A FARMER near Violet Town had a rough patch over Christmas and Boxing Day when over 30 of his ewes were allegedly mauled by a dog, according to two people familiar with the incident.
Shellie Clinton, who knows the farmer, said on Facebook that some of the ewes died and others “were so bad that they had to be euthanised”.
“This is devastating in this day and age, this is people’s livelihoods,” she wrote in a post on Violet Town Community Noticeboard.
“Please be responsible dog owners and make sure that this does not happen again.
“As a community we should do better and look out for each other.”
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The farmer’s neighbour, Andrew Walter, confirmed over 30 sheep were allegedly attacked over two nights.
“Unfortunately stray dogs attacking sheep have been a problem for at least the past decade,” he said.
Mr Walter, who is also a farmer, said he has had many sheep mauled by unleashed domestic dogs over the years.
“They were dogs and not foxes because we were able to catch and shoot some of them in the act, which is difficult to do as they often hunt and predate at night,” he said.
“We had a case several years ago where sheep along Feltrim Road were mauled by a dog more than three kilometres from its home.”
Mr Walter said his neighbour – who did not wish to be interviewed – reported the incident to local police and the Strathbogie Shire Council ranger.
Council’s local law requires dogs to be leashed in all public areas of the municipality, except in designated off-leash areas.
A council factsheet on responsible pet ownership urges residents to keep their dogs on a leash, stating that “things can go wrong with even the most friendly, well-behaved dogs”.
Confining dogs to their property would prevent 80 per cent of dog attacks in public places, according to an Animal Welfare Victoria webpage.
