stevvieboi Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 just found this forum, when i was looking for farmers shooting dogs, i have had my dog shot dead by a farmer that was keeping sheep on land he was renting, this field is surrounded by houses, is very rarely used for livestock by the farmer who owns it, odd occasions, field is at the back of my house, not sure if its intended use is for agriculture use as it was once owned by the coal board and is a green belt, my dogs never get out by themselves always walked up in the forestry commission land, one weekend we were tidying up the garden and my dogs were chasing each other playing, i have also got an 17 year old collie who never goes anywhere now as she is quite frail, well this w/end she decided to make a bolt out the driveway and ran up the road, half the time she does not know where she is, we put the two younger dogs in the back garden and shut the gate while we went to get the old collie, i can only presume that my 15 month old timberland looked through the cat flap in the gate and seen me running out the drive, where she decided to jump the fence at the back into this field in the hope to get to me, and you guessed the rest, got distracted by the sheep in the field and worried them, she was a very friendly dog would go with anyone and loved playing with everything, she did not maul or kill any sheep, and the farmer in his statement to the police said he shot her while she was standing their, while i dont condemn the farmer in protecting his livestock they seem to be able to just get away with anything they want, the law i would say is 40 years out of date and their must be an alternative to having your dog shot dead i.e. a stun gun or a dart. Not a day goes past i blame myself, even going to bed hoping not to wake in the morning so it would not hit me all over again, it's a two sided coin this, people will say you should be a better dog owner, but what about another post i have read where dog being walked on a lead, had being spoked and pulled itself free from the owner and ran for its life, only to run into a field of sheep, by the time the owner had caught up farmer had already shot the dog, in most cases the police will take the stand on the farmers side no matter what, while the owners are left to grieve for a beloved family member. i have set up an online petition to try and have this looked at in parliament i know divided opinions will be on this, but feel free to sign this epetitions direct gov uk petitions 25885 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza58 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Feel for you mate,yeah it does seem a outdated law,but no matter what the curcumstances are its gunna come down to the farmer saying he was protecting his livestock. Dont really think you can blame yourself and that comment about" hoping not to wake in the morning " is a bit worrying.You really gunna have to put it down to a tragic accident and move on,hope that doesent sound heartless cos its not meant too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andygardener Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Sorry you lost your dog stevvie. Never nice to lose a pet and there are occaisions certainly when farmers shoot dogs that are not a threat, but sadly dogs can and do kill sheep on a regular basis, ripping their throats out in a rather unpleasant way. Tranqs and stun guns are not realistic, farmers don't use them, they do use shotguns. In your case the fact your dog got in was just an accident, in a lot of cases it's irresponsible dog owners not trying to propperly control their dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 As a regular walker in farming country, and a beagle owner (a breed renowned for being difficult to train), I'm gutted for you however - the number of people we meet on our walks who think any field is fair game for their loose mutt, and who have absolutely no control over their dog whatsoever leaves me believing that the law should stand as it is. I've read whining stories of beloved pets who owners claimed WERE under control, but if that really was the case, they'd be sporting shotgun wounds too, and that'd be covered by an entirely different law Given the other things that sheep need protecting from, a stun gun isn't going to be of much use... besides, isn't a stun gun range too short to be of any use to a farmer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy Jnr Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 One dog can cause a multitude of aborted births in cows and sheep which is their main concern. Granted this is not the case throughout the year but the law is there to protect them. Not sure any repeal will ever be successfull but I'll sign the petition. One thing that has puzzled me in the past is what happens when people with dogs that are on leads are trampled to death by cows. Is there a penalty for this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 One dog can cause a multitude of aborted births in cows and sheep which is their main concern. Granted this is not the case throughout the year but the law is there to protect them. Not sure any repeal will ever be successfull but I'll sign the petition. One thing that has puzzled me in the past is what happens when people with dogs that are on leads are trampled to death by cows. Is there a penalty for this? Doesn't gunshot have the same effect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy Jnr Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Doesn't gunshot have the same effect? I guess by the time they've stampeded the damage is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I guess by the time they've stampeded the damage is done.... and what if a stationary dog who hasn't yet disturbed any sheep is shot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy Jnr Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 ... and what if a stationary dog who hasn't yet disturbed any sheep is shot? Why the interrogation Strix. If it's off lead then maybe they see it as probable cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 it's not an interrogation isn't this a discussion forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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