A farmer of Bristol’s last working farm has been left feeling “vulnerable” after her pet sheep was almost killed by a dog. The attack, which happened on Friday, February 18 on Yew Tree Farm amid Storm Eunice, has prompted a fresh debate on whether dogs should be allowed off the lead on land with livestock.
Catherine Withers is a third-generation farmer and has lived at Yew Tree Farm all of her life, known for providing free-range pork and eggs. Speaking to Bristol Live about the incident, Ms Withers described how a dog walking off the lead in the area ran through three fields and into her garden, breaking into the shed where her two pet sheep live.
After managing to flag down the dog owner to explain what had happened, Ms Withers realised the injuries to one of her sheep were far worse than she initially thought. “When the vet arrived she said the injuries were really extensive all around the face. One and a half ears had been chewed off and the dog was actually eating into the side of [the sheep’s] head and had taken all of the skin off of her jaw.”
