Visit from the RCMP re: dumped carcasses

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sjemac

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Foothills, Alberta
Sitting at home Friday night and the dogs start barking at the laneway. Look out and here comes an RCMP SUV up the drive. I'm puzzled because we're not a readily apparent house and are tucked off the road a bit. Anyway I open the door assure the officer that the dogs are friendly and step outside closing my door behind me.

The constable (an older gent likely in his mid to late 50's) say's, "Bet you're wondering why I'm here?"

"That would be the wonder" I reply.

"Your neighbors are concerned that someone is trying to poison their dogs."

"Okay??"

"You wouldn't happen to be slaughtering pigs would you?"

"Why yes I am. Two this week in fact and another 3 to go."

"I figured. I told them to call their neighbors but they insisted on me dealing with it. Their dog came home with half a pig head the other day."

"Seeing as how I dump all the unwanted pieces 500 yards from here (nearly a km from them) then the real problem is their roaming dog then."

"Yep. I'll tell them that too." and off goes the nice constable.

So then Sunday, the neighbors pull in and right off the bat apologize for calling the police. "We're not from the country and didn't know what was going on." Apparently their dog has been getting into my carcass dump and pulling pieces of pig, elk and moose back home and leaving them at the end of the driveway so that it looked to them like someone was tossing them there for the dogs to eat.

I accepted their apology and then it got weird. The lady asks me if I could box up any other parts in the future and that they would take them to their dumpster when they go to their rental property in Calgary. I replied that I use them for coyote bait so -- no that wasn't an option.

"You want to attract coyotes?"

"I want to shoot coyotes. The bait brings them close enough"

The look on her face was priceless.

I then informed her that all of her surrounding neighbors hunt and that her dog was likely to continually be bringing parts back if it roamed.

"Well I hope he hasn't been a problem."

"He wasn't until I started getting night time visits from the Mounties. The problem is not that I dump my carcasses at the back of my property but that your dogs roams onto my property."

When they left it was clear that she still didn't get it and that I somehow was the bad neighbor for dumping pieces on my land several hundred yards from the road and her house.

People who move from the city to the country should have to take a test before being allowed to do so.:sign0176:
 
Sorry, but I did laugh.
You may wish to humor them and tell them to put a nice bright ribbon
on their Fido to make sure it doesn't end up in someone's yote encouragement.
City folks should stay somewhat closer to the sky scrapers.
And what the phuck is with their dog running all over hell's half acres?
If and just suppose a yote or two kill their dog?
The boys going to come knocking on your door step again?
 
At least they came by to apologize for calling the cops! I wouldn't expect a cidiot to do that. There may still be hope if you educate them about life outside the city.

I find some sausage from a hunt does well to build bridges. Just don't tear down the hedge. ;)
 
Sounds like she was trying to be a reasonable and good neighbour by offering to dispose of the bits so that it wouldn't make your life difficult - I doubt she'd like to be dragging animal waste around with her otherwise, so sounds like she's a good person who's reasonable, just not used to your ways of doing things.

Perhaps drop off some game meat with them and convert them to supporting hunting? Also, maybe suggest she get a fluorescent collar for her dog in case it gets off her property? (Rope runs can give dogs huge range to move around but not let them roam at will) If many people hunt coyotes then there is a slight and not intentional risk to letting her dog roam. I like dogs and don't let mine roam at all, and would put a fluorescent collar on it as a precaution as well if there were coyote hunters in the area (I recognize mistakes happen even with the best intentions, it's worth taking precautions, never mind those people with less social conscience who don't like dogs.)
 
Citidiots versus the Hillbillies! :)

I can say that since I'm grew up west of the fifth and I are one.....

There are actually laws in Alberta covering the disposal of deadstock (I know that you were dumping scraps-but they didn't know that and neither would the RCMP). If you are dumping carcasses they have to be on your own land and 400 meters from the nearest residence (excluding yours) and 500 yards from any body of water. That aside it is perfectly legal (as I understand it) to use natural disposal of animal carcasses.

Absolutely do not toss them over the coulee bank or dry creek bed.

That they are paranoid that someone is out to poison their dogs really underlines the attitude that they don't want to control them. Further, the fact that they understand what happens to wandering dogs in rural areas, means that they are knowingly violating the good neighbor policy.

If she calls the government hotline don't be surprised if you get a call from a pencil pusher or your local ag fieldman. You are likely in the right but they will only hear her side of the story and it is usually exaggerated. Speaking from first hand experience of course....
 
I had the same thing happen 3 years ago when my neighbor's dog dragged an entire deer head and dropped it on her stoop..... she came by with it in a plastic bag and shoved it in my mailbox... which made the wife really happy to say the least... her damn dog was trespassing on my land to get that head....

So I figured that since the theme was throwing things in mailboxes that were deposited on your land from her dog I would throw a few of the steaming piles the damn thing left on my lawn into her mailbox with a note....

We haven't spoken in 3 years....lol
 
The lady asks me if I could box up any other parts in the future and that they would take them to their dumpster when they go to their rental property in Calgary.
Click to expand...

I would let some sit in the sun for a week or so then give it to her to take to the city,My guess is she won't want the next batch.
 
Bluffton Bill said:
Citidiots versus the Hillbillies! :)

I can say that since I'm grew up west of the fifth and I are one.....

There are actually laws in Alberta covering the disposal of deadstock (I know that you were dumping scraps-but they didn't know that and neither would the RCMP). If you are dumping carcasses they have to be on your own land and 400 meters from the nearest residence (excluding yours) and 500 yards from any body of water. That aside it is perfectly legal (as I understand it) to use natural disposal of animal carcasses.

Absolutely do not toss them over the coulee bank or dry creek bed.

That they are paranoid that someone is out to poison their dogs really underlines the attitude that they don't want to control them. Further, the fact that they understand what happens to wandering dogs in rural areas, means that they are knowingly violating the good neighbor policy.

If she calls the government hotline don't be surprised if you get a call from a pencil pusher or your local ag fieldman. You are likely in the right but they will only hear her side of the story and it is usually exaggerated. Speaking from first hand experience of course....
Click to expand...

The dump is exactly 755 yds from the center line of the road she is on and he house is a further 100 yds off the road too. Sooooo 855 or so yds from her and on a small rise well away from water that offers me a nice view of the pile and any yotes that might be eating off of it. Only I can see it as it is not visible from the road.

To put things in perspective. When they moved in they inherited about 14 semi-feral cats with the property and spent well over a grand getting them all neutered.

I haven't told her that most land owners wouldn't bother trying to poison a problem dog as they have absolutely no qualms about openly and legally shooting them.
 
tell her you watched two blood thirsty coyotes chasing her dog across your lawn the other day. Tell her you shot the lead coyote, therefore saving her dog and next time you might not be such a good shot.


might help to have a dead coyote laying there, but that should make her keep her dog at home a little more.
 
Dogs and cats... if they're not on your property, they're on somebody else's. Train, restrain, or give them to someone who will take better care of them before something happens to them (countless dead cats on my stretch of highway, and I've clocked two dogs myself in the past 20 years).

I'm sure the Op would be upset if he accidentally shot the dog while expecting to see a yote come from his bait pile. Not the dog's fault, of course - they're all instinct.
 
The dog is a Great Pyrenees. Mistaking him for a yote is not likely nor is his being killed by coyotes since the opposite is what he was bred for. Not bad or mean and he likes chasing coyotes only (doesn't fight my dogs or chase cats) so I tolerate him and his roaming. I now know where the head of the deer I shot in WMU 102 went last winter though.
 
Maybe you should take her up on her offer. Hungry coyotes means no wandering dogs, at least not for long!:bump:
 
Your neighbours are just trying to be friendly ,maybe take them up on it and in return make some headcheese for them.and the dog still gets to go home with the pigs head.Winning.:)
 
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