Another dog problem , I m *really* not a dog hater

Just crossed my mind- could it be an escaped zoo animal? We occasionally get sightings of things like panthers etc that are supposed to be around. One night in the 1980s down in far East Gippsland we saw the back end of something suspiciously like a lion, same colour and very big - who knows, couldn’t prove it, maybe it was a very,very large dog.

Bleating, not beating

Flock not flick

Fat finger syndrome!!

Yesterday, we were out in the garden and heard barking from our fields in which we had a herd of pregnant ewes. A small black dog was excitedly chasing and barking at them and they were milling around beating. The owners were shouting for the dog from the footpath adjoining our field and he finally returned to them. The sheep were unhurt, but one ewe had collapsed, obviously terrified and we were busy attending to her. I look down the fields and saw the people walking away along the footpath with the dog still off the lead and running all over out arable fields.

The ewe later miscarried the twin lambs she was carrying, she was only a couple of weeks away from giving birth.

Dog owners seem unable to realise that dogs don’t necessarily have to savage sheep to cause carnage if they get into a field with a flick.

www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/devon-wolfman-been-forced-move-1594927

If this gentleman had been my neighbour think I would be worried, there are several other Wolf keepers in Devon as well

J52

So sad for the farmer As to wolves, be comforted by this poem

There Are No Wolves in England Now

by Rose Fyleman
There are no wolves in England now, nor any grizzly bears;
You could not meet them after dark upon the attic stairs.

When Nanna goes to fetch the tea there is no need at all
To leave the nursery door ajar in case you want to call.

And mother says, in fairy tales, those bits are never true
That tell you all the dreadful deeds that wicked fairies do.

And wouldn't it be silly for a great big girl like me
To be the leastest bit afraid of things that couldn't be?

I remember it from a childhood poetry book.

Chris Packham wants to re-introduce them.

Katie59

“Most wild animals would kill for food and not savage a whole flock of sheep like this. Why dogs do it, I don't know. It's sickening.”

If a wild fox gets in your chicken pen it will kill all of them, dogs seem to have the same instinct

Oh yes, so they do.
Dingoes will do that too.

American pit bulls ( not sure of exact name in UK) are part of my voluntary advocates work in USA. All dogs need training and interested owners. I grieve daily for the number of abandoned and returned dogs in USA. We get dog rescues to find fosters and adopters. Texas shelters often kill more than 20:dogs in one day. California and Florida are also bad. Pit Bulls properly homed and loved are like any other dog. Too many Pit Bulls are owned by people engaged in illegal enterprises or ignorant owners who cannot be bothered to train their dogs or to keep them secure. I have helped to rehome lots of pit bulls and in a happy, secure property with secure fencing they are fine. I am trying to post a photo of a dog who was rescued and adopted. Lovely pit bull!

So sad for the farmer As to wolves, be comforted by this poem

There Are No Wolves in England Now

by Rose Fyleman
There are no wolves in England now, nor any grizzly bears;
You could not meet them after dark upon the attic stairs.

When Nanna goes to fetch the tea there is no need at all
To leave the nursery door ajar in case you want to call.

And mother says, in fairy tales, those bits are never true
That tell you all the dreadful deeds that wicked fairies do.

And wouldn't it be silly for a great big girl like me
To be the leastest bit afraid of things that couldn't be?

I remember it from a childhood poetry book.

“Most wild animals would kill for food and not savage a whole flock of sheep like this. Why dogs do it, I don't know. It's sickening.”

If a wild fox gets in your chicken pen it will kill all of them, dogs seem to have the same instinct

Forensics
Forensic scientists ....

margauxbordeaux

I agree that the Forensics should do exams on the blood, saliva etcetra and also on a couple of the sheep that were killed.

They shall be able to determine what type of animal killed the sheep ..

DNA of the killers.

Autopsies on a couple of the sheep in other words to determine what killed them.
So so saddening.

There's no legislation in place although a Private Member's Bill is being pushed through at the moment, I think.
The maximum fine is only £1,000.

However, it's not as easy as that - first find the dog(s). It would be impossible to test every dog in the area.

I agree that the Forensics should do exams on the blood, saliva etcetra and also on a couple of the sheep that were killed.

They shall be able to determine what type of animal killed the sheep ..

DNA of the killers.

Autopsies on a couple of the sheep in other words to determine what killed them.
So so saddening.

Just wondering why tracker dogs can't follow the scent of the killer dogs. Surely that has to be the first port of call to be done immediately. It should be easy to follow the scent of blood and sweat, no problem for a trained tracker dog.

Sorry, I'm being pedantic!!

I would think almost anything is more likely than the Beast of Bodmin idea?

I'm not ruling it out completely! People do keep reporting sightings of big cats in many areas.
However, I'd be surprised if a wolf is roaming around Dartmoor.

Most wild animals would kill for food and not savage a whole flock of sheep like this. Why dogs do it, I don't know. It's sickening.

This happened to someone I know in Hertfordshire. Dogs caused carnage in a field of sheep and lambs. Police did dna tests and tracked the dogs down to a traveller site.

Callistemon21

suelld

Surely if they’ve all been bitten and massacred, some forensic lab can analyse the saliva and tell what breed has done this…there must be masses of forensics? Let alone the paw prints, some vet must have a clue?

there must be masses of forensics?

Do you mean DNA evidence?

Yes of course - all part of the forensic package - and other forensic evidence such as blood/fur/paw sizes - traces all over the place of who or what did this.
All sorts of scenarios - Tyre tracks ? Did humans do this to film for sport/video sales ? Rustlers trying to steal sheep with large dogs who got out off control?
I would think almost anything is more likely than the Beast of Bodmin idea?

There does seem to be lots of weird animals escaping or being abandoned. They have recently found nine dead giant tortoises in Devon. How the hell? One of the largest species in the world. And last night on the news an alligator snapping turtle, native to the USA found in Cumbria. Really strange looking creature and it was still alive.

The point I'm making is that some very strange non-native creatures are being found, presumably dumped. How they even get into the country is a mystery unless they are smuggled, which may involve suffering. It's appalling.

So they really need to identify what animal did this because they are clearly very dangerous. Surely the experts can identify those paw prints.

Wolves surely come in different sizes and if there was a pack loose surely the media would pick it up?
I hate incidents like this
Awful for the poor sheep the farmer and dogs generally
One of my Goldies has huge paws but not quite that big
I honestly think they are too soppy to tear out a sheep’s throat- they would probably want to play with them but a dog is a predator and you never know
Besides the poor things die of fright
It’s up to all of us dog owners to keep our dogs away from sheep
And I’m here to tell you that it IS possible to keep an entire male dog in the garden with bitches on heat around
I did it for years with my dear old Goldie
But I digress …

suelld

Surely if they’ve all been bitten and massacred, some forensic lab can analyse the saliva and tell what breed has done this…there must be masses of forensics? Let alone the paw prints, some vet must have a clue?

there must be masses of forensics?

Do you mean DNA evidence?

JaneJudge

Do you know, I also wondered if it was wolves

I don't think there are wolves on Dartmoor, unless they escaped from the Wildlife Park. One did escape years ago but was caught again, poor thing.

That’s interesting. Much larger than a GSD then.

I've just googled GSm and it says:

At an average of four inches wide by five inches long, a wolf's forepaws are almost the size of an adult human hand. Large paws, with webbing between the toes, function like snowshoes, allowing for easier travel in snow and other conditions

I wouldn’t think wolves have such large paws.

Do you know, I also wondered if it was wolves

what an awful thing to happen. It wont be a collie though as they have quite slim paws.

I live in a rural county and I have only ever seen a dog kill a deer once and it was horrific. It was a bull lurcher type dog and it was absolutely brutal (I reported it to the police but god knows if it was looked into)