Out of control dogs have left one farmer 31 sheep down, only six months after the worst sheep-worrying incident in living memory which left 116 sheep dead.
At 4pm on Friday 2nd December, Tom Hadley was alerted to an attack on his flock of weaned lambs by two dogs. Arriving quickly on the scene, he saw one of the dogs chewing on one of the lambs. In total, 31 were killed and 14 injured, in a flock of 56.
“When they spotted me they came rushing to the gate”, said the young farmer, who has spent the last three years breeding sheep.
“I shot one of them twice, but it just got up and both of them ran to the woods.”
Meanwhile, West Mercia Police had 20 armed officers and a helicopter on and around the scene to find the dogs. A 64-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being the owner or person in charge of a dangerously out of control dog.
Unfortunately, attacks such as these are not uncommon. Only in March earlier this year, 116 sheep were killed in the worst attack in living memory. This sheep-worrying incident, which police believe was almost certainly brought on by dogs, led to sheep either being crushed by the panicked herd, who had rushed up against the fence, or dying from shock.
The incident in March left farmer Gordon Wyeth with a £17,000 livestock loss, plus £2,000 to dispose of the carcasses.
Sgt Tom Carter from Sussex Police said it was a “terrible sight.”
“So often in these incidents the owners are horrified by what their dogs have done, but they have to accept that even the most docile of pets can quickly turn into a killer given the opportunity.” He said, “We urge people to keep their dogs on a lead while they are walking in rural areas and around livestock.”
Mr Hadley, who has insurance, estimates the costs of £10,000 following the attack on his herd. He said he hoped the dog owner also had insurance.
“To have all my hard work wiped out in one afternoon is soul destroying”, he said.
It is believed that police have since found and seized the two dogs involved in the attack.
Inspector Daniel Pilkington said: “We would like to remind the public that it is an offence for a dog owner and anyone controlling a dog to allow it to worry livestock on agricultural land.
“Under the Animals Act 1971 a farmer, landowner or anyone acting on their behalf has a legal right to shoot your dog to protect their property.”
Steven Swift, Development Manager at McClarrons, adds: “We see many farmers making claims due to a loss of livestock caused by dog attacks. Whilst there is protection out there available to farmers should they suffer such an ordeal, this cannot alleviate any of the distress involved with such incidents. It is therefore important that people are continually reminded to keep their dogs under control when walking in the vicinity of livestock”.
