How I Sued My Neighbor and Won- Part 1, by A.E.

I can’t help but he reminded of Hatfield/McCoy in this situation. Please know, I’m not passing judgement at all in this case, as use of the court system is a personal one and absolutely your right. But I recall a line in the mini-series of Hatfield McCoy that aired on the History Channel several years back “Might be best to let this one slide. These penny-antie squabbles got a way of turnin’ deadly.”

Also, considering the obvious economic state of your belligerent, it seems accepting the chics he offered may have been a reasonable course of action. The courts may (did) rule in your favor, but they will not compel payment, you’re on your own for that. Which goes back to what happens with petty squabbles…

Sorry to hear about the chickens, but thank you for sharing your experience. About three years ago, two of my neighbors dogs wiped out my entire flock while I was at work. I chalked it up as a learning experience and improved fortifications around the coop and never had any other problems. Looking forward to part 2.

Best lesson from your experience for me? While I understand it is more romantic to imagine taking on gangs of lawless banditos from the cities during SHTF/WROL, your story shows that most likely it will be the people we call neighbors and those closest to us that will be the problem. As one old-timer in the town where my retreat is located told me “Just because you live here don’t mean you’re FROM here.” Suffer no delusions about your safety in rural locations if you are one of the newest residents.

We are living in a culture that worships dogs. Disclaimer…I have a dog. They are dogs…not people. If my dog kills your chickens (or anything else you own) I will “euthanize” it myself and volunteer to replace or pay for the loss. I will step on some toes, a large number of people who own dogs have a mental disorder. Dogs first and people second prove it. Society has become unhinged from decency. Too bad you could not kill it before it left your property. I did that to two dogs I caught killing my livestock. I took photos, loaded them in my truck, drove up the owners driveway, dumped them on his lawn, knocked on the door, told him what happened and walked away.

I’ll never get why modern society worships dogs the way they do. My in-laws are that way. They frequently comment that people who hurt dogs should get the death penalty. I get that its sad and all but its just a dogs for crying out loud.

When we lived in the people’s republic of California we’d pass a billboard ‘Dogs are people too!’ it had a woman hugging a dog and a website to report people abusing the ‘Human’ Rights of dogs.

I can’t tell if you’re make or female based on your daughter in the storyline.

One thing that disgusts me more than that billboard is all this male bashing in the sitcoms/movies. Whereby every commercial has the single mom and daughter and no male figure allowed. Go no further than the new Incredibles movie I took my grandson to see. Disgusting.

If a dog kills chickens, chances are, he’ll be back to repeat the crime. Having an idea where the story is going (pain in the case court proceedings, followed by verdict for you, followed by worthless judgement) I’d suggest you follow the old couǹtry mantra of the three “S’s” ( shoot, shut up and shovel) when next the canine offender comes calling.

Amen, that’s the implied advise from the Deputy’s. God bless them but they have a lot going on and can’t investigate every time a dog owner is irresponsible. I have nothing against dogs and it’s upsetting being forced into position of killing one all too many times.

The law here is pretty clear on the issue of dogs and poultry. Dogs must be kept on your property. The dog owner has no legal recourse if it’s killed while fooling around with another person’s chicks.

All good. I just don’t know why you cleared your weapon and had it at slide lock. Then have to retrieve the mag if you had to? I don’t get it.

Good question. I wasn’t looking for a confrontation, just looking to confirm that the dog lived there and speak with the owner about making it right.

Remember that I was chasing the animal. Had I shown up from the wood line on the man’s property with a loaded weapon well, that could be an implied threat. The Deputy and I spoke about that and he noted on the report that I had cleared it before making contact and it was a non-issue. I avoided getting into trouble.

Tactical situations and the law are not always as cut and dried we want them to be. Rest assured, The mag was easy to retrieve and not visible to them. Also, I didn’t want to go through all the factors of that particular moment because it’s outside the scope of the article.

I don’t know how this turns out bet your best solution is to shoot the dog with out the hicks knowledge and throw it in the ditch somewhere unless you want to have this all happen again. Been there, done that. Confrontation with hicks never turns out well.

If you live in the country there are all kinds of predators roaming free. There are no leash laws out in the country. This time it was your neighbor’s dog, next time it may be a coyote or a skunk. Do you have a fence around your chicken coop where your hens can scratch in safety? A 5′ fence will protect your investment from dogs, foxes and coyotes but not from climbing predators or birds of prey. We ran a hot wire around the bottom and on top of the agra fencing and it keeps the coons and other climbers out, but not snakes. A couple of owls landed on the top hot wire and got fried. We keep our youngsters in a smaller area which is fenced and has netting over the top; this teaches them not to fly over the fence. Once they have learned that lesson they can move to the free-range area which is also fenced. Our dogs are kept within the fenced 3 acres around the house.

This story is so inspiring for me. Both of my neighbors are awful and one of them just yelled at my wife this morning because my dogs keep barking but its only because her cats roam freely through my yard. Stupid suburban living.

Thank you very much. I retired here because I just want to be left alone in peace after 4 years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. I keep to myself. I know fear very well but I don’t fear anyone when they don’t behave themselves.

Some have commented that my continual loss of property and peace is “petty”. I fought hard to earn both and won’t let anyone infringe on my God given rights. Frankly, those in the know out here are glad to have me around and would agree that encouraging people like the dog owner is counter productive.

It is a mistake to go onto a nieghbor’s property if they are not friendly and you are accusing them or their dog of a crime. It is a bigger mistake to go armed. I know many will disagree with that last statement but if you feel it is so dangerous that you must go armed then why would you go there? Call the police, file a report, gather evidence, and take them to small claims court. All of this can be done without confrontation on their property. Remember this. if you approach someone on their property and the confrontation goes South YOU are at a legal disadvantage regardless if you are right or wrong, did nothing wrong or was attacked first. You are on their property!

Don’t know you but guess you don’t carry a gun. I have concealed carry pretty much every day for the last 20 years. Only time I am not armed is when visiting a school or courthouse. Pretty much anywhere else I carry. I think the author should have kept the weapon loaded and concealed. An empty gun is not a s useful as a good rock. I do understand why the author did disarm. Manners!

You are right, you don’t know me and you are wrong because I was carrying as described. In fact I’ve carried on the job both open and concealed for over 33 years. This would not have been my first gun fight although I’m not looking for the next one anytime soon. I’m confident in my skills and training.

It’s interesting that anyone who has been in a survival situation knows that things just never go as planned. Scripting things out in your mind and then counting on things to always go as planned is dangerous. Keeping your skills sharp and current on training is a better control.

I do have a concealed carry license. I rarely carry, in fact I only carry when my wife and I hike in the woods nearby where we see cougar and bear sign regularly. There is an incredible burden if you carry concealed and an incredible risk. I am 74, don’t go where thugs hang out and I don’t go to bars or anywhere that I’m likely to get into trouble. But even if I did (especially if I did) I should not go armed. I live in an area where the police are more likely to arrest me for defending myself than arrest an attacker ^[13]
Your gun, your pride and joy, will get you sent to jail if you ever need to use it. AND it gives you false confidence. IMHO to carry everywhere you go for the last 30 years would imply you may be paranoid and need professional help.

I love dogs, and cats. Grew up on 100 acre farm in of all places Connecticut, back when there was NO personal income tax, and we were still an industrial power house. We had a not too close neighbor who did NOT understand that when my Dad said “keep your German Shepherd home”, he meant it. Dad was a crack shot, and when the dog came and starting his killing, Dad took care of the problem. We had dogs, dogs that we loved! In fact Rover who live for 20+ years was like a 6th child to my Dad. However, dogs were not to get out of control. Two times I saw my Dad cry: once when Ma was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1956 and the other when Rover finally passed away. However, we kept all our animals under control, and if any of the hogs, my horse, or the cows got out and damaged other’s property, Dad made restitution, but of course, our fences were tight and secure. Having animals, mean that the owner needs to do everything they can to make certain they do NOT cause harm to property or animals owned by others! Being a good neighbor seems to be a lost concept all too often in America.

I sued a Fellow Contractor in The redoubt, everything was going as expected. The clerk was very helpful, walked me thru the process, Got the sheriff to serve him, and then came the switch.. a scheduled Mediation hearing….. NEVER accept mediation…. Let the wheels of Justice roll as they were intended… I learned this the hard way.

Confrontations with neighbors over a couple chickens? Not worth it in my opinion. Not worth it over a dog either. Even bad neighbors. There is a time to fight and there is a time to be a peacemaker.

Well written with great humor, grabbed me from the first paragraph! I understand this is more about an example to your daughter and “notice” to your neighbors; it’s not just bout chickens! Looking forward to the next installment hoping we all gain from your experiences with these “interpersonal relations”.

Where to start? Why on earth did you clear your firearm and proceed to walk up to THREE men in a “conspiratorial huddle?” And then allowed them to flank you on both sides…despite having had a similar prior experience while “on patrol?” Are you a former police officer? You have a daughter…are you trying to make her fatherless?
And the woman you hired to serve the papers “had a gorgeous friend at the table?” If you are single that is perfectly nice to notice but not sure what it has to do with the subject.
Next time, regarding a dog attacking your property, unless it is illegal to do so…I agree with the above…”shoot, shut up and shovel.”

The chickens were just a warning, free running dogs will quite often escalate, especially if they find other dogs and make a pack. Talking to your neighbor is only reasonable if they are friends, otherwise call the sheriff. Get it reported, there may be other people that have had this problem or worse. Chickens, sheep, horses and people become prey for unrestrained dogs. Some may say this is ridiculous…until it happens to them and their animals. (I have seen sheep walking on their own guts after a dog attack)

Very interesting story, this reminds me of some people we’ve met up in our little hill neighborhood in the woods, some of them are pretty shady looking/acting. I look forward to part 2.

Did you hear banjo music as you walked up their driveway?

Apart from the work of the Lord in the hearts of men, the fallen nature of mankind never changes. Even in the glorious Redoubt you will run into those who have no regard for the rule of law nor for their neighbor. They are simply lawless, and as history has shown repeatedly, when events come where the rule of law ceases (SHTF like scenarios) they will take advantage of it and go after neighbors that have brought them before the courts for their lawlessness. The Civil War had untold numbers of such retribution in the state of Missouri, that went on for decades after the war ended. Even now this mentality prevails amongst those who have been taught to neither fear God nor keep His commandments, but always keep a grudge.

I commend this man for going to his neighbor first to get this problem resolved. Nonetheless, their initial reactions to his confrontation have several serious warning flags. And having pressed on in spite of these warnings in going to the courts to seek further justice will only up the ante with these types of people. To assume we live in an America today where justice still prevails and to naively think our neighbors have the same faith and values is to be swayed by a serious case of normalcy bias, something we all suffer from at some level. More so, as birds of a feather flock together, being the lawless cowards this man’s neighbors are, they will likely have a friend or relative do the retribution, while making sure they have an alibi. We must never underestimate the depravity of mankind nor the cunning of lawless men when it comes to evil. I know, I speak from plenty of experience living in a rural area.

Short of self defense, the option to shoot the dog and bury it is a not a wise one at this point given who these men are. And should their dog end up missing through no fault of this man’s doing, they will likely go after him all the more, regardless of the facts. And if the courts require the dog’s owner to pay restitution, and should he actually do it, does not mean that this is over with by any means. The grudges and perceived offenses of the self righteous can last for a long time.

At this point he needs to insure that his chicken facilities are well protected, but especially that he and his family take the precautions necessary to protect themselves, at all times. That means a loaded magazine already locked in and one in the chamber. Such is the situation Americans now find themselves in, even in the Redoubt.

Finally, moving to the Redoubt or any rural safe haven does not automatically guarantee like-minded neighbors. In an SHTF scenario it will likely be a neighbor that will cause you the most serious problems. Remember, in the best of times good fences make for good neighbors. But in the worst of times circling the wagons with like-minded folk in building local community with those who have proven to you their trustworthiness is the best fence you can build. Even then, we must always look to the Lord for our safety, for even those we trust can turn on us if they become desperate enough. Of Lord, be merciful and grant true revival to America.

Let’s start a movement: Hen lives matter! (HLM)

I’m surprised at the contempt shown for dogs. They have been our loyal friends, guardians, hunters, and working companions for about 30,000 years. If you think they’re “just dogs”, remember Balto, Togo, Hachiko, Greyfriars Bobby, and all the other pooches who’ve given us so much. And that dog who led his blind owner down about 70 stories in the World Trade Center.

Okay, I admit I love dogs. I’ve also been privileged to receive protection from one. While I was living alone in a big house on an acre lot, I was out late one afternoon watering flowers. A beaten-up truck drove in the driveway with two men I’d never seen before.

I wasn’t happy. Neither was my rotund, bad-tempered cocker spaniel, who promptly ran to the truck, stationed herself by the door, and made it clear she’d bite whoever got out because that was her territory and her person. The men asked if I wanted my driveway done, I said no, and they left. Buffie followed the truck out the drive, urging them on.

Maybe they were doing driveways. I don’t know. I just know that I felt a lot safer with Teshas Precious Buffie by my side. And yes, I cried some years later when she died of lymphoma in OUR bed.

I’ve had 4 major confrontations with neighbors at 4 different locations (Maine, RI, Montana (2)). All 4 related to their dogs trespassing and/or barking. All 4 dog owners indignantly defended their dogs with no offer to remedy the trespassing and/or barking.

I have to wonder how many confrontations originating from dog problems eventually escalate and result in homicides.

Are you sure this is worth it?

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 ESV)

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-42 ESV)

Is protecting my property, keeping peace on my property, standing up to the local bully and seeking justice worth it? Yes. Is it wrathful vengeance? Not at all.

Not to get into a faith debate but the full quote goes something like this:

“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine: I will repay, says the lord.” Romans 12:19

There is no wrath or vengeance involved in my actions or thoughts.

Why did you choose to confront the owner then and there? Why not return at a later date when the owner was sober and alone? Why not mail the owner a letter detailing your complaint? Would you choose to do the same again? I just don’t see what you were expecting to get out of three drunk men.

(I do mean the questions honestly. Please remember that you know the full story; I only know what you have told us.)

Neighbor disputes are difficult. Often it’s a losing battle no matter what you do. Before confronting them, he should have done some research on them. Which is much easier to do now, with the Internet, and the courts posting most public records online. Since he “had a history of being a scofflaw,” that would have probably shown up in an online search.

I agree with Missouri Mule, this won’t be over, as these people will hold a grudge and will probably get even someday, somehow.

It would probably have been better to beef up fencing of the flock to protect against all types of predators.

My neighbor experience was that he was engaged in dangerous, and illegal, opening burning practices. I politely asked him to stop, but he became enraged, acting like a psychotic maniac. After doing some research, yes, he had a criminal record, and a drinking problem (DUIs). I should have done the research before approaching him. Now I never go outdoors “socially naked.”

First when living a rural life it s up to you to protect your livestock. Most places do not have leash laws. Good fences and a watch dog are a good start. So bad dogs are a problem. My husband has had good success using a pellet gun. It stings like the dickens but doesn’t kill them. It discourages most dogs after a time or two. Also we put up a long run , fenced , for our goats and chickens to share. It was in an open meadow and the eagles and hawks were circling. We strung syring back and forth over the top to create the illusion that it was covered. The birds didn’t seem to want to fly down between the strings. I suppose they were afraid of getting caught. It worked for 13 years for us.

When I was young our neighbors dog got into our chicken pen and killed a couple, my stepmother had called my dad during the attack and he told her to shoot the dog. Unfortunately, she did so before my father could call back and say he wasn’t serious. My neighbor was an older fellow who came and collected his dead dog and he also paid for the chickens. What had been a good neighbor relationship was never the same afterwards with barely a word spoken.
As for being deranged about caring more for dogs than people, I can honestly say only my wife and son matter more than my dog. It’s not the dogs fault. People in today’s world are so constantly dissapointing that I would rather be in the company of dogs or pretty much any animal for that matter.

Amen JL, Amen. Often I hear people complaining about their “stupid” dog. I cringe while concluding in my mind that the dog is not the culprit, he/she is simply a product of it’s environment. Our dogs depend on us for leadership, so often the poor animal has no one to look up to. I understand your disappointment with people in today’s world, and like you I would choose my dog over most people. One dog lover to another, Cheers!

I too am saddened by the mean comments against dogs. I like dogs and cats and don’t trust people who don’t. And you are right the neighbor should keep his dog off of your property. And I agree even if you won in court your neighbor sounds like he will hold a grudge

Friend, I feel your pain. I would do just as you except I would have gone packed. You just never know. What you did was right. First, I try and talk to the party man to man, to take care of HIS responsibility. I’m guess I was raised different. Try and take care of it between you and your neighbor. If you have a neighbor like you have, well you do what you did. Lawfully. Now I now it is extremely hard to find a common sense judge and court (former Law Enforcement). If the court doesn’t take care of it, well then you do what you have to do! PERIOD. Secondly, if you don’t bring it to his attention the first time something happens, the other party doesn’t know you mean business and will continue on behaving the way he does around you, when it happens again, like it will. Hey you can sleep knowing you went the distance trying to just live. Keep the faith. May our GREAT GOD take us home before you know what takes place.

My father had to deal with this very same thing…. twice. The first time he shot, shoveled, and shut up. The second time, several years later, he killed the dog IN THE ACT of killing chickens and then promptly called the Sheriff. The carcass was left where it lay until the deputy arrived. The owners came looking for the dog while the deputy was enroute. The long and short of what the deputy told the owners was that my dad was well within his right to defend his livestock and that they should have kept their dog at home. This was in a rural county in western Ohio. No lawsuit was filed against my dad.

S S S is faster and costs a lot lest.

+1

This reminds me of something my dad told me some years ago. One of his neighbors complained about a white dog running and killing his sheep and didn’t know what to do about it, which my dad then said if my white dog is running and killing sheep, then shoot it. It’s cheaper to replace the dog than it is to pay for dead sheep, all he ask in return was that he be told about the dog being killed. Some weeks later the neighbor drove into the yard and said that he was sorry but he had to shoot dad’s dog because it was killing his sheep. He then said that the white dog was in the back of the truck, when dad seen the dog, he said that it wasn’t his dog and let a whistle and ol white dog came on the run from under the pouch where he had been sleeping.

Good fences make good neighbors.

The comment about the banjo player busted me up. Good one

People have no idea what their dog is capable of when it’s out roaming, especially when partnered up with another dog or two. The nicest dogs can go on killing sprees. Including the miniature poodle that grandma pampers and brings into the grocery store with her. Don’t ever think your dog couldn’t do this. My dogs have lived with cats, kittens, chickens, turkeys, and rabbits all at the same time but that doesn’t mean one of my dogs won’t kill YOUR favorite pet rabbit when it bolts in front of them.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this article ends. The author is much kinder than I would have been but maybe I can learn something from their experience.

Actually I think you handled it perfectly. kudu”s
to you for confronting the three guys- takes guts. Marine? looking forward to part 2.

The only thing worse than your chickens being killed by your neighbour’s dog, is when they’re getting killed by your kid’s purebred dog that cost more than your flock + the henhouse…luckily the second one gave him such a big tummy ache it took half a can of pumpkin to fix his guts…now he leaves them alone.

Any dog I’ve ever owned gave me unconditional love and loyalty and friendship. 95% of the people I have known have given me none of these. I’ll trust a dog over a human any day.

I guess I need to expand my remarks now that I’m marked as a dog hater.
First, I’ve been down this road several times. I own 20 fenced acres in the country and have kept horses, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens and guinea fowl. Even with good fences there can be problems.

I had one set of neighbors who kept several dogs but did nothing to restrain them. I have been told by other neighbors that when those dogs started getting into trash and complaints went unanswered, a couple of the dogs turned up “missing”. My problems with these folks started when their dogs showed up in my yard attacking my dog. My complaints lead to their confinement for a few weeks, then they were back to roaming the neighborhood. At that time I found a couple of goats killed in my pasture, probably by dogs but didn’t witness it. I spoke to the neighbors telling them i suspected their dogs and asking them again to confine them. No help or action there. So one Sunday afternoon I’m working in the barn and hear dogs attacking another goat in my pasture. Looking out i see two dogs have one of my goats down. I look and the neighbors vehicle is gone (their backyard bordered the pasture). My first shot downs dog one but doesn’t kill it. The second dog instantly runs for the neighbors backyard. I let it go, hoping it learned a lesson. I walk out into the pasture (shot was from inside the barn) and put the down dog out of its misery. Then I look up to see the neighbor family sitting on their recessed back porch wearing shocked looks. I put down my shotgun, walk to the fence and apologize telling them i didn’t know they were home and reminding the husband of our multiple talks about the dogs. The the wife says it doesn’t matter as they only care about Muffy. You can guess which dog turned out to be the casualty.

The wife tried to get a warrant for me for Animal Cruelty, but learned that dogs trespassing and attacking livestock are fair game. The relationship with those neighbors steadily went downhill until they finally moved away. Not a good outcome.

In a second incident, a ghost got its head stuck in a pasture fence. A different neighbors dog was running loose, crossed into my property (an unfenced wooded lot) and killed the trapped goat as I crossed the pasture to free it. The dog flex but I recognized it and approached the owner (a friend) asking him to secure the dog. He didn’t believe his dog could do that and refused. I let the matter drop and about a month later he pulled in my drive with his hat in hand. He had a dead goat in his truck that his dog brought home. It wasn’t my goat ( came from another nearby farm) but it convinced him. Fortunately, we remained friends and still are. That was a lucky outcome .

Lots of people just let their dogs run and don t have a clue about potential problems. That’s why I advocate the three S’s.

I agree with you entirely and the three S’s are one course of action among a few. In this particular case it wasn’t. We deal with a situation as it’s presented and make decisions in that moment.

I suspect there are some readers who are learning some hard fast facts about keeping their dog under control. Perhaps the dogs life they save will be their own.

It’s a surprise this has become a debate about tactics and dogs versus live stock. Inane things such as dealing with a neighbor, driving on the highway and even clogging all have the potential to become survival situations. Well, maybe not clogging. Just curious if anyone is paying attention.

Having lived in the country all my life and having raised all types of livestock I’ve killed a lot of trouble dogs. I always kill them and bury them and never say a word. Just that simple.

A couple of chickens is not worth all the fuss of a court battle but confronting your neighbor over the issue is a good idea. My dog, give the chance, would kill chickens because that is is nature. That is why the yard is fenced. He does a great job of knocking off possums, squirrels, rats and keeping the coons away.

It sounds like the redoubt chuckle heads are as bad as the urban chuckle heads. Pick your battle. Like Nam, you may win all the battles but lose the war

I’m sure I’m not the only one who found your comments about the “gorgeous friend” of the process server inappropriate and a little creepy.

“Creepy”! Really? Why? Should humans not notice that someone is attractive? Ever go to a movie? Notice that actors are attractive? Why? People like beauty. The makeup market in America is a trillion dollar market. Now THAT is creepy. Get over it. humans actually like attractive humans.

in this era of 3rd wave feminist, Godless, masculine, blue haired, tatted, over-fat, nose-ringed “you must accept me” females this social Marxist criticism is lost on me.

A feminine, modest, Christian woman with self pride is a rare sight indeed and I’ll take note while being the gentleman.

In Vegas just a few years ago a dog killed a child. The outcry from people all over to protect this poor dog that mauled and killed a child was insane. They ended up transferring the dog to a shelter out of state for it’s own protection. If that had been my child the dog would have been dead before the police arrived to write their reports.

Now what happens, a couple years go by, employees change over at the shelter and this killer dog gets “adopted” out to a family with kids?

Every day as a mailman I hear over and over again “my dog wont bite” and every day an average of 10 mailmen are bit by dogs that don’t bite. Some have actually been killed by these precious dogs. People have no idea the things their dogs do when left out alone. The most dangerous time is if the owner is there and the mailman reaches out to hand them the mail. The dog interprets it as a threat and attacks. Know several carriers bit this way and the people always say the same thing “he has never done that before”.

I make the chicken house a fortress. I figure Cougars and coyotes and everything else is bound to try getting in. critters climb up and in or dig and come up from underneath. After having loose dogs go after me I just don’t feel sorry for people who don’t control their dogs.

People think that moving to a rural area that they will not have to deal with all the jerks they had to deal with living in a city.
Far from it. Unfortunately, there are as many jerks living in rural areas (per capita) as there are living in cities. One of the unfortunate aspects of life is you never get rid of all the jerks, as they seem to be every where.
You just have to deal with them as best you can and realize that eventually they’ll get what is coming to them.