Dog Attack: Pregnant Ewe Savaged Near Ivybridge Playing Fields

A farmer needs help finding a dog’s owner. The dog attacked his pregnant sheep. Tom Clinnick posted about it on Facebook. The attack happened on February 13th between 2 PM and 3 PM. The location was near Ivybridge playing fields.

Tom is upset about what happened and wants the owner to come forward. He reported the attack to the police and wants the owner to take responsibility. The sheep are pregnant and near their due date. He said the dog often visits the tennis courts, and last week, it entered his field again but did not respond to commands.

The sheep was hurt badly in the chase. The dog bit off part of the sheep’s ear and also removed flesh from its rear. The ewes will give birth next month, and the sheep was carrying twins. This means three lives are now at risk. Another 130 sheep are in the flock, and they have been chased before, but this dog targeted one sheep.

Tom worries about more lamb losses because stressed ewes may abort their lambs. This is a very sad time for the farmer, and more attacks would cause financial problems. He cares for his animals carefully. If you have info, call 101 and refer to occurrence number 50250039484.

Worrying livestock is against the law. It means attacking livestock, but also chasing them enough to cause harm. This includes abortion in ewes. Not keeping a dog on a lead is also worrying when livestock is nearby.

A farmer can kill a dog to protect livestock only if the dog is worrying them and there is no other way to stop it, also, if the owner is absent. If treatment is needed, the dog owner pays.

If a dog is attacking sheep, call 999 and tell them it is an emergency, stressing there is serious damage to livestock. Give an exact location if you can.

If the attack is over, call 101 and explain what happened to the operator. If you see dogs frequently roaming, report it by calling 101 or emailing the local police.