Dog owner to compensate farmers for sheep deaths
A MAN whose dogs killed more than 20 ewes and lambs belonging to farmers in the Normanby area in August has been ordered to pay nearly $3500.
Jeffrey Phillip Varcoe (26), a Gib stopper, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday before Judge Michael Crosbie.
The dogs, a male pit bull terrier cross and a female bull mastiff cross, were classified as ‘‘menacing’’ only a week earlier.
Mr Varcoe’s lawyer, Cate Andersen, said Varcoe was aware they could get get out of the backyard of his Norwood St address and tried to confine them to the property.
However, a door had been left open, possibly by a flatmate.
A summary of facts from the Dunedin City Council said on August 26 a farmer contacted the council saying 18 of his ewes and lambs had been killed by dogs.
The following day the council was contacted by another neighbour of Varcoe, saying she had seen two gingercoloured dogs in one of her paddocks.
‘‘A search by DCC animal services staff located both the defendant’s dogs near the body of a dead sheep.
‘‘Both dogs were exhausted and covered in blood. It was clear from their appearance that they had been responsible for the sheep’s death.
‘‘The dogs were captured by DCC staff.’’
Two other dead sheep were discovered nearby. The sheep belonged to a farmer who grazed his livestock at a property in Campbells Rd.
Varcoe met with DCC staff and accepted his dogs were responsible, and agreed to hand them over to be euthanised.
Further investigations brought to light another incident, when two other ewes belonging to a third farmer were discovered dead on August 29.
Before killing the livestock belonging to the three farmers, the dogs also killed two ewes on August 21, which was dealt with via a $200 fine and the menacing dog classification.
Judge Crosbie said he gave Varcoe credit for his guilty plea and noted he had apologised for his dogs’ actions. He was ordered to pay $2965 to the first complainant’s insurer, AMI, and $500 in total to the two other complainants.