Dog owners are being warned to keep their pets on leads when out walking on farm land after a spate of attacks on sheep.
Local police report one animal was killed after a dog attacked it in a field in Coach Road, Warton, on 20th December; a lamb was bitten on the neck by a black and white dog at Park Lane, Silverdale, on Boxing Day and two sheep sustained serious injuries after being set upon by terriers in Moss Lane, Silverdale, on 29th December.
Owners risk their pets being shot by farmers if they are caught attacking sheep. They also face prosecution and heavy costs if any animals are harmed by their dogs.
Not only is a dog attack traumatic to the ewes themselves, potentially leading to lambing difficulties, poorly and late finishing lambs and difficulties getting the ewes in-lamb again – but caring for the sheep after an attack is extremely upsetting to farmers and can be very costly. In one instance last year in Kent, Farmers Interactive Weekly reported it was feared dog attacks would lead to an entire flock of prize-winning sheep being destroyed.
Dogs off the lead can also cause damage to wildlife, disturbing ground-nesting birds who may not return to the nest and chasing deer. Even friendly, domesticated dogs sniffing around an area are actually exercising their hunting instincts.
“When walking on farm land, dogs must be kept under control and when walking near livestock they must be on a lead,” commented PC Tony Marsh, who’s community beat manager for Carnforth and Silverdale.”
“Instinct can take over when a dog is not on its lead – especially if it is with another dog – and this can lead to attacks on sheep, which not only cause suffering to the animals but also to the farmer, whose livelihood can be affected.”
Dog attacks on sheep has ben on the rise for some time. Last November, the Farmer’s Guardian reported that the number of sheep attacked by domestic dogs soared in 2008 as insurance claims topped £1 million. Although the majority of the attacks were caused by stray dogs, other attacks were caused by walkers letting their dogs off the lead.
The newspaper notes that if a dog is worrying livestock on agricultural land, then the dog owner or person in charge of the dog may have committed a criminal offence, and farmers can report owners of dogs that have worried livestock to the police. Farmers may also have a claim against the keeper of the dog in respect of any injuries sustained by the farmer’s livestock or any livestock killed by the dog.