Larry Blanchard wrote:

snip

In fact, I wouldn't "shoot, shovel, and shut up", if I knew the owner.
I'd take the carcass down to him and tell him he owed me for the bullet!

Of course, that could be a problem: he might just give you that bullet.
Dog owners can be pretty sentimental about their dogs.

IMO, if you let it go at all (i.e., the situation didn't demand that
you rush to get your gun the very first incident), then maybe the
cooler thing to do is talk to the owner and let him know how you feel,
before you kill his pet.

I personally would fault no one for killing anything, man or beast, who
threatened his small children. But if you take a pass, then why not use
that moratorium to resolve the situation peacefully? And if the
neighbor won't cooperate, by all means include the police in the
dialogue: they're often helpful that way, and you've covered your legal
bases in doing so.

After all, even if you could get rid of the dog with a bullet, why
would you want to live with a new and much more dangerous threat not
only to your kids but to you and anyone else on your property: a man
whose loved one has been killed by you and is bent on revenge?

Don't go there if you can help it.

Signed,
Achilles