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COURIER OPINION: Dog walkers must heed warnings after Fife lambs mauled to death

The deaths of 17 lambs in a suspected dog attack in Fife is a reminder to pet owners of their responsibilities around livestock.

Farmer Stuart MacDougall on a trailer with dead lambs
Fife farmer Stuart McDougall lost 17 lambs in a suspected dog attack. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

After a dreich and depressingly bleak winter the signs of spring are, thankfully, all around us.

The longer nights and slowly rising temperatures speak of renewal and hope. And in the fields, gambolling lambs are another sign of better times ahead.

Sadly, at one Fife farm, that air of positivity has been shattered after a suspected dog attack on its newborn lambs.

Six young animals were found mauled to death. Another 11 were so severely injured that they had to be put to sleep.

Farmer Stuart McDougall with his wife and two young daughters in a shed with some sheep
Heather and Stuart McDougall, with daughters Ailsa, 10, and Iona, eight, following the deaths of five lambs in a suspected dog attack on their Fife farm. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

It is a horrendous incident and one that comes at both a significant mental and financial cost to the farmer.

The police are appealing for information and have called on dog owners to be responsible when out in the countryside.

That is a call that must be heeded. A repeat of this awful incident cannot be countenanced.

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