I need to know what I can do legally about a dog problem I am having. Our neighbors have several pit bull dogs. They are sometimes in a pen and sometimes not. They have been coming to my house and my neighbors house for over a year now, but recently they have become more vicious with my pets. They have killed 13 kittens and injured my basset hound. I can prove that they killed the kittens, but not the injury to my dog. I did see them growl and bite at my dog at one time. My husband and I have talked to the neighbors a long time ago about not allowing their dogs on our property, but they have not seemed to attempt to prevent it.
Here's what you also need to know. We live in a rural area and there are no leash laws. The sheriff's department has been called about the dogs on five different occassions that I know of (twice by us and three times by our neighbors). Our neighbor's cat was also killed by the pit bulls, but they have no proof, other than the fact that my husband and I saw them at their house on the day they found the cat dead. In fact, we called the neighbors to let them know the dogs were on their property and when they got home, they found their cat dead.
I have photographs of the dogs on my property and of my dead kittens. They came to the house on three different occassions for their murdering spree (7 kittens dead the first time, 5 kittens dead the second time, and 1 dead the third time). It was brutal and heartless, they killed them in one bite and left their mutalated bodies. The sheriff's department took pictures as well. The neighbors have quit answering the phone now.
FYI- My neighbor is a professional football player, which seems to have a bearing on how much the officers pursue this.
I am scared for my three small children and I want to do something about this ASAP. I do not want my children and myself to live in fear of what these animals may do next. They seem to get more and more vicious by the day. I live in MS, if that makes a difference. WHAT ARE MY LEGAL RIGHTS IN THIS AND DO I NEED TO FILE A CASE TO STOP THIS MADNESS?
Here's what you also need to know. We live in a rural area and there are no leash laws. The sheriff's department has been called about the dogs on five different occassions that I know of (twice by us and three times by our neighbors). Our neighbor's cat was also killed by the pit bulls, but they have no proof, other than the fact that my husband and I saw them at their house on the day they found the cat dead. In fact, we called the neighbors to let them know the dogs were on their property and when they got home, they found their cat dead.
I have photographs of the dogs on my property and of my dead kittens. They came to the house on three different occassions for their murdering spree (7 kittens dead the first time, 5 kittens dead the second time, and 1 dead the third time). It was brutal and heartless, they killed them in one bite and left their mutalated bodies. The sheriff's department took pictures as well. The neighbors have quit answering the phone now.
FYI- My neighbor is a professional football player, which seems to have a bearing on how much the officers pursue this.
I am scared for my three small children and I want to do something about this ASAP. I do not want my children and myself to live in fear of what these animals may do next. They seem to get more and more vicious by the day. I live in MS, if that makes a difference. WHAT ARE MY LEGAL RIGHTS IN THIS AND DO I NEED TO FILE A CASE TO STOP THIS MADNESS?
