`Guilty’ man in change of plea

Accused now denies letting pet scare sheep

A Drymen man is to stand trial for letting his dog worry sheep.

James Bowman, of Gartness Road, denies allowing the Lurcher/ Collie cross to attack heavily pregnant ewes in a farmer’s field adjoining his 18- acre estate.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard how two ewes died in the days after they were chased by Bowman’s dog Toby, and a third needed veterinary attention.

Bowman, 69, originally pleaded guilty to the charge and intended representing himself.

But after taking legal advice, he withdrew the plea on Wednesday afternoon ( June 10) and will now reappear in court in August.

The full charge states that, on March 20, 2015, on agricultural land at Blarnavaid Farm, Drymen, Mr Bowman was the owner of a dog, namely a border collie cross, which worried livestock, namely sheep, by being at large unsupervised and attacking said sheep.

Depute fiscal Ann Orr said: “At about 3pm on March 20, there was a lady walking her Border Terrier on the estate near to Gateside House in Drymen.

“She walked through a garden and saw a dog loose while Mr Bowman and his wife were out, cutting down trees.

“The dog came up and began to harass her dog, so she put her dog on a lead and left the garden. Mr Bowman retrieved his dog and she returned to her cottage.

“At about 4pm at the sheep and cattle farm whose fields adjoin the estate, the farmer was walking outside and observed sheep clustered together and alert to something in the distance.

“The sheep were heavily pregnant, so he drove down to see what was happening, and saw a lone ewe, then came upon the dog, panting and excited.

“This was seen by the lady who had earlier seen the dog, who saw the ewe sitting close by in a distressed state.

“Between the two of them, they caught the dog. It took about 20 minutes to corner it in her garden. The farmer took the dog back with him, secured it in a trailer, then called the police.

“It had the name Toby on its collar.

“The sheep appeared unharmed, but being so heavily pregnant there was the risk of abortion due to stress. The following day the farmer found one of the sheep which had been chased had collapsed. It died shortly afterwards. It was in an advanced state of pregnancy.

“The day after that he found dead lambs and a very ill ewe which required veterinary attention but also died. Another ewe which required the vet survived.”

When Bowman was cautioned and charged, he told police: “He was with us and someone trespassed on our lawn with a young female dog.

“We brought him back to the house, and he has somehow managed to get out and follow that dog down the road. We have been looking for him since.”

After Bowman changed his plea to not guilty, Sheriff Charles McFarlane ordained him to appear on August 4 for an intermediate diet and set a trial date for August 20.