Rise in the number of dogs attacking and killing sheep in North Yorkshire
39 ewes and lambs have died so far this year
Last updated 12th May 2023
There's been a rise in the number of dogs attacking sheep across North Yorkshire - with 39 ewes and lambs already killed this year.
Police say it's because more people got a pet in lockdown and now want to go out exploring in the countryside.
Rebecca Wilson is a sheep farmer near Boroughbridge and says it's happened to her flock: "There were worried and they were in lamb, and obviously the stress which this causes, we were lucky that the dog hasn't made any contact with the sheep, but again that stress in the run up to giving birth isn't good for sheep at all. We spend our lives as farmers trying to ensure high welfare for our animals and to see that gone in a flash, when they've been attacked, chased, literally chased to death, is heart breaking."
North Yorkshire Police’s rural task force are working on an ongoing campaign to spread the message about responsible dog ownership.
In a statement the force say: 'Livestock worrying is a criminal offence, but it is also devastating for farmers to come across the bodies of sheep who have been attacked and then left to suffer a slow and painful death. It’s also the farmer’s livelihood which is been taken away from them in a brutal way.
In a recent case in Rainton between Ripon and Thirsk, a large German Shepherd dog was seen in a field, attacking sheep. The dog was chased away from the field, but two ewes and a lamb had been attacked. The lamb sadly died from its injuries.
The police need dog owners to take responsibility for their animals during the summer months– it’s particularly important that members of the public keep their dogs on leads and under control when they make their way through sheep fields, and that where dogs are kept at home, the boundaries are secure so they cannot escape. No matter how well trained your dog may be, many breeds’ natural instinct is to chase.'