A Clarkfield farmer wants dog owners to lock up their animals at night after about a dozen of his sheep were mauled by dogs on his property a week ago.
Fenton Hill Road sheep farmer John Webb Ware said he found the ewes and lambs either dead or needing to be put down, and another 10 injured, suspecting there had been one or more attacks in the previous few nights.
“I’m a vet by profession and there’s no way that these sheep weren’t attacked by dogs,” Mr Webb Ware said. “About a week before, I heard a bit of carry on with one of the sheep and I knew it was a dog lurking.”
Mr Webb Ware said dog owners should not underestimate the mischief their pets got up to at night.
“Dog owners are naive to think that if they leave their dog on its mat unrestrained, that it’ll stay there the whole night,” he said. “That’s not the case. They wander a long way, so they’ve got to be secured.”
Although the losses are minor in the scale of his farm holdings on 550 hectares, Mr Webb Ware said it was still distressing to find the dead and injured sheep.
“I have been based here for 16 years and it is the first time there’s been a dog attack, so it is quite a shock,” he said.
“It will end up costing more than $2000 and I’d like to think the owner of this dog or dogs will compensate me for my loss and secure their dog and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Mr Webb Ware, who has contacted adjoining property owners, police and council rangers, believes the attack or attacks were confined to his property.
Macedon Ranges council has regularly prosecuted owners of wandering animals found to have attacked livestock, many actions ending in orders from the Kyneton Magistrate’s Court.
Report attacks to Macedon Ranges council or click here for information.
