Farmer's plea after 15 sheep are killed by dogs

Lynne Parnell said the surviving sheep were "a lot better" now

A farmer has pleaded with dog owners to keep their pets on leads after 15 of her sheep were killed and 13 were injured.

Lynne Parnell said she still had "horrible flashbacks" after finding her sheep dead and mutilated in May.

She spoke after Derby veterinary nurse Evie Watson was fined for being the owner of two dogs which ran off and attacked the sheep.

The BBC asked Watson if she wanted to comment in response to our interview with the farmer, but she did not want to.

'Tell the farmer'

Mrs Parnell, of Hall Pastures Farm in Derbyshire, said she felt "very, very sickened" by the attacks, and it was also "traumatic" for the ewes who lost their lambs.

"It still makes me feel upset that somebody's dog did this, and they couldn't even come and tell us that their dog was loose and they left my sheep to die," she said.

"She should have said 'I'm sorry but this has happened', and if they'd told us sooner, we'd have saved more lives."

Speaking about dogs being near livestock, she said: "Please just keep them on a lead; please keep them under control when you're walking through footpaths, or if you're nowhere near footpaths.

"If your dog runs off, if the farm is close by, please go and tell the farmer because we can help."

The court heard the attacks were out of character for Pacho (left) and Beans

Warning: This story contains details and an image some readers may find distressing

Watson, from Rydale Gardens in Derby, pleaded guilty at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court to being the owner of dogs which worried livestock.

The court heard Watson had been walking her dogs, Beans and Pacho, in a field near her home in Littleover on 17 May.

Police said Beans was off the lead and Pacho was on a lead, but Watson dropped the lead while she untangled him, and both dogs then ran off.

Watson's solicitor, Felicity Coates, said neither of the dogs had ever run off before.

She tried to follow them, the court heard, but lost sight of them, so went to ask her family and ex-partner for help.

Miss Coates said the two dogs were eventually found near to the sheep three and a half hours later.

Watson noticed that two of the sheep "were down", her solicitor said, and she later contacted police to report what had happened.

Mrs Parnell said the attacks had been "traumatic" for the sheep

Mrs Parnell also phoned police after she and her son found lambs that had been "bowled over".

"I knew straight away it was a dog attack," she said.

"We came in the field, and I rang the police, and as I was on the phone, I was telling her how many lambs I'd got dead, how many I'd got injured.

"We found three that were dead. My husband found one that was lying where it was with its stomach ripped open, still alive, and it looked perfectly fine until you saw its stomach."

She said one had been "knocked out", and the vet described its head injury as being like a boxing injury, with the brain swelling behind its eye.

"That died the next day," she said.

She said further sheep died over the next two weeks.

"It was shock because they had been run round for quite a while, they had heart failure, it was stuff we couldn't see," she said.

But she said the surviving sheep were "a lot better" now.

"The ewes are settling back down because they lost their lambs, it was very traumatic," she said.

"People don't think they are affected, but they are."

Evie Watson pleaded guilty at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court

The magistrates ordered Watson to pay £750, which included a £475 fine, legal costs and a victim surcharge.

Mrs Parnell said the amount was "insulting" but added: "At least it has been brought to justice, and she admitted guilty."

Sgt Chris Wilkinson, from Derbyshire Police's rural crime team, said: “This incident will continue to affect the farmers involved both financially and emotionally for some time to come.

“No-one ever wants to believe that their dog is capable of hurting other animals, but as has been seen time and time again, they can and do return to their predator instincts and chase livestock if given the chance.

“That’s why it is vital that dogs are always kept on leads around livestock, no matter how much control you believe you have over them."

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