Anonymous wrote:Not the PP you're responding to but growing up on a farm, we shot unfamiliar dogs that came onto our property. All the farmers did since the unknown dogs can be a significant threat to livestock. I don't know why this case would be any different. If the neighbors' dog are barking at you and your kids, digging holes under the fence to get at you, it would be reasonable to protect your family. I don't know about the poison but I think it would be pretty hard to prove that you poisoned a dog deliberately. Also the law regarding tresspassers and homeowner liability generally do not apply if there was restricted access to the property - like a locked gate. If the dog is digging under the fence, there is not implied permission to enter the premises.
You're throwing around legal terms but you're not using them correctly. Wrong--just because you have a locked gate doesn't mean that you can poison or kill. Just not the case. As to you growing up on a farm and shooting unknown dogs on sight, this isn't in the 1970s and it isn't a farm. Animal law has really evolved. If you kill someone's pet in a situation short of truly trying to save yourself (say, during an attack), you may be on the hook. Not millions but tens of thousands, not to mention legal fees.
What "legal terms" are being thrown around incorrectly? I noticed you're not citing anything. Are you even a lawyer or just some animal nut?
If I have rat poison out in my backyard, it's not my fault if the neighbor's dog comes into yard from a hole it dug under my fence and gets into the poison. Sure, I "may" get sued but a meteor "may" fall on me tomorrow and that would be the end of me.