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Sheep’s battle for survival
A FARMER has spoken of her horror when she saw that another of her animals had been brutally attacked by an out-of-control dog at a Cayton Bay clifftop.
Alison Burgess, who has a farm outside Muston with her husband Andrew, said this was not the first such attack and she was concerned for the ewe’s unborn lamb.
She said that it was also touch and go whether the ewe would survive after being “ripped to pieces”. She added: “I thought ‘not again’.”
Some of the bite wounds were down to the bone and the animal was attacked around the tail, to the front legs and neck – but this is not the first incident in Cayton.
Mrs Burgess said: “We’ve had them attacked there before and another field that we have in Cayton we have had dogs that have chased them.”
The recent attacks were during December and Mrs Burgess said that dogs should be kept under proper control by owners. She added: “You can’t believe the injuries.”
Steve Timms, a vet based at Alma Veterinary Surgery, treated the stricken animal and said: “It was just horrific. It was surprising it was still alive. It was one of the worst cases I’ve seen.”
He added that it was not just the physical injuries because the mental trauma could threaten unborn lambs. He said: “The shock sets them to lamb prematurely and abort.”
Geoff Edmond, the RSPCA inspector for Scarborough, was called to the incident. He said: “The sheep was in a distressed state and was unable to move far, its injuries were fresh and typical of being the victim of a vicious attack which may well have been by a dog.”
Geoff Edmond, the RSPCA inspector for Scarborough, said: “When I arrived the sheep was alive but with multiple recent wounds which were bleeding. The sheep was in a distressed state and was unable to move far, its injuries were fresh and typical of being the victim of a vicious attack which may well have been by a dog.
“With the help of North Yorkshire County Council Trading Standards Animal Health Officers I contacted the owner who met me promptly at the field.
“The owners were understandably upset by what they saw and told me they had other sheep attacked by dogs.
“This is a serious concern and also at this time of year many ewes are in lamb ready to give birth in the spring.
“I would urge dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead when walking through fields containing livestock.”
PC Graham Bilton, Scarborough’s wildlife crime officer and rural beat manager, is the officer investigating the incident and said he was concerned that there had been several attacks in the same area.
He added: “This has obviously caused a great deal of upset for the owner, not only have a number of sheep been physically injured but the remaining flock have been chased which can in itself cause long term problems especially if the sheep are in lamb at the time.
“Dog owners need to be made aware that this type of irresponsible behaviour will not be tolerated.
“If dogs are being exercised within an area containing livestock it is a simple task to keep it under control and on a lead.
“Owners who allow their animals to worry and attack livestock may find themselves being prosecuted and their dog being destroyed.”
• Anyone who saw anything relating to this incident is urged to either contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234999 or North Yorkshire Police on 101.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 15 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
guesticulate
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 03:34 PM#12 .....that is why I have suggested training the sheep to fight back. It is the only real step forward. Sheep can be trained to be aggressive. I think that most people do not realise this. If you had seen some of the "hard" sheep that I know you would realise.
Sportinglife
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 02:32 PM#11 - Talk about labouring a point!
politically_incorrect
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 01:04 PMMust have an owner? Never heard of strays?!
Bluebird One
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:22 PM#2,7, & 11 There are times when a funny comment can be made, this is not the time.
guesticulate
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:11 PMTrain the sheep in martial arts I say! Then if a dog attacks them they can give them a good old lamb chop! That will teach the blighters!
Animalhouse
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 08:05 AMI am surprised to see so much agreement in what I said about farmers' right to shoot. I know it isn't always a dog's fault, if they are taken to that field for exercise, but the owner's are responsible. It is in these situations where microchips prove their worth. I believe there has been talk of making it compulsory to have your dogs microchipped, and I support any campaign to do so. When a vet at Eastfield is 'chipping for £10, it's not a lot to ask. All I would ask of the local council is that the dog warden stops using a ridiculously expensive kennels that is miles away from even a bus route to take stray dogs to! My dog was let out of my enclosed garden by passing children and was difficult to get back as I have no car. Extra fees were incurred as I had to wait until the next day for transport. And my dog is microchipped and tagged with 2 telephone numbers.
heavensentmum
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:18 PMI love dogs and have voiced my opinion many times on stories where people have classed certain breeds as devil dogs without condemning the owners for their treatment of the dogs. I don't love dogs which attack and condemn owners who don't control their animals. Shoot the dog and ban the owner.
arctic monkey
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:04 PM#2 & #7 Don't be flippant, this is a serious matter, very distressing for the farmer and traumatic for the animal.
guesticulate
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 08:26 PMWhy do you all overlook the obvious solution? Train the sheep up to be killersheep that attack dogs....EASY!
pteronaut
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 08:05 PM#4 Perhaps, if the farmers started shooting their dogs for worrying the livestock, there would be fewer of mindless owners. Failing that, they should be allowed to shoot the owners.
Bluebird One
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 04:04 PMThis dog must have an owner, and when the owner is found a fine should be given and the vets bill made out to them. After that a court order to stop people like these owning a dog in future.
nocensorship
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 03:08 PM#3 I have no problem with that method, but there are far too many irresponsible dog owners out there who think it is their right to do as they please.
Animalhouse
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 01:14 PMThere was a time when a farmer would shoot any dog running loose in fields where there was livestock and it didn't go to court. I know this because it happened to my brother-in-law, although there was a dispute over whose land the dog was actually on. While I wouldn't advocate this method of keeping dogs under control, owners would maybe think twice about allowing their dogs to run in fields of sheep.
guesticulate
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:34 PMI think that farmers should teach their sheep to be more ferocious so that they gang up on any dogs that are not on a lead and see them off. A flock of angry sheep would easily overpower a dog. This solution is excellent. I think I shall patent it.
geoffreys
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:10 AMEven on a lead a dog can seriously upset a pregnant ewe. Best to keep dogs well away from the fields where livestock are. After all, a farmer's field is generally PRIVATE LAND.
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