Hobrury farmer threatens to shoot pet dogs on his land after savage attack on his livestock

One of Nigel Harvey's £1,200 sheep on farm land in Horbury, was attacked by a dog and he had to fire gun shots in the air to get the dog off. He said he will shoot, which the law allows, any dog on sight that comes onto his land unleashed and uncontrolled, in the future. He wants to warn dog owners to be more responsible when walking dogs near land that has livestock on it.
w317a333 — One of Nigel Harvey's £1,200 sheep on farm land in Horbury, was attacked by a dog and he had to fire gun shots in the air to get the dog off. He said he will shoot, which the law allows, any dog on sight that comes onto his land unleashed and uncontrolled, in the future. He wants to warn dog owners to be more responsible when walking dogs near land that has livestock on it. w317a333

Nigel Harvey watched in horror as a dog, which he described as a staffy-type, ‘ripped to bits’ one of his most valuable sheep on Tuesday evening.

He and wife Lily were checking on the animals when they made the gruesome discovery at their farm on land off Oakwood Grove, Horbury.

Mrs Harvey, 52, said: “We noticed the donkeys looked startled and we knew something wasn’t right, so my husband went to check on the sheep and he shouted me to say there was a dog ripping one of their heads off. He asked me to get his gun and fired a shot into the air. The dog let go and ran off covered in blood.”

The dog had run onto the land while being walked off the lead by its owner in nearby playing fields.

Mrs Harvey added: “This dog has had a taste of blood now and it could easily be a child next. We don’t want to be killing people’s pets, but we can’t afford to lose valuable animals. If we had turned up any later, the sheep would have been dead and the dog would have been gone.”

The male sheep, known as a tup, was bought by the couple especially for breeding purposes and they hope he will father about 50 lambs, but he was left with severe injuries to both its ears and front legs.

Mr Harvey, also 52, said: “He has been stictched up for now, but could easily get an infection. That is the biggest worry.

“The owner was really sorry, and I didn’t shoot the dog this time because he asked me not to, but from now on any dog that I find on my land will be shot on sight, which I have a legal right to do. Dog owners need to be more responsible. People think they know their pets, but any dog can suddenly turn.”

The law on dangerous dogs is currently out for consultation until September 1, but people can be prosecuted, fined, ordered to pay compensation or even have their pets destroyed if they are considered to be dangerously out of control.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said farmers are allowed to shoot dogs.

A statement said: “Under Section 9 of the Animals Acts 1971, a landowner or anyone entitled to act for them can defend shooting a dog on their land if they believe it was the only reasonable way of stopping it worrying livestock.

“The law also requires that they report any such incident to the police who will assess the circumstances to ensure that their actions complied with the law.”