I grew up on a farm in southern Alberta. When I was about five years old, our dalmation (Spotty) wandered into a neighbor's yard and killed the chickens. Just for fun.

My father called another neighbor to put a 0.22 bullet into Spotty's head. Looking back, it was the only solution.

I was sad. But we got a mongrel, Sporty. Great for kids. We have lots of stories. He was a killer too, but mice and garter snakes. He wanted to kill rabbits, but they were too fast. He roamed the farms, but no chasing cows or hunting chickens. My father told neighbors to use their small rifles if necessary. Sporty lived to an old age.

It was an unwritten rule in our farming community that dogs were great, but people and livestock were more important. Quite a few dogs met their end for chasing cows.