An East Neuk farmer has called on dog owners to take more responsibility for their animals after six of his sheep were killed in a horrific attack.
David McCall, of Blinkbonny Farm near Arncroach, said owners should keep their dogs on leads near sheep following the frenzied assault on his animals.
The incident has cost Mr McCall hundreds of pounds in losses, with his sheep understood to have been chased to a burn before being picked off by at least one dog.
Although the attack took place in a field out of his sight, Mr McCall believes the cruel act was carried out deliberately.
He said: “I think it had been more than one dog involved. The sheep had been chased into the burn and attacked there.
“I’ve been a farmer all of my life and I’ve never seen anything like that before. I looked in at the field and there were six sheep missing.
“When I checked the burn I saw that all six had been killed.”
With the lambing season under way, ewes are particularly vulnerable, both physically and psychologically, to dog attacks.
Although warning signs are often put in place by farmers and public bodies, many dog owners continue to allow their animals to run off a lead.
However, farmers are entitled to shoot any animals that may be distressing their livestock.
“It’s the first of this type of incident I’ve seen in all of my years of farming,” added Mr McCall.
“To be fair, I know most of the dog owners around here. You see them periodically and they are responsible and they keep leads on them.
“But if a farmer sees a dog running around in an area where there is sheep then they are going to get suspicious.
“The only advice I can give to people is to be responsible and keep their dogs on a lead.”
Dog owners have already been reminded of their responsibilities this year, with PC Ian Laing, Fife’s wildlife crime officer with Police Scotland, saying: “Some people have a degree of confidence in their dog that it won’t behave like that but it is in their nature.”
Picture by George McLuskie