It has been reported to the Parish Council that a dog was seen by walkers attacking a sheep near the footpath at Wood Farm on Saturday.
I didn’t feel able to post the photos because they are very distressing.
The dog bit out the sheep’s eye and its backside. The sheep was put down.
If anyone has any information, please let me know and I will put you in contact with the farmer.
Please keep dogs on a lead or under close control when on public footpaths and bridleways.
The Rambler’s give advice about walking with dogs:
Walkers with dogs should take particular care when crossing fields where animals are being grazed. Section 1 of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 makes it an offence for a dog to be at large, ‘that is to say not on a lead or otherwise under close control’, in a field or enclosure containing sheep.
Walkers with dogs should take particular care when crossing fields where animals are being grazed. Section 1 of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 makes it an offence for a dog to be at large, ‘that is to say not on a lead or otherwise under close control’, in a field or enclosure containing sheep.
It’s also an offence for dogs to attack or chase livestock and farmers are allowed to shoot dogs that are worrying, or are about to worry, farm animals. This is set out in section 9 of the Animals Act 1971, which also states that the farmer isn’t liable to compensate the dog’s owner in such circumstances.
The is a Police brochure about livestock worrying sheep-watch-livestock_worrying_leaflet_v3