Update on dog attacking livestock

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Ranyhyn

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Some of you may remember in Feb we had an issue with two GSDs in our field with our shortly to lamb, ewes.

For those of you who don't. In a nutshell:

Call at 7am - dogs in your field
Found two dogs in field
Secured dogs
Checked flock quickly - all seemed well
Rang round EVERYONE, reuinted dog with "owner" (local scrap yard kind thing - guard dogs... escpaed during break in)
Checked and moved flock later, headcount wrong, one missing.
Found one badly mauled ewe
Mauled ewe went to vets, stitched, treated left to recover with us.

Thankfully mauled ewe is now none the worse, gave birth to two beautiful twin lambs and all is relatively well.

Back and fore speaking to owners, owners stated they would pay for vets bill for mauled ewe but would not consider any further losses to ourselves. (As it was we HAD no further losses but weren't to know that at the time so decided to pursue it as a criminal matter)

Plod has come back and told us they do not consider it to be a criminal matter as we do not have enough evidence to prove (beyond reasonable doubt) that it WAS those two dogs that did the dirty work.

*Incidently, the dog who had a snap at OH (and whom the "owner" told me was an ex-police dog) has now apparently been put down....

So we have obviously challenged that, but that's where we are now :o
 
By stating that they would pay vet bills, haven't the owners admitted liability? But presumably they are now denying they said any such thing. It situations like that, remember to take a witness or at least a tape recorder. Sorry for all your trouble.
 
Yeah they are our insurers.
The main issue is the lack of evidence atm, despite me having photos and videos of them on our land...
 
Nothing sickens me more than dogs attacking sheep, I think if you had called the police in the first instance when you had the dogs they could have got a vet to examine the dogs in search of evidence. I think it was East Kent but I could be wrong say to put some wool in their mouths to make it obvious the dogs were involved. Your sheep were your number one priority and can well understand this but its a shame the dogs couldnt have been shut up whilst you sorted your sheep. After the sheep had been sorted and the vet attended he could have also looked at the dogs and given an expert opinion.

I take it that the response from the police is a get out clause for the owner and he is now refusing to pay the vets bill.:(
 
It's interesting because dogs worrying livestock doesn't even need to BE making contact with them, in the legislation section c covers:

being at large (that is to say not on a lead or otherwise under close control) in a field or enclosure in which there are sheep)

Ergo, no contact needs to be made! The vet, in their opinion described the wound as " a rip and tear wound caused by a dog grabbing and holding while the prey moved away or the dog pulled the flesh) and the various lacerations all over the ewe's body as "teeth marks". There is no doubt that a dog did this, it just seems that the copper is trying to suggest finding the dogs in the field, is not enough.

Unfortunately for him OH is in CID. So the battle continues. I feel so annoyed that even with our knowledge of the law and evidence, it's still not deemed enough at present - it goes to show how rough the justice system can be.
 
"Evidence" can be produced by giving the dog a walnut size lump of old fashioned washing soda,it causes almost immediate evacuation of all stomach contents. Something to remember next time,though hopefully there won`t be a next time. Amazed the police are being awkward,go to small claims if you think it is worth the bother.
 
TBH I'm not even sure it is now, but just so infuriating :(

Thanks for that tip, I do hope it's the first and last but you never know.
 
wouldnt it have been easier to just accept their offer of reimbursing you for vets fees at the time?
unfortunately, once litigation is mentioned people get awkward and things get bitter - not to mention expensive for you.

i would think though in Court, any magistrate would find in your favor that it was beyond reasonable doubt that the dogs caused the injuries by their presence in your fields.
Its just going to be along slog to get there and one you could have avoided.
 
Give them the bill for the vets and a letter stating if the dogs are found in the field again they will be shot"...simples!
We often find 2 jrts on the farm, they were virtually in the field with our pedigree ewes and lambs. I visited the owners and told her (she knew why I was there) if I found the dogs around our sheep again I would drop them on her doorstep, and put it this way they wouldn't run off!! Seems to have done the trick.
 
lula said:
wouldnt it have been easier to just accept their offer of reimbursing you for vets fees at the time?
unfortunately, once litigation is mentioned people get awkward and things get bitter - not to mention expensive for you.

i would think though in Court, any magistrate would find in your favor that it was beyond reasonable doubt that the dogs caused the injuries by their presence in your fields.
Its just going to be along slog to get there and one you could have avoided.
Click to expand...

No because at that point the dogs had been through a field of some 30 ewes, it seemed a little stupid to perhaps be going to him on day 1 accepting the first vet bill and then going back to tell him ewe had died (more money) then the next week - another lamb- circa £50 and then the next week £100 and then three weeks later £100... we had no idea how many ewes would abort so we couldn't accept anything at that point.
 
jrp204 said:
Give them the bill for the vets and a letter stating if the dogs are found in the field again they will be shot"...simples!
We often find 2 jrts on the farm, they were virtually in the field with our pedigree ewes and lambs. I visited the owners and told her (she knew why I was there) if I found the dogs around our sheep again I would drop them on her doorstep, and put it this way they wouldn't run off!! Seems to have done the trick.
Click to expand...

That might work were these pet dogs. Quite frankly they couldn't have cared less that we could have shot them. Either way now one is dead and apparently the other isn't being used as a "guard dog" any longer...:rolleyes:
Through the whole thing they couldn't have cared less, they never once rang us, or indeed returned calls - never one apology. Sadly appealing to conscience and/or better nature didn't work.
 
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