A DROMORE farmer has made an impassioned plea to owners to keep a tight rein on their pets after two dogs ran amok among sheep at a local farm last week.
Six sheep were killed in the attack and four others injured, while one of the dogs was also shot dead.
The other was successfully traced to its owner.
"There was quite a bit of carnage," said the farmer, who did not want to be named. "It’s the first time we’ve had anything like this."
The local man explained that they first found two sheep dead, but that, he said, could happen during lambing time.
However, further examination revealed the wounds inflicted on the dead animals; they then found several more carcasses and even as they realised what had happened they heard the dogs barking.
The farmer said he wanted to remind people of the high cost, not only to the farmers, but to the dog-owners themselves, of failing to exercise strict control over their animals.
"I want to remind dog-owners how vital it is that they keep their dogs under control," he said, "especially at this time of year when the sheep are lambing."
Any dog, he said, might savage sheep, particularly once it got into a pack.
People should bear in mind, he added, that failure to control their dogs might not only lead to a terrible end for the sheep attacked and a loss to the farmer concerned; it might also mean the loss of a pet and a fine for its owner.