Scraptoft farmer 'heartbroken' as lamb killed in dog attack

Dan Martin & Ben Jackson - BBC News, Leicester
·2 min read
2
Farmer Will Renner
Will Renner said he would only shoot dogs attacking his livestock as a last resort [BBC]

A Leicestershire farmer has urged dog owners to keep their pets under control after a spate of attacks on his sheep.

Will Renner, who farms land at Scraptoft, near Leicester, said one of his lambs had been killed and others injured by loose dogs over the last 10 days.

He described the recent attacks as "soul destroying".

Leicestershire Police warned that farmers could shoot dogs attacking livestock.

Mr Renner said: "We had an an attack 10 days ago where one lamb was killed and then we have had two others in the last few days.

"There is nothing more traumatic than the image of a dog killing a lamb.

"It's soul destroying and heart-breaking."

"Dog owners are, by definition, animal lovers and it's dog safety we have to think about," Mr Jenner added.

"If a dog is attacking my sheep I have to protect them and if that means having to shoot the dog that is something I am entitled to do - and would do grudgingly.

"That is the last resort and compounds the tragedy."

Sheep at Sheep at Scraptoft
Police urged dog walkers to check fields for livestock before walking through them [BBC]

PC Kelly Tones, of Leicestershire Police's rural crime team, said: "The last thing farmers would want to do is kill any other animal. It's so preventable.

"Ordinarily we would see a decline [in dog attacks] over the winter months but this year there has been an increase. I don't know why but it's much worse.

"We are in the middle of lambing and we are having a constant barrage of livestock and sheep attacks at the moment."

She urged dog owners not to stray from public footpaths on to privately-owned farmland, check fields for livestock, and to keep their pets on leads.

There have been 16 reports of dog attacks on farm animals in the county since mid-September.

Leicestershire Police said three people had been dealt with through community resolutions, two given conditional discharges, and one taken to court.

The force said it had been unable to identify the dogs' owners in the other cases.

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