I almost acted too fast

I went out to check the chickens just after dark last night. A hen was missing. ...so was my Border Collie.  Yes, there were feathers in the yard. I called him. He did not come.  Several times I called him without results ... though I could hear him barking in the woods. My wife and I were certain   a gun was going to be the only solution.  At daybreak  I went to look for him.  I found him deep in the woods guarding a pretty healthy chicken.

I think you should rename him Gelert.

What a  good dog! I hope he got a hunk of steak for that!

They are unthawing.  It was his luck that I found a couple borderline ones ( older) in the freezer. I gave the short form of his actions. Actually, he came home several times .... only to run back into the woods. I was too stupid to listen.  I just got madder each time he ran off. My guess is he saved it from some other animal.

Hi Burra,

A lesson I learned as a CEO was to never act immediately unless it was a crisis that demanded immediate action.  Too often my initial assessment has been wrong or I have received bad information.

A hero!

Dogs are wonderful animals that help us in many , many ways I could not have built my farm and goat business without the help of a puppy that I adopted from a shelter My animals have given me everything. But they are also just animals and if they get into or cause trouble, it''s not their fault. It's mine. People wonder why I don't dump my best but very destructive horse. It's not his fault I built fences that he can easily destroy. It's not his fault I don't have the time or don't make the time to ride and train him more often. So I'll rebuild the pasture paddocks one fence at a time until the entire place is horse proof. And I'll stop making excuses and invest more time into his care and training.

If you own vulnerable animals like sheep, goats, poultry, it's your job to keep them safe and in safe enclosures when needed. Although poultry costs money, so do dogs. Of the two animals only one will stand between you and a bear. Only one will save you from a burning house. Only one will run for help, corral a herd of loose goats, stay with you until help arrives or find a lost child.

There are many humane ways to contain and train dogs. Make the needed investment and you'll both be much happier.