[lawdgawd]

A lot of the things that people used to do a generation back with animals are now illegal.

Not taking care of a sick dog? Everyone did it in the villages and rural areas. Now? Illegal.

Putting a dog in danger knowingly? Illegal.

Tying up a dog for several hours? Illegal.

killing a dog or kitten that has become a pain and a bother? Illegal.

This is the situation in 2021. Assuming OP gets dogs in 2021, and they are likely to live ten years in normal case, what can one expect the legal situation to be by 2031? Mandatory sterilising, microchipping are all in the pipeline - its just a matter of time before they will become real.

There are increasing number of people who care about these issues. Cops are also a lot more engaged with animal cruelty than they were before. I am talking specifically about Goa here. What our parents' generation used to do as a matter of fact, does not work all that well now. I grew up with working dogs, and have pet dogs now. A lot of things have changed, and its much safer to avoid the risks associated with OP's plan.

[Cessna182]

Indie dogs are like the Mahindra Boleros of the doggie world. Totally dependable, low maintenance and very hardy. You won't have to worry about spending on dog food for them. You can request for bones/low priced parts from the local meat shops and cook it with a bit of rice to make for a nutritious meal. Someone I know is also a vegetarian but he kept a separate stove and utensil to make stews with animal parts for the dog.

In fact, indie dogs will have more fun being outdoors and may never need to enter the house. In the sunderbans area, many goat owners keep such dogs for protecting their flock. In many Maharashtra villages, such dogs guard cattle flocks from leopards. The logic is that a tiger or a leopard is less likely to attack if it gets noticed. They attack in stealth mostly.

Don't buy an expensive breed. You can keep the indie puppies and within a few months they will be great companions. You might need to spend a bit on vaccination etc but that is nominal.

[rdst_1]

I think many people commenting on this thread don't realize the difference between farm animals and pets. I have kept a Gaddi dog in the past and also seen many of them through the years when the Gaddi make their way through our lands. Trust me, thise dogs do extremely fine without feeling the need of humans as a family. I'm not saying my grandparents (they were the permanent residents at the farm and not me, at that time) and the dog weren't close to each other and shared a bond like usual pets, but I've seen the chemistry between the shepherds and their dogs and it's totally different.

As for the OP, you'll need a big pack of guard dogs to even think about fending off a tiger. In our hills, dogs are the favorite prey of leopards and only a pack of Gaddi dogs are somewhat capable of scaring the leopard away. A tiger is many times more formidable and 2-3 dogs won't be enough in a real standoff. But yes, a small pack of good guard dogs will be able to alert you in time. But the family needs to be receptive and even if they are farm animals, their needs will need to be met, just like your cows. As for a vegetarian diet, my Mom's side of the family has been farming since 1955 and have had some dog or other at the farm and they always fed them vegetarian food only. I don't know what affects that can have on the length of the life of the animals but I know for a fact that one of their dogs lived for more than 20 years. Now they have a Rottweiler and due to the suggestion of the vet, they do try and feed him non veg at times. Our Gaddi couldn't even digest meat properly and used to be much happier with milk and roti only.

Even I will be acquiring a pair of pups soon for my farm, but my area is fenced so it won't be much of an issue. I'll probably stick with Gaddi dogs as they are the local breed here. But be warned, good guard dogs will probably end up barking the whole night. Our Gaddi used to patrol the whole perimeter with continuous barking the whole night and you get used to it pretty soon. I don't know if that is good or bad, but I feel, it would be better if you can get them trained to only bark at specific moments as that would help in ascertaining whether there is a danger or a not, in a better way than if the dogs kept barking all night. It might be difficult but I think it would be worth it.

[Kosfactor]

Dogs are much loved by wild predators, they love to eat them. The leopards used to pick up the smaller dogs straight off their front yard in Ooty where my friend has a farm. I`m sure tigers would be no different, the dogs were later kept in cages in different parts of the estate afterwards for signaling, they roam free during the day. A few fully grown Rottweilers survived a few encounters with leopards, successfully chased them away as well but they no longer wanted to risk it.

When we had several guard dogs in our ancestral home with farm land around, never used to let anyone pet the Dog, it never sees anyone during the day time either. they come out of the cage only after gates and doors are locked, everyone at home were scared of the dog.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I feel your question presumes too much. I guess you are not familiar with what farm life is all about.

You are right I did presume too much, but it's clear that she did know how to handle animals, and understand their requirements.

That was my point.

Cheers.

[Doc_nikhil]

Hi. I just chanced upon your thread and this are my suggestions.

- first off the bat, you do not seem like a dog lover. Or at least not have been exposed to dogs before. So you seem to assume a few things would be ok with the dogs. Like minimal care, they trying to take care of themselves and last but not least, take on a tiger and protect the land. If these are your prime requirements, please then please avoid getting a dog or dogs. They are generally fun loving animals and they love to be around their owners. What you seem to need is a security guard at the least.

- A security guard would do all the things you expect, not be dirty, take care of himself and also if equipped with proper arms, fend off a pack of thieves, maybe if he is ex-forest ranger, deal with the tiger without harming it mortally.

- finally, slightly OTT, but. I know this point / question has been asked multiple times but are you sure that it’s a tiger and not a smaller cat like a leopard or a fox? I mean, unless you are in a densely forested area or close to it, it’s pretty rare to actually chance upon a tiger, they are dwindling at an alarming rate, more than what been published and projected. If it is, then I think it’ll be more responsible to just inform the nearest forest officials so that they can do what’s necessary without putting it in danger.

- also, can we have a glimpse of your farm? Tiger visiting a farm, I need to see this land. Must be lush with greenery and lots of wildlife in and around it!

Regards,
Doc.

[landcruiser123]

Pet dogs are different compared to a farm dog meant to do work, so I'd suggest discussing with experts. The experts you should contact are locals in the village and people who do similar kind of work. Local breeds are best considering the work you expect them to do. They are best adapted for the harsh conditions, generally have good immunity, and can be trained/handled easily by your employees.

BHPian 2000rpm made some very good points. Don't try to use a knife to solve all your problems. You need a gun and a sewing needle to tackle different tasks - i.e. the dog can't protect cattle against the tiger. Sure, it would bark - but would people on the farm be able to locate a tiger in the dark night and shoot a tranquilizer/pelt stones to frighten it?

[akshay380]

Hi there. I am a native Goan staying in a village having our own farm land. First thing, I believe it's a Leopard and not a tiger, unless your farm is right on the north eastern fringes of Goa. If the main requirement is to protect your cows, get a proper electric fencing done. Dog is pretty helpless against a tiger. A pack of trained dogs should be able to scare away a leopard, still there is a good chance they'll sneak away one of your dog's when they are resting.

Btw, I hope you treat the dogs as a family member and not as a machine. Good luck.

[GTO]

Mod Note: This discussion has run its course. Closing thread. Thank you.