‘Friendly’ dogs kill and chase sheep on west Limerick farm
A COUNTY Limerick publican and farmer couldn’t sleep after coming across a scene of slaughter on his land.
Patrick O’Kelly called to an outside farm in the vicinity of Newcastle West shortly after 6pm on Sunday evening, March 5 to check on his 23 sheep and feed them some nuts.
“It was awful. Four were dead - a ram, ewe and two lambs. Another four had been bitten and torn by dogs,” said Mr O’Kelly, who walked his land to see if he could find all his sheep.
“I couldn’t find them that night - I didn’t know if they were stuck in dykes or ditches. They could have gone anywhere in the panic. I couldn’t sleep that night and I was up at first light to look for them. Thankfully, four more turned up the next morning,” said Mr O’Kelly.
He contacted gardai who called to the land on that Sunday evening and are investigating the sheep kill.
Mr O’Kelly caught the two dogs who had been chasing the sheep for hours. He says they were Labrador mixed breeds and gave them to his vet as they try and find their owners.
“Those two dogs were two of the friendliest animals you’d come across. When I went up to them they laid down in front of me and they wanted to be rubbed. I was thinking to myself that the person who owns these dogs thinks that butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth. They were doing it for pure sport. It wasn’t for food, it was for sport,” said Mr O’Kelly, who has put his remaining 19 sheep back into a shed to help them recover from the ordeal.
While Mr O’Kelly is more concerned for his sheep’s welfare he is out of pocket by more than €1,000 when you count the cost of the sheep, veterinary bills and knackery. He appeals to dog owners to ensure their pets can’t stray.
At IFA’s 2023 campaign on dog control, IFA president Tim Cullinan criticised the failure of the authorities to tackle what is a growing problem on farms.
IFA began the ‘No Dogs Allowed’ campaign in 2021. “Unfortunately, the situation has worsened over the last two years, with sheep farmers dreading the prospect of a call to say ther has been an attack on their flock,” he said
Mr Cullinan said those who want a dog as part of their family will have to accept the responsibilities that go with ownership.
“The level of sanctions that can be applied do not reflect the savagery and trauma these uncontrolled dogs are causing. The absence of a centralised database to identify ownership and those responsible for the dogs, and the lack of enforcement of microchipping, are all contributing to this persistent and escalating problem,” said the IFA president.
IFA sheep chairman Kevin Comiskey said all dog owners should take heed that they are fully liable for all damage and suffering caused to farmers and their sheep by their dogs.
“The irresponsible behaviour of some dog owners continues to lead to devastating consequences on farms and must stop,” he said.
Mr Comiskey said this is a critical time of year on sheep farms and “dog attacks are causing unimaginable suffering for sheep and lambs and huge economic losses for farmers”.