Pexels/Reddit
Living in a rural area often means dealing with wildlife and the occasional stray animal. But one homeowner says their biggest problem isn’t nature—it’s the people living a few acres away.
According to OP, their neighbors’ unaltered dogs multiplied into a roaming pack that allegedly killed livestock, chased pedestrians, scattered trash, and repeatedly disrupted the surrounding community. Despite numerous complaints, OP says local animal control was slow to respond and often insisted they had to catch the dogs in the act before taking any action.
After authorities eventually removed most of the animals, OP says the neighborhood enjoyed a few months of peace. Now, however, they claim they’ve spotted another stray dog breeding with the neighbors’ remaining mastiff, leaving them worried the cycle is about to start all over again.
Context: very rural, the county sherrif does animal control.
They will show up in 3 hours or 3 days and say well the problem animal isn’t here right now, I can’t do anything, you know you could just shoot it on your property.
They don’t care about video. Only “catching the perp red pawed” . Video apparently a civil complaint.
Rude.
NFH had 2 large breed unaltered dogs that turned to 12 as unaltered animals do. Some died.
A pack of 9 terrorized the hood. Killing livestock chasing pedestrians, spreading garbage.
Ultimately something sacred these a******s and they hauled off 8 dogs.
Holy moly.
Peace for 3 months. Today I say a random stray pit bull breeding their OG Mastiff. WTF. WTF. WTF. What a pile of human garbage lives 5 acres away from me.
They are not too poor to spay, I’ve offered the 50$ Vet clinic and my own money. They drive fancy cars, have landscaping every year, and told me to f*** right off.
They just don’t care about the dogs or the neighbors.
Reddit largely understood OP’s frustration, with many commenters expressing sympathy for both the neighbors affected by the roaming dogs and the animals themselves. Readers criticized the alleged failure to spay or neuter the dogs, especially after the problems had already escalated once before. Many felt the situation reflected irresponsible pet ownership that could easily lead to another uncontrolled population.
At the same time, commenters encouraged OP to focus on documenting any future incidents rather than acting out of anger. Many suggested continuing to report roaming dogs, livestock attacks, or other documented violations to animal control while keeping records that could support future complaints if the issue worsened again. Others noted that enforcement in rural areas can be inconsistent, making thorough documentation especially important.
Several readers also pointed out that the real victims are often the dogs themselves, which end up neglected, abandoned, or euthanized because of their owners’ decisions. While many shared OP’s outrage, they hoped intervention would come before another large pack had the chance to form.
The overall consensus was that OP’s anger was understandable, but the best chance of preventing history from repeating itself would be persistent reporting and documentation rather than assuming authorities would act immediately.
Never Miss a Story
Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.
This person has a good observation.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a neighbor who ends up with a problem of their own after calling the city about a shed.
This person thinks this whole thing is so frustrating.
And this person doesn’t take any of it lightly.
When irresponsible pet ownership becomes a neighborhood problem, everyone—including the animals—ends up paying the price.
Enjoyed this story?
