Sheep worrying

[Clodagh]

Thanks Loving the number of people implying I was walking the dog through a field of sheep with no lead on and don't care that it chased the sheep or that if any damage was done I would not financially compensate the owner (obviously cannot compensate for the emotional trauma). Read the post and clarification before judging. Slightly annoyingly the land owner the other side spent the day after the dog incident clearing trees and the sheep where clearly agitated by the machinery and noise, obviously if any abort I will have to pay as my dog trespassed but might not be entirely to blame.

As for shooting dogs before they've actually done anything just because they are loose near sheep, I'll remember that next time I come across escaped sheep on a bridleway and my horse spooks....actually I won't, I'll attempt to get the sheep back in the field or contact the owner, after regaining control of my horse even if it is inconvenient or involves some risk to myself or my horse. Everyone makes mistakes, not all dog owners are the same and dogs are not black or white, the majority fall somewhere between dedicated killers and perfectly trained, never put a foot wrong pooches whatever some of the posters on here seem to think.

Sorry I wad not sounding to sound holier than thou and realise I probably did.

 

[Alec Swan]

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An interesting pic. The ewes don't looked to be 'heavily' in lamb, and yet there are very young lambs with them. I wonder if where you are they tend to lamb over a greater period and if the tups run with the ewes all year and so lambs are taken off as they become big enough, or reach the desired weight. Are the sheep 'Dorpers', could you ask?

They even seem to have some cattle running with them, by a public road and with no fencing. Were I to do that here, I'd be locked up!

Sorry, sod all to do with dogs!

Alec.

 

[Fellewell]

Absolutely! It's common sense...so what is fellewell harping on about...deconstructing posts? it sounds like a wannabe trainer trying to teach the grannies to suck eggs IMO.

Hi Bellasophia,

Thank you for posting your delightful picture. I lived in Milan for a while, just round the corner from La Scala. Not sure why you're watching Masterchef, the Italians know a thing or two about cookery, no soggy bottoms there!

My deconstruction ref alluded to lit crit where readers ascribe several different meanings to one piece of text. Analysis can be feminist or Freudian for example and usually mentions tunnels.

As for training, you appear to have blown my cover. I am indeed a teenage ingenue with all my own teeth. Ciao

 

[Bellasophia]

Hi fellewell..I'm a runaway ,off the lead,OTT,escapee from uk....I've been here for 24 years now and love it...but still hanker for the good old uk .I actually think your posts are thoughtfully written and have good content...we old schoolers have our ways,and can be abrupt,but hopefully keep an open mind and heart for the new generation.wE will no doubt agree and disagree,but hopefully keep harmony ...welcome on board.

 

[Bellasophia]

Alec that pic was taken in the spring..the sheep are brought down from the mountains and have their young..the road was a " pista ciclabile" ...we now have them connecting city to city ,running through the countryside,so cyclists and walkers can walk for miles in relative peace from traffic..
There are usually a couple of cows,and donkeys too..at least three dogs..Maramanna ,bergamasco etc..very serious guarding breeds.
The sheep are huge..they are called pecorino here..used for milk and cheese..
My local farmer keeps one male sheep in with his cattle..he says it will kill any dog that enters his field..it is at least 40 kg in weight.
Right now the sheep are back in the mountains but the cattle have been brought out of the barns that they live in ,chained up for months at a time,to fatten them for slaughter...they at least have one dog living with them,and a thin electric wire,or string to keep them in the designated areas. occasionally they break loose and swarm the roads..then it's a party for sure,but generally they are docile and keep to their areas.

 

[ester]

I thought it was the narrowest road I've ever seen .

 

[Luci07]

Sheep seem to cause a red mist with most dogs. I put a lot of work into training my second stafford bitch so I could hack out safely with her. We came across sheep (securely fenced, dog could not get to them) and she went into hyper mode. Never tried to desensitise or train her out of it as I had never seen her get so frantic and I won't risk it. Sheep means leads, even if a few fields away. Conversely when we had a stafford boy from a pup, he did learn never to chase other animals though pheasants were harder to understand. He legged it once after pheasants and the farmer took him to the dog warden later. Had found the dog in a field with sheep, sitting down and surrounded by sheep. Dog never chased pheasants again having got himself lost which was a good outcome. Farmer said the dog wouldn't even look at the sheep and was very pleased to be rescued. I would like to think my dogs have really good recall but sheep would be the ultimate test..

 

[Alec Swan]

I've just been to my sheep and found a shearling ewe with a hanging lamb. A 'Hanging' lamb is a technical term! She needed assistance but I couldn't catch the silly girl. I went to the kennels, loaded a dog in the back of the car and back we went. He balanced with her perfectly, I managed to get a cleek around her leg, 'asked' the dog to get back in the car, and within a minute or so, out came a huge single tup lamb. The dog when he came to me had a death sentence hanging over him because he and his two siblings had been killing sheep and feeding on them. He'll never make a serious dog for as long as he has two ears, but he was a dog who learnt, and as he's now ten years old, and no one else ever wanted him, I suppose that he'll stay here!

Alec.