Quarr sheep harmed in two dog incidents

Two sheep on the Quarr Abbey Farm have been attacked and injured, by a dog off its lead, in separate incidents.

The 120-acre farm is worked by tenant Matt Legge, who has been there for more than 16 years, with his late father, Phil, having tended it before him. As well as being home to around 300 sheep, Matt also looks after cattle and pigs. He said: “At the end of last week, I noticed that one of the sheep had a bite mark on its muzzle, then the following day I was in the field and another sheep, looking very sorry for herself, came towards me and I could see her left ear had been shredded.

“We have had them looked at and we’re hoping they will be ok, but it’s affected the whole flock.

“It will take a while for them to get over the attacks. They are used to working with dogs because we have our own, but they’re very edgy now. I went into the field with one of our dogs, who they’re used to, but they were quite wary and scared.

“It will take time for them to get their confidence back. The sheep who were attacked were due to be shown around the country in shows next year, but they won’t be able to take part now.”

Matt believes the attacks could be the same dog. He added: “We have had dogs attack before, but it’s quite rare. So, to have an attack on one day, is unlucky, but two days in succession makes me think it’s the same dog.

“The monastery is very good with letting the public roam on its land and we don’t want to stop people coming here. There are signs up to tell people to keep their dogs on leads, but, sadly, it’s the one per cent who don’t take any notice. It’s not the dog’s fault; they are naturally hunters – it’s the owners.

“More people got dogs during Covid and they haven’t been trained properly. It’s certainly become a problem.”

A Quarry Abbey spokesman said: “With lambing not that far away, it is a very big concern. There are lots of other dog walkers, young families, visitors, and wildlife, so it’s in everyone’s best interest that this minority of dog walkers start following the rules.

“The owner of the dog was nowhere to be seen and the incidents have been reported to the police. We are concerned that, despite notices across the site telling people they must keep dogs on leads, a small minority ignore these signs.

“We are keen that we don’t become anti-dogs, because that truly is not the case. We just want all dog owners to be responsible.”