‘Keep dogs on leads,’ farmer pleads – again!

Sheep in lamb on the Quarr Abbey Farm have been chased and frightened by a dog off its lead in the third such incident to take place on the estate over the last month.

Previously, there were two attacks in quick succession on the 120-acre farm, worked by tenant, Matt Legge, who has been there for more than 16 years with his father, Phil, having tended it before him.

Matt confirmed: “Fortunately, we were lucky this time, the dog had only chased the sheep for a couple of minutes and we were able to catch it and put it back on its lead. But if we had been a little bit later, I doubt if the owner would have had it under control.

“Aside from the risk of injuries, these sheep are due to lamb in just a couple of months and this sort of stress can cause miscarriages or heart attack.

“The sheep are used to our dogs who work with them every day, but any strange dog really scares them.

“I spoke to the owner and, as usual, they were very apologetic and said the dog has never done this before. But it’s really frustrating; we know they don’t mean any harm but this is natural behaviour for dogs, they will chase and attack.”

The abbey stressed that its fencing is designed to contain livestock, not prevent loose dogs from entering fields, and that responsibility lies firmly with owners.

Matt added: “The abbey is very good and has put up signage to say that dogs must be kept on a lead. But I have found these signs taken down and thrown in hedges and there have been occasions when we have approached the owners, and asked them to put their dogs on leads, only to be abused.

“We have checked the sheep and, although a couple of them are ‘empty’, we don’t think this is due to the dog.

“There is new legislation and owners now face unlimited fines and could have their dog destroyed. No-one wants to see this happen; we are just asking for owners to be responsible around our livestock.”