A FARMER has spoken of the “lasting damage” caused by a brutal dog attack which killed one of his family’s sheep.
Farmer and fencing contractor Andrew Ross told The National he rushed to his parent’s farm in Laide in the northwest Highlands after receiving a phone call from his mother on October 26.
A group of the family’s ewes were grazing on a hill which runs down to the shore when the incident happened.
One of my best mates, brother in law to be and neighbour’s ewe. He puts so much effort into running a healthy flock for f**king tourist idiots to have a dog off the leash around livestock! 1 gimmer dead and 4 others injured. How many more ewes have to die before people learn?? pic.twitter.com/genYyyjDfU
— Highland Agri - Ryan (@AgriHighland) November 2, 2023
“Despite signs on all the gates that livestock are here a tourist was walking along the beach with a large German Shepherd-type dog way ahead of him not on a lead, despite having one in his hand,” Ross said.
“The dog drove one sheep across jagged rocks and into the sea, consequentially drowning and killing it by pouncing on it and holding it down under the water, repeatedly, causing terrible injuries in the process.
“When the owner eventually caught up with the dog it was far too late.”
Ross told The National that when he arrived on the scene several other sheep had injured themselves on the sharp rocks running away from the dog and that there could very well be lasting damage to the flock.
“This flock is only 50 sheep so losing one is quite a lot when you look at it in terms of percentage,” he said. “This one was in her first year, she hadn’t even lambed yet.
“So, we’ve paid to keep over her first winter and then summer and there’s been no return.
“She could’ve had five crops of lambs in her life, with each one being worth around £100”.
He added that other lambs in the flock looked “traumatised” when he arrived.
“They’re due to go to the tup in three weeks. They should be in peak condition but stress can have an impact on whether they’re able to breed or not.”
Ross said that more awareness was needed to make sure that dog owners exercise responsibility around livestock – to avoid tragedy for both farmers and pet owners.
“The man said he was visiting the area. It could very well have been the first sheep his dog had ever seen.
“And it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s just the kind of behaviour that was inside of it.
“But the serious consequences of such incidents need to be known more widely.
"The more these incidents are known about the more people will be aware of what can happen because that dog could have easily been shot.”
In 2021, the Scottish Government brought in legislation which means pet owners can be charged up to £40,000 or face a prison sentence of up to a year if their dog is found to have attacked livestock.
