to shoot stray dogs with that are maiming cattle.
lots of stray dogs around the country place, and
the neighbors have lost cattle that get chewed up
and are nigh impossible to try to get healed.
he shoots a 25/06 and does well at the long ranges
afforded by his large property. the ones i've shot
were with a 12 gauge with #4 buck or dead coyote shot.
i'm looking to get a better kill like the neighbor,
as his look like a semi truck hit them on the interstate,
but my property is small and i can't afford to be
buying any cattle that might get hit using a big rifle.
not to mention any shots crossing are illegal.

any ideas to help with the dog problem ?

I'd use an AR15, most likely a .223/5.56 Just like shooting coyotes, many calibers would work, even the little .17 HMR or .22 Magnum.

I'd go with the .17 HMR or .22 Mag also . However either one will kill a cow if hit in the head just right . Get a good scope and practice before taking long shots . If they come close enough on your land tho a good .410 with slugs or buckshot will work also .

i have a good mini and a .223 scoped rifle set up
just for this, but a rifle can only be fired
in one direction without risk of hitting cattle
or folks or buildings. i'd thought about a .17
because one of the neighbors uses one for the
same reasons, and says it loses velocity pretty
quick, and doesn't ricochet like other rounds (?)
so he says.

We shoot stray dogs with 17 HMR's. I think one would work good for your situation. Longest shot so far was about a 200 yrd head shot. Don't think there's that much energy left any further than that.

probably what i'll do. i need a little more range than shotgun,
but not enough to go too far to the neighbors line

the neighbors usually take care of any strange dogs
that show up, but i see some on mine from time to time.
i've slingshotted one so far during bow, but i think
i may tote the MKII next time in the stand.

We have a dog problem on our place. People dump them all the time and there is almost always a pack of wild dogs around. They are aggressive towards people and kill fawns/chase deer, so the 17 barks every time we see one.

There used to be a pack of dogs here.

For the OP's situation, maybe some 223 Varmint Grenades would work best. They'll fragment to dust and not ricochet, in case of a miss.

This is the exact reason I got a 17HMR. Feral dogs, coydogs, and coyotes. Game warden says it is because we live 10 miles from town and by a bridge and when idiots dump dogs they almost always do it at a bridge. Inside 200 yards if the wind is not going crazy it drops them just fine. I used a .22 and shotgun for years, but wanted a little more range. Somewhere around 200 yards is where they always seem to feel safe enough to turn back and look at you, and it is the last mistake they ever make.

-ww

Sounds like the neighbor would be ok with your bullet crossing his fence to kill said intruders. I would get his permission and then use whatever rifle I had that would work. Not hard to make sure no stock is behind your target.