Saintfield farmer’s plea to dog owners as sheep are mauled to death

Saintfield farmer’s plea to dog owners as sheep are mauled to death

30 September 2015

A SAINTFIELD farmer has warned dog owners not to allow their pets to stray on farmland.

The warning by Robert Burgess follows an incident during the early hours of Monday morning when his flock was attacked by a dog in a field close to his Drumnaconnell Road farm.

One lamb died while another may have to be destroyed as a result of the injuries it sustained in the attack. Three other lambs are still missing.

Mr Burgess said the attack took place between 4am and 6am on Monday morning and has warned there are “far too many incidents of this kind taking place across the district.” He said dog owners must be more responsible when it comes to looking after their animals.

The Saintfield farmer explained he was drying grain at his farm last weekend and that when he left his farm yard around 4am the lambs were content in the field.

“The super moon lit up the fields around my home and I could clearly see the sheep and lambs before I went in at 4am. My son Hugh went out two hours later and noticed right away that the sheep were not in the field,” he said.

“When I came out I noticed a stone wall in our garden had been knocked down by the sheep who were clearly terrified during the attack. When we went into the field we found the dead lamb and the one that was badly injured. Given the amount of blood in the field I have no doubt the owner of the dog must have seen blood on the animal when it returned home.”

Mr Burgess, who has lost lambs before as a result of savage dog attacks, said he spotted a two dogs straying on his land in the lead up to Monday’s attack.

“If a farmer had treated an animal the way this dog killed one lamb and mauled another they would be arrested and taken to court to face cruelty charges. Dog owners need to be more responsible and ensure their pets do not stray,” he declared.

“People who do not control their pets and allow them to attack sheep have no regard for farmers or indeed the farming community. There are simply too many attacks of this nature and dog owners must keep a tighter rein on their animals. Attacks of this nature hit farmers in the pocket.”

Mr Burgess issued a reminder that farmers have a right to shoot dogs which trespass on their land and appealed to dog owners in the area to keep their animals secure at all times.

“One of the lambs which was badly injured may not survive as the injuries its sustained are so severe. Its wool has almost been completely ripped off, while the remainder of the flock are in a very distressed state.

“The cost of these attacks soon mounts up and it is the farmers who have to foot the bill, not the owner of the dog responsible.”

Mr Burgess said his three sons did not go to work on Monday to help him deal with the aftermath of the attack on his flock and hopes something like this won’t happen again.

The Saintfield farmer added: “Times are hard enough for those in the agricultural industry and incidents like this are the last thing we need. I am appealing to all dog owners across the district to keep a close eye on their pets. They need to know where their animals are are at all times.”