I would hate to have to face a jury in this case.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/cri...-town-raised-money-for-her-to-adopt-him/

I owned a ranch a few years back near Fort Hood - folks off the base would get transferred and drive out into the country and let their dogs out. They would pack up, dig under my fence, and chase the cows. They were wild as you could get. I also had exotics on the place and they would run them. Not a good situation

Not a lawyer, but here is a link to the actual Penal Code 42.09 https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.42.htm#42.092

I love dogs, have two but if they get loose and get shot, that's my fault. Won't tolerate someone else's chasing my livestock either. I read 42.092(f)(1)(B) as it also covers destroying animals running wildlife but I'm not a lawyer and don't intend to try my luck with the legal system...

Either way, I would be careful posting about nuisance animals on an internet forum...it only takes one troll or city dweller of the opposing view to bury you these days.

Excerpt:

(d) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that:

(1) the actor had a reasonable fear of bodily injury to the actor or to another person by a dangerous wild animal as defined by Section 822.101, Health and Safety Code; or

(2) the actor was engaged in bona fide experimentation for scientific research.

(e) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (b)(2) or (6) that:

(1) the animal was discovered on the person's property in the act of or after injuring or killing the person's livestock animals or damaging the person's crops and that the person killed or injured the animal at the time of this discovery; or

(2) the person killed or injured the animal within the scope of the person's employment as a public servant or in furtherance of activities or operations associated with electricity transmission or distribution, electricity generation or operations associated with the generation of electricity, or natural gas delivery.

(f) It is an exception to the application of this section that the conduct engaged in by the actor is a generally accepted and otherwise lawful:

(1) form of conduct occurring solely for the purpose of or in support of:

(A) fishing, hunting, or trapping; or

(B) wildlife management, wildlife or depredation control, or shooting preserve practices as regulated by state and federal law; or

(2) animal husbandry or agriculture practice involving livestock animals.

(g) This section does not create a civil cause of action for damages or enforcement of the section.


Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 886 (H.B. 2328), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2007.

Amended by:

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 576 (S.B. 762), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2017.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 739 (S.B. 1232), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2017.

^^^^^^

Hog Doggers are my greatest challenge. My disdain for them (hog doggers, not their dogs) is well known here as I have voiced my opinion (and experiences) before.

Still...I can not blame the dogs and have never harmed one. It's the irresponsible people running them and their attitudes that have tried my patience to the limits.

from the Texas Penal code 42.092

(f) It is an exception to the application of this section that the conduct engaged in by the actor is a generally accepted and otherwise lawful:

(1) form of conduct occurring solely for the purpose of or in support of:

(A) fishing, hunting, or trapping;  or

(B) wildlife management, wildlife or depredation control, or shooting preserve practices as regulated by state and federal law;

Shooting a dog on my property, or property that I am hunting is clearly depredation in support of hunting and wildlife.

Shooting a dog is not worth a felony to me. I enjoy my gun rights. [/quote]
This exactly why I do my own research on laws. This is not a citation of the law, but a skewed perspective and interpretation from the view point of an animal rights activist. I'd be interested to know the publication this was cut from? In the context of the OP, these dogs could be shot, with a handful of defense to prosecution options. [/quote]
Texas penal code 42.09. Seems pretty clear to me but since your so much smarter than everyone in the room. Please enlighten us.
[/quote]


I don't know who in this "room" I am smarter than, but you seem to think I am smarter than everyone, so thank you. I am smart enough not to give legal advice, and smart to know where to get my information from and read the full and complete law.

I find it odd that a new member to The Texas HUNTERS Forum is sighting laws from animal cruelty publications and calling attention to the killing of a service animal.

One man facing felony charges in Indiana in one shooting
and a family in Washington ordered to pay $100,000 in damages and attorneys fees in another.
indiana-landowner-shoots-stray-hunting-dog-now-hes-facing-felony

I had this problem and feel for you. Turns out they weren't really effecting my deer like a thought. I trapped one in a leg trap and relocated it across town because I was to nervous of a fine for shooting it. Even though I felt I had the right. Run down trailer home and owner got evicted next to my property and never saw stray dogs again. Good Luck. I know its heart breaking. I have neighbor cows now!

What does that have to do with this state and it’s laws? Or did you join this forum only to troll and sell things?

What am I selling? I'm making positive, constructive contributions to the thread.
I'm the first one who provided the link to the law that says you are within your rights to kill dogs attacking livestock.
But I'm also pointing out the risk of having to defend yourself in front of a jury of dog lovers.
Good grief.

If you want to find out what an Internet troll is read this article.
Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists

That’s hilarious

I may be new to this forum, but I am not new to killing. I don't hunt hogs and coyotes.
I'm an opportunity shooter when I come across them while I'm checking the property.
Coyotes have killed some of my calves and one attacked the dog for which I am the service human.
She's a rescue. Eight years ago she rescued me.
I've made other contributions to this forum with pictures that you can read in the links below.

Eight Hogs I've Killed in 2019 and my backyard setup.

The M1 Garand I've used to kill a couple of hogs and coyotes.

The coyote I killed last week.

Five other coyotes I've killed in 2019 including one at 420 yards

Does anyone still have a problem?

A whole 24 posts, with almost half of them showing you being a tree hugger about stray dogs. Thanks for your generous contributions to the forum........

I’m still laughing at the trolls are narcissists link. Funniest response I’ve seen all year

Welcome, I think you will do just find around here with that kind of bite


At same time you got to see KR’s side also, you are kind of fishy but in today political climate it should be understandable from your point of view also. Congrats on song dogs , and welcome again

If you have these dogs bouncing from feeder to feeder, they are not caring for goats or sheep. Do what you have to do and keep quiet.

Having owned a Great Pyrenees I'd be hard pressed to shoot one. I'll be curious to see if you can find the owner. They are excellent livestock guardians.

Interesting discussion. As for me, I’m firmly in the third of the 3 S’s.

No, not a problem for me calling out skewed, one sided statements of law in any application. Like I stated earlier it didn't pass the smell test, and sure enough your bias is admitted. Sincerely, Welcome to the forum.

I could be wrong. I often am. Thanks for the welcome.

And for the record, a few years ago the rancher next to me
warned me about three dogs that were taking down calves.
Not long after that, I saw three dogs on my place and put them down.
It was not the right three dogs.
They had merely been dumped by someone.
I'm not proud of that.

Which reminds me.
Don't dump your old dog on someone else.
Man up and take care of it yourself.
I've done that for a pet and it's not easy.
But it was more humane than taking her to the vet
where she would have been all anxious and upset
or taking her down a county road and leaving her.
And by the way it is legal to kill your own dog if it is sick or injured.

Finally, this topic hits close to home for me.
My beloved 12-year old, blind Dachshund
was killed by my new neighbor's pit bull in my yard
in front of me.

I loved Boomer and wanted to kill that bitch.
About six months later, she got out again
dragging a 14-foot logging chain
and I would have been within my rights to put her down.
Instead, I followed her around the neighborhood with a rifle
for an hour until the owner could get home and put her up.

Pointers point, retrievers retrieve...
what do pit bulls do?

So am I conflicted. Maybe.
My own sweet rat terrier has killed
gophers, woodrats, squirrels, a possum and two skunks.
But she has also brought home three chickens.
Checked with the neighbors. They were not any of theirs.
Should she have been shot? Probably so.
Glad she wasn't.

Thanks for letting me vent. I feel much better now.

Wait so you are admitting to shooting stray dogs that weren’t attacking any livestock? So you broke the laws you just posted about? I’m really confused now.

Same here, and what is a “Service human”? I have always had dogs at one time four Labs down to one now and love them but I have always been their owner never a service human.

Well, maybe the moral to the story is don't be too quick to judge the intentions of a dog, or a person.

Service human was an attempt at humor. Evidently not a very good one.

My first guess would be guard dogs, but if you have small residential land tracks in the area, they are probably pets that run loose all over the count We had that problem on a place years ago that were killing our livestock.. They were nice pets, they stayed at home when the owners were home, but ran in packs when they left for work. .If you complain to them, and the dogs turn up missing or shot and just wounded, you will probably get a visit from the sheriff.

Saw two dogs while sitting in a tripod in Bee County. No subdivisions anywhere around. The never saw me. I walked the couple of hundred yards to my truck and heard growling when I got close. One might have been a block headed hog dog and I got on alert. Ain't afraid of no dog, but it was the evening and I couldn't see anything. The mutts followed my truck to camp where one of the other hunters stupidly took care of 'em. He got out water, fed them and made 'em comfortable. Then next morning he fed 'em again and I cannot remember what had red in it, but there was something.

He just couldn't see leaving 'em out there and decided to take them on the 2 hour drive home. He put them in the vehicle and the 1st thing we got to see was the bigger dog penning the smaller one up against ta door panel and give it a good breeding - right on the driver seat. He took off and ten minutes down the road pulled over. So did I. I got up there to see him cleaning up red puke from the big dog. It was all over the place.

He got home and opened the Bronco up to let out the dogs. They ran like white lightning and were never seen again.