Dog attacks cost farmer €20,000 in dead sheep
A Wexford farmer has lost more than €20,000 worth of livestock in three separate attacks by dogs on on sheep in Taghmon and Galbally over the past six months.
The latest incident happened in Youngstown, Taghmon last week when more than 15 sheep were savaged to death and several more injured in an attack by two dogs.
‘I went into the field and found a load of ewes and lambs dead and hurt. I’m well used to it by now,’ said the farmer who asked that his name would not be published.
In February, the former mechanic who started full-time farming a year ago, lost a large number of ewes and lambs on his land in Hayestown, Taghmon following another dog attack.
‘On that occasion, the ewes were run and badly hurt and afterwards they all started aborting.’
The sheep farmer said after that attack, his father followed the dog down to the home of its owner and informed him that if any damage had been caused he would have to pay compensation.
Two pedigree lambs valued at €800 were lost but the dog owner failed to pay compensation. He also said he would get rid of the dog but the following day it was still on the road, he said.
Last December. he lost €18,000 worth of Suffolk pedigree yews and lambs in an attack by a dog which he shot on his land in the field where the sheep kill occurrred.
‘I rang the gardai and I told them what had happened. They brought the owner to the dog and he made a statement admitting it was his dog. There are charges pending in that case.’
‘I lost €13,000 in dead livestock and it cost another €5,000 for veterinary and animals disposal bills. But I got not one cent from the owner. He was pig ignorant.’
‘If you have house insurance it will cover damage caused by a pet and if you are a gun club member you are covered too,’ he said.
He started full-time farming last November having been a part-time farmer and mechanic before that for several years. ‘Now I’ve had to go back to work because I’ve lost a year’s wages in livestock,’ he said.
‘I shot another dog here last week. He was in the field. As he left, I called him back and got him in a trailer and shot him. There were two dogs involved in the most recent attack because I saw two sets of paw prints in the muck’
The farmer appealed to people to keep their dogs under control. ‘ This is happening everywhere. It’s because people are too careless with their dogs,’ he said.