Farmer's plea after dog kills his sheep

A TEESDALE farmer has urged dog owners to be “extra vigilant” when their animals are near livestock.
The call comes after a dog attacked and killed a sheep near Staindrop in the early hours of Wednesday, December 14. John Robson, of Friar Cote Farm, on Moor Road, discovered one of his Texel gimmer lambs motionless in the field at about 8am.
The animal, which was carrying twins, was found with a wound to its neck. It is believed that the animal was killed shortly before being discovered by Mr Robson.
He said: “I have never had anything killed at the farm before. It is the first incident here. I would ask people to be extra vigilant when their dogs are off the lead near livestock.”
No-one has approached the farmer to accept responsibility and the police have launched an appeal for the owner of the dog to come forward. Officers are also reminding dog owners that they must keep dogs on leads around livestock and make sure they know the whereabouts of their animals.
PC Dave Williamson, of Barnard Castle Police, said: “The farmer found that one of his sheep had been brought down by a dog. He did not see a dog but it had all of the tell-tale signs including lesions to its neck. At this time of year sheep are in lamb so dog owners need to be more careful when their dogs are off the lead.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident DHM-16122016-0098.