13 sheep die and four others wounded after flock attacked by dog
SCENES FOR FARMER LEFT ‘DISTRAUGHT’
A FARMER has been left distraught after his flock of sheep was attacked by a dog.
The farmer, whose farm is between Market Harborough and Desborough in Northamptonshire, wished to remain anonymous but said 13 of his sheep had died as a result of the attack and four were still being treated.
He said the total cost of the attack is about £1,200.
The attack took place between 10pm on Friday and 7.30am the following day, police said.
Daniel Howes, a farmer at Eckland Lodge Farm, was called by the distressed man.
“He called me on Saturday morning. He had been out checking on his livestock as early as possible and had come across this horrible scene,” Mr Howes said.
“He asked me to give him a hand with loading up the dead sheep and getting the rest into pens.
“We called the vet and he started treating them straight away, but we had to humanely shoot some of them just to put them out of their misery.
“Some people have claimed that it could have been a fox, but a fox could not have done this amount of damage - they are lambs but they’re about 12 months old.
“This was a dog that was in the field for a few hours and it could even have been more than one dog.”
Mr Howes and the farmer were working all day on Saturday to settle the sheep but also to organise his cattle into safer pens.
“I can’t tell you how distraught and upset he was,” Mr Howes said. “It was his birthday on Sunday and it completely ruined his day.”
Police were called by the farmer and are investigating.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire police said: “This happened overnight on November 6 to 7, when 13 lambs were attacked and killed by an unknown animal, believed to be a large dog. The value of the loss is about £1,200.”
Mr Howes has this message for dog owners taking their dogs on farmland: “Dog owners have to keep their dogs on the lead, but they have to know where their dogs are.
“This incident was not just dogs off their lead, this was dogs not being kept properly and that caused this devastation.
“Owners have to take responsibility for their dogs. The owner of this dog should know that their dog did this, because it would have been covered in blood.”
Police are appealing for anyone with information to let them know.
A force spokesman said: “If anyone knows anything, they are encouraged to come forward.”