Dog shot dead for the sake of worried sheep

Posted on April 25, 2008

The farmer caught up in a row over a dog being shot dead on his land has defended himself this week, saying he had little choice but to act as he did.

Last week the Gazette reported that pet owners Martin and Barbara Surman were devastated by the death of their 14-month-old whippet Chica and had branded the killing "callous".

But Bill Rawding, who owns New Cloud Farm in Eaton Bray, said that he had warned the couple about their dogs running loose on his farm before and had to take the action in order to protect his sheep.

Mr Rawding said that he shot Chica after spotting her in his field attacking lambs.

In the past he says he has lost hundreds of animals to dog attacks, and days before the incident he had lost two more lambs.

The farmer told the Gazette: "It's not something I did lightly but this was a situation where people were not controlling their pets.

"They forgot that their pets are hunting animals. The dogs don't realise they're doing any harm, they think they're just having fun, but that turns nasty when the blood starts to be spilled."

And he continued: "One of our own dogs turned savage a while back.

"The dog had been round sheep all its life but it turned into a sheep killer.

"In the end we had to have it put down."

The latest incident, which happened nearly two weeks ago, came right in the middle of the lambing season, which many farmers depend on for their income.

Mr Rawding said that sheep-worrying can have a number of knock-on effects, including pregnant ewes losing their babies and having difficulty feeding.

And he said that once a dog has attacked sheep once, it often escalates still further.

The farmer had already chased Chica off his land before, but when he spotted her again he ruled that more extreme action was necessary.

Mr Rawding said: "I could have tried to chase it off again, but then I'd have had the same problem I have every day.

"It's all right saying: 'You could have chased it off again', but what about the next time?"

He said he first spotted Chica in his field around 10 minutes before he came back with his rifle.

"The dog was still attacking the sheep, he had hold of the lamb, so I shot it," Mr Rawding stated.

And he denied claims made by Mr Surman that he had thrown the dead dog back at its owner, instead saying he had handed the body back over a gate.

The farmer said that he had been straight on the phone to the police to report the shooting and said that officers had been in the field to investigate.

Beds Police said that Mr Rawding had acted within the law and it had no concerns about the farmer owning a gun.

But Chica's angry owners said that the laws should be changed to prevent dogs being killed in a similar manner in the future.

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Source: Dave Burke, Dunstable Gazette, 23 April 2008