Dave's post on delayed appointments got me thinking.

Saturday just past,  2 big mastiff looking dogs broke through my front gate.
They started chasing 2 horses in front house yard and wife was very emotional.
Then they both latched onto my old Doberman who has cancer and had him.pinnedvon the ground.
Now I love that dog like my child and I snapped

Got a broom and started laying unto these dogs.
They were actually not trying to kill him, more play fighting in retrospect  but I didn't know that at the time.

Neighbours , a concreter and a retired fireman turned up.

Just then owner turned up and let's just say had a bad attitude.

" leave my smacking dogs alone" he bellowed.

I ran at him with the broom.

Now we were standing face to face.
He was a BIG dude.

I said , have a swing, you can spend years in jail
My wife was screaming.
The concreter was screaming.
The dude tells my wife " you need a muzzle bitch".

It was then,  quite suddenly, I regained my self control.

He and his sons had the dogs by the collars but they weren't leaving.
The concreter really wanted a fight.
I could see broken jaws and head injuries ,maybe myself or my wife but I didn't want to just back down.

I said to the son. Mate let's load the dogs up in your car and get your dad put of here.
I know he loves his dogs, sorry for belting them, my poor old bloke has cancer.

The son softened.

The bloke and the concreter were still shirt fronting each other.

The son got his dad our.
I got the concreter out.

Situation settled.

I truly think if punches flew it would have been a disaster.
Broken bones, jail terms, dogs on people , awful.

I took wife inside and calmed her down

We got dressed cause we were going out.

And here's the funny thing.

The BIG guy who owned the dogs pulled up as we were heading out.

He almost had tears in his eyes.
He said he had shamed himself in front of his son
He spologised to my wife who just explained she loved her horses and wad scared they would go thru a fence
He shook my hand ( nearly broke it with his grip)


And THEN  my concreter mate comes running from next door to defend me.

I assured him it was all cool.
He said he still wanted to bash the C.

Mate , I said,
Then you might go to jail.

Very grateful for the training.
I think, as a 65 kg guy, it saved my life

Hi Aqua,
correct me if I'm wrong but I think as a farmer -

you're allowed to shoot dogs that are attacking your stock?   

Google AI.

Question:

In Australia - as a farmer - you're allowed to shoot dogs that are attacking your stock?


Answer:

Yes, farmers in Australia are generally allowed to shoot dogs that are actively attacking or worrying their livestock, but the rules are governed strictly by state and territory laws rather than a single national rule.

State-by-State Rules

Queensland:
Under Business Queensland guidelines, roaming domestic dogs or wild dogs may be shot only if you reasonably believe they are attacking or likely to attack livestock, the dog is not under someone's control, you hold a valid firearms licence, and the land is subject to a rural fire levy.


Western Australia:
Under Section 34 of the WA Dog Act 1976, a property owner or handler can lawfully shoot a dog found attacking livestock or poultry if there is no other way to stop the attack, and you must notify the police as soon as practicable.


New South Wales:
Farmers or their employees can lawfully seize, detain, or injure/destroy a dog on their property if they reasonably believe it may injure or kill farmed livestock.


Victoria:
Landholders have legal rights to protect their stock from threatening dogs on their property, though community discussions on Facebook indicate a general consensus that actions must be directly tied to an active threat and local police reporting rules may apply.


Key Legal Requirements

• Active Threat: In most jurisdictions, the dog must be actively attacking, chasing, or posing an immediate, unavoidable threat to stock. Shooting a dog merely for trespassing or after it has already fled is generally illegal.

• Firearms Compliance: You must hold a valid state-issued firearms licence and use an approved firearm type safely.


• Notification: Several states require you to report the shooting to the local police or local government rangers within a specific timeframe.


• Owner Liability: Dog owners whose pets escape and harm livestock face heavy financial liability for vet bills, lost stock, and major council fines.


If you want to check the exact rules for your region, tell me which state or territory you are located in so I can provide the specific legislation.

Thanks Bobby. Good to know. I wouldn't shoot a dog though. Bad karma

Bobby. wrote on Oct 7^th, 2026 at 3:30pm:


You will have to go through all this

Quote:

Since when it not getting into a brawl something to do with "emotional training"? Did you have to go to anger management classes?

For starters, I wouldn't have gotten into a fight with dogs. The last bloke I saw do that ended up stabbing himself.

aquascoot wrote on Oct 7^th, 2026 at 3:09pm:


That's because you're not a sociopath.