Peebles crime: A number of sheep, many of them pregnant, have been found dead at a farm in the Scottish Borders after a suspected dog attack

Police are investigating after a number of sheep were found dead in a field in the Scottish Borders.

The incident happened on Thursday evening last week, when, at around 8 pm, the farmer found two dogs on the farm.

The dogs were returned to the owner, who had said the dogs were missing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The following morning, eight sheep, many of them pregnant, were found dead.

Peebles crime: A number of sheep, many of them pregnant, have been found dead at a farm in the Scottish Borders after a suspected dog attackPeebles crime: A number of sheep, many of them pregnant, have been found dead at a farm in the Scottish Borders after a suspected dog attack
Peebles crime: A number of sheep, many of them pregnant, have been found dead at a farm in the Scottish Borders after a suspected dog attack

Another was found so severely injured it had to be put down, and one more that required treatment from a vet.

Police have said that the injuries are consistent with being attacked by a dog.

Sergeant David Rourke said: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and officers are following a positive line of enquiry.

Read More
Ukraine-Russia conflict: The Scottish families opening their homes to Ukrainian ...

“However, we are appealing for anyone who may have information that could help further with our investigation to get in touch. If you can assist then call us on 101, quoting incident number 0989 of Friday, 11 March, 2022.

“The lambing season has started and worrying can cause stress to sheep that can result in them losing their lambs as well as injuries that can lead to their death and all of this is a considerable cost to farmers.

“Dog owners could face prosecution under The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 if their dog attacks livestock so we are urging them to keep dogs on a lead when walking near livestock as well as making sure they do not run or escape into fields on their own.

“I am asking all dog owners to be considerate. Please remember that it is your dog and your responsibility to keep them under control. The legislation has recently changed and now includes camelids such as llamas and alpacas, as well as ostriches, game birds and farmed deer.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sheep worrying is a problem in all rural communities across Scotland, with police in Edinburgh and the Lothians putting out repeated appeals for people to keep their dogs on leads.

In the spring time, sheep may be pregnant, so even if a dog does’t physically attack, the stress felt by a sheep by an out of control dog in the vicinity can cause harm to the sheep and their unborn lamb.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.