[lachlanandmarcus]

Exactly that, in the hills. I could (just about) forgive a one off as long as the damage was paid for, if what was thought to be secure wasnt eg if a gale blew down a fence panel and the dog got out. But not when it is repeatedly allowed to stray.

[Dans]

  Hope the owner is a reasonable sort and the police are helpful

Dans

[goosepimple]

Oh Plums, so sorry to hear that, you do seem to have a time of it there.  In such a nice place you do seem to have inconsiderate people living around you and I really feel for you.  It's terrible to be worried when you are not there to look after things. Poor wee whether.  You don't want the dogs turning up when your girls are in the field either (children that is) as such big dogs can be overwhelming.  I hope you find a solution.  There's a cracking smallholding up for sale along the road from me here and it's nice a quiet (and the schools are great) if you need to get away. 

[Fleecewife]

What a horrible event Plums 
 
If you haven't already had him taken away it might help to show the dog owner the actual corpse, rather than just pics (you need those tyoo of course for evidence)- that should bring home to her just what kind of attack it was.  If you own dogs then you need to be responsible for their behaviour so you will have to talk to her yourself.  Let her know she will be paying the bills, including the value of the wether - not if she intends to pay, but that she WILL cough up.
 
I really hope none of the others has been affected too.
 
There is, or used to be, a 'sonic fence' you can put up to keep dogs in, which might work to keep them out too 

[moony]

Horrible thing to happen. Think yourself lucky you know which dogs it is and the fact that the owner will have to pay will almost certainly prevent them doing it again as their dogs would likely be destroyed next time. We have had terrible trouble with dogs this year and the people that use the footpath are so ignorant. The amount that carry he lead and let the dogs run riot is unbelievable. Had one lamb with its ears bitten off and front leg ripped away, one lost its tail and three Suffolk's dead through exhaustion after being chased. Unfortunately while I'm pretty certain whose dogs were responsible for one of the attacks because i haven't witnessed it i cant prove it so I'm left having to stand the loss.

[jaykay]

Oh no, how horrid.

If possible, I think she should see the dead sheep so it really strikes home what uncontrolled dogs can do. Not their fault, but she definitely needs to control them properly, particularly big strong dogs like German Shepherds!

[plumseverywhere]

I've suggested she come see the dead sheep, I don't think she will be. She is incredibly emotional about it all and feels just awful, especially when she heard from my farmer friend that its a childs' pet. I've gone from being incredibly angry and wanting to dump the dead carcass on her front lawn (!) to calming down and being rational enough to speak to her for 30 minutes, stressing the non-accidental, non-playful damage that was done and my very real concerns as to her ability to keep her dogs away from my stock/children.
My instincts are telling me that this lady has learned a very harsh lesson yesterday, she is distraught and cried most of the night, she has fitted electric fencing to keep the dogs in and they are on long chains currently.
The distance they covered to get to my house is surprising! It must be around 4 miles.
She is covering ALL costs - vet, carcass collection, new sheep etc. I have her address. I do feel that I have been very lucky in that the lady is admitting full responsibility. I feel for those of you who never see any justice as this has to be one of othe very worst things I've been through in smallholding, poor little sam the lamb!  The farmer neighbour has hundreds of sheep and he said last night "Lisa, the one thing that terrifies me is dog attacks..." he lost loads of ewes to dogs a few years back and has the odd attack on his sheep now. Just so unpredictable and you can't prepare.

*Something important I learnt last night that many of you will know but if it can help one person going through this in the future then I feel it worth sharing...The skin of our sheep was ripped in several places but the blood didn't show until it had worked its way through dense, lamb fleece. If you suspect a dog attack do part the fleece, or trim back if poss, as it was only once the vet sheared some off that we could see exactly the extent. It wasn't just the 50p size hole I found at all.
Also...a tampon makes a great 'plug' for large holes in these situations. It helped stem the flow on our lamb really well.   

[Sylvia]

Oh, bugger Plums, what a horrible thing to happen. My dear little Ouessants were killed by a dog, I felt ill for weeks. The horror does fade though
Make sure you get what the lamb would have been worth had you had it slaughtered and sold to discerning buyers. £350 at least, I would say.

[plumseverywhere]

Thats exactly it Sylvia!! I feel sick. I think you've hit the nail on the head as to how its impacted upon me. Once he's been taken tomorrow, I'll start to feel better. Children have taken it really well, they are so hardy to these things now bless them. the 2 eldest were helping me dress wounds and hold torches last night.  I am going to charge her for the lost wether and use the money from that to take the girls out, even if just for a meal somewhere as I think they deserve it after all the lambs were theirs.

[goosepimple]

A sad affair Plums, I hope you all manage to have a good Christmas, will think of you all. 

[in the hills]

Glad she is at least doing the right thing Plums and thanks for that advice because I would have assumed the damage if that bad to be obvious without having to look for it.


Pity she hadn't taken measures to secure them before    ...... how could she not realise that 2 big dogs out on their own might end up in trouble one way or another ? ..... Road traffic accident, anything   


Well done to your girls      . What stars.

[sabrina]

How terrible and I hope the owner has learnt just what pet dogs can do when free. I  went mad at a woman who's dog was in my field where my mares and foals were. she said I was making a fuss about nothing. I replied in a very angry voice well I hope you feel like that when one of the mares attacks your dog for getting too close to her foal. 

[katie]

This is such a horrible attack. I'm glad you found out who the owner is. What sort of owner is she if she can't keep control of her dogs? Why do people have such big dogs if they can't control them? It's all very well being sorry but it's a bit late for your poor wether.
My rare breed chickens were attacked by a Dalmation a few years ago. Apparently my poor little Lavender Pekin was tossed up in the air several times by it. The dog was renowned for escaping and causing mayhem. The owner said 'sorry'.

[Polished Arrow]

So sorry to hear this news 

I think I would expect the dog's owner to pay: 

• Vet's fees for euthinasia
• Cost of carcass removal from farm
• £120 compensation for what you would have been able to get if you'd grown the lamb to full size, and been selling it as meat.

Are you insured?  If your insurance is like mine (NFU) I think they will help you to recover the costs.  In doing so, you will help the lady to be very aware of what the dogs have done.  The insurers do all the contacting, and you can be as nice as you wish to be to your neighbour so she can't tell everyone you are the nasty one. 

To get your insurers to act for you, you will need to report the crime (it is one) and have a crime number for them.

I'd recommend trying this route.  It is less personal, but should be highly effective.  If I was the lady, I'd be putting a muzzle on my dogs voluntarily to stop them causing the same situation a second time.

[rikkib]

So sorry to hear about your sad loss.      It sickens me to hear these sad stories  people can be so ignorant about how other people live and try to make a living. And how much care and love they put into their animals.    I had a cat killed by two Labradors belonging to a neighbour who found it ok for her dogs to chase him he never recovered and she never mentioned it again.   I will never get over her attitude and her obvious disregard for life. Perhaps if country file gave 10 mins and showed these ignorant buffoons how upsetting it is for these people that care for their stock and animals.  It might help