Kentish Express Ashford & District
Shock and sadness at farm as sheep mauled
‘The people who let these dogs loose should not be allowed to have dogs’
A farm was turned into a bloodbath when three loose dogs got into a field and savaged seven sheep to death.
The owners of Place Farm in Kenardington, near Ashford, called police while the pack of barking dogs were still on the premises on Sunday.
A trail of corpses were scattered across the field, which is the site of a solar farm.
Three dogs, a black labrador, an alsatian and a golden-coloured shih tzu, were thought to have attacked the flock. Two sheep were also injured in the savaging.
Camilla Hayselden-Ashby, daughter of Keith Ashby, who owns the farm, set within the larger 1,000-acre Ashby Farm, said: “I was shocked when my dad told me that the dogs were in with the sheep, and very sad. They have killed seven sheep and the remaining flock huddled together for safety. The dogs must have attacked the stragglers.
“I’m sad for the dogs, who were behaving as a pack, and sad for the sheep and the stress and pain they underwent. All of this could have been prevented if the owner had kept the dogs under control.”
Farm foreman Adrian Cowell said the attack was completely preventable. He said: “The people who let these dogs loose should not be allowed to have dogs again.
“The dogs are sitting calmly at one end of the field and the sheep are at another end now, but if we had seen the attack we could have shot the dogs.” Shepherd Chris Jupp, said one of the seven New Zealand Romney sheep savaged to death had a special place in his heart as it had been delivered by friends from Switzerland and named Tania.
He added: “Lots of work goes into raising sheep and the dogs have killed seven of them – that’s seven lives just wasted.”
A police spokesman said: “Police were called at 9.57am to a report that sheep had been attacked by dogs on farmland in Kenardington, Ashford.
“Officers attended and were able to trace the owner of the dogs, who has exchanged details with the owner of the sheep.
“Seven sheep were reportedly killed and a further two injured.”
What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk