to Herself years back to a request to do so to avoid livestock kills was, "You live in the country now. Things like that happen." The dogs are just doing what their genes tell them to do, something which our dogs do as well, though under control and with training so they don't hurt the livestock, they only herd the livestock. But the dogs lose in this equation, because the owner can't be dealt with the same way.

This same owner and I had a direct discussion; that discussion followed a visit on another occasion when the Alachua County Sherriff deputy explained, and had them read, the appropriate portion of the FL legal code, that a dog attacking livestock can be destroyed by the livestock owner. Said owner stated he didn't want any trouble. I explained to him that I don't either, and for me trouble starts when someone lets their dogs loose after my livestock, since they represent dollars, not pets. So some dog killing livestock is the same as stealing from me.

Fine. We live in the country now. Dog may not come home one day. Things like that happen, too.