[in the hills]

Raine  Just dread that happening.

I think Blacksheep could be right about the home insurance. A lady I knew 'lost' her spaniel when walking it in an enclosed woodland used by dogwalkers. Turned out a fence had come down, sheep got into woodland and her spaniel chased. She lost the dog for several hours but heard that it had been caught by the farmer. Dog was covered in blood she said so she couldn't doubt it was responsible. Farmer was really good about it she said and she agreed to pay costs and was glad that he hadn't shot her dog (a rescue). Lot of damage as sheep had been driven and trapped in the river and were in lamb. Some dead, some farmer believed would lose lambs and some mauled. Costs were high but she said her home insurance covered costs and without argument. Perhaps depends on policy but I wouldn't be letting them off without a fight.

[lord flynn]

definitely don't give up looking for recompense, makes me so cross.


A long time ago I used to race huskies-they belonged to a lovely woman who taught me about them and I did it for 3 seasons. They are amazing dogs but they have a high prey drive, bred to run and pull the vast majority do not have good recall/obedience. Good husky owners know this and know that you never let go of a husky, anywhere, any time and when walked they should have a collar and a harness so they can't slip their collar. Hers (when not in the house) lived in a custom built, concrete floored pen with a 12ft chain link fence. They were run three times weekly and walked as described..


Unfortunately for the breed, their looks mean that they are being bred badly and sold indiscriminately to people who arguably shouldn't have any sort of dog. They are a specialised breed.

[Me]

Unfortunately for the breed, their looks mean that they are being bred badly and sold indiscriminately to people who arguably shouldn't have any sort of dog. They are a specialised breed.

Couldn't agree more

Lost a lamb the other day, found another dead with two holes in its head and multiple other wounds, another with a skull fractured but still alive. Pissed off to say the least and ready to murder a terrier that I often see running the lanes nearby I settled into the hedge with a pocket full of AAA, within 20 mins a big dog fox appeared and ran over to the kill. I can't say its a happy ending but there you go. One less lamb killer and terrier lives to cause an RTA another day! 

[feldar]

The last NSA meeting i went to ( i'm on the southeast comittee) they were still gathering dog attack information. so if you can please report any attacks and the outcome, would like to see more convictions made, but very difficult to get evidence or get the police to take things seriously.
Its very distressing for both sheep owner and sheep.

[sabrina]

Any dog can end up chasing sheep or any other animal. A Husky is not the every day house dog and people just do not look into their needs before buying that cute puppy. As far as I am concerned the owners are the problem not the dog. On saying that given the chance this will happen again. One bored dog on the loose is a risk to all life.

[Tiva Diva]

This happened to us last spring: we had a ewe abort because of it. I know who the dog belongs to because of the description given by someone who saw it chasing the sheep, but there's no way I could prove it. It's VERY upsetting, but a few things spring to my mind:
1) It's worth having livestock insurance for this. It doesn't help with the emotional stress, but it does help with the vet bills and any financial losses.
2) Tell the police that the bystanders were videoing the attack. Do you know who they are? If not, can you give a description to the police?
3) Contact the owners. They should have calmed down and be feeling nervous and guilty by now. Tell them you don't want to sue them or to see there dog destroyed (which alerts them to these possibilities!) but you do need to know how they plan to stop the dog from chasing sheep again, and you do need financial recompense, even if it's in instalments.
4) Lots of talk about destroying dogs, crap owners etc. Realistically, just about any dog may chase sheep, and any dog may give its owner the slip occasionally. Accidents happen - but when they do, the owner should apologise immediately and mean it. And pay for it. And do their utmost to ensure it NEVER happens again.
End of speech, climbs off soapbox 

[stufe35]

There are no such thing as accidents,  only incidents.
All incidents have a cause.
Any dog cannot chase sheep, only one that is not under control.
The cause of this incident was a dog owner failing to keep their dog under control .......something they are required to do by law.

[SallyintNorth]

Realistically, just about any dog may chase sheep, and any dog may give its owner the slip occasionally. Accidents happen - but when they do, the owner should apologise immediately and mean it. And pay for it. And do their utmost to ensure it NEVER happens again.
End of speech, climbs off soapbox 

What Tiva Diva says 

And I speak as an owner whose dog once did come across a sheep where I thought there were none... I found the farmer, made sure the sheep was okay, offered to pay any costs, and took advice about making my dog safer with sheep.  And never ever had him off lead where there could be sheep again - I even didn't buy houses that were in sheep country because I couldn't bear the thought of him getting out and causing any problems.  After that, all my dogs were trained that it was naughty to even look at sheep, and that they must run straight back to me if they ever came across a sheep.  Which was how it came about that when I started WWOOFing, my GSD x collie dog was chased all around the farm by three inquisitive pet lambs... 

[stufe35]

 Ah good ...so once you had been told by a farmer you became a responsible dog owner and.....

.  And never ever had him off lead where there could be sheep again -

Your words

Ie kept your dog under control as required by law.

   sorry I'll get off my soap box now

[SallyintNorth]

So, stufe35, do you think that all dogs should be on a lead at all times in the countryside, whether or not there is any livestock about?

[Herdygirl]

So sorry you are where I have been.
 
The owners say this bitch has puppies?  Well Husky pups sell for £500 plus so they can afford to pay your costs.  As Marches Farmers advises, small claims court if the police won't do anything.
 
Also,I do tend to agree with Stue35 that dogs should be on a lead at all times in the countryside, whether livestock is about or not.  Footpaths are for people... not dogs.

[SallyintNorth]

Also,I do tend to agree with Stue35 that dogs should be on a lead at all times in the countryside, whether livestock is about or not.  Footpaths are for people... not dogs.

But the countryside is for all to respectfully enjoy... and for a lot of people, enjoying the countryside just isn't the same without the family dog.

The farmer in me would of course love all dogs to be banned from fields that have livestock - but I'm a dog lover too, and I used to be a dog owner who wasn't a farmer and loved the countryside and I can understand how that feels.

On a practical note, if people couldn't let their dogs run off lead in the countryside at all, then where would they be able to let the dogs have a run?  I guess there are town parks where dogs can run, which is fine for townies - but what about country-dwelling dog owners?

[Me]

It is not the farmers responsibility to provide off lead exercise areas for peoples pets. If you want to let your dog run wild around fields go and buy some!

[devonlad]

There are dogs on leads, there are dogs off leads running wild and there are dogs off leads not running wild but under control, because the owner has taken  time as a responsible dog owner to train them and know them. Sadly this type of owner is not necessarily the norm. To suggest footpaths are not for dogs is just nonsense. Why is so much money invested in kitting out stiles on footpaths with dog doors if not for dogs to use.  Not fair to judge all dog owners by the dangerous incompetence of some owners

[stufe35]

I never at any point said all dogs should be on leads.  The law requires them to be under control, that is all,  this can be achieved in a number of ways....as mentioned above.

It is a dog owners responsibility to understand how their dog might interact  with livestock before they come into contact with them, not after they've worried a few sheep....then try there best not to let it happen again.

"The countryside is for all to respectfully enjoy".....I agree ......for me that means train your dog to be among live stock, or keep it on a lead, or leave it at home.

PS Sally, I should say that I like you learned this the hard way...somewhat embarrassingly when my dog ended up chasing sheep on the farm where I worked !   But that was some 30 years ago....as with everything, people are better informed these days , the internet and forums like this are largely responsible for that fact, dog owners these days should know and understand the hazards they face and their responsibilities.