Some cows have been left with cuts on the nose and scratches after a dog attack in north Tipperary.

The incident occurred on a beef farm in August after two dogs entered a field and tried to attack the cattle.

The farmer rang the local gardaí, who arrived to the scene within a half an hour, and the county dog warden, whom the farmer said never responded to his message.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, the farmer has urged pet owners to be more vigilant and careful with their dogs as they can cause major harm to farm livestock.

“I don’t blame the dog, I blame the person that owns them,” he said. “Whoever owns a dog should know how to look after them.

“There were a couple of cattle where they went for their heads, grabbed them and then there was bleeding from the nose. It was nothing major, the cattle were quiet, luckily enough.”

Other incidents

The farmer said that there were only minor blood injuries to the cattle and the dogs were taken away by a resident of the town.

He claims that this is not the first incident of dogs scaring his cattle.

Earlier that summer, he had found some of his cattle had been frightened enough to trample seven strands of electric wire and escape to a neighbouring field.

He added he was lucky that the cattle affected were large enough and “quiet” in nature so were not overwhelmed by the dogs.

“If it had been another batch of cattle, it could have been a lot worse. I went down the field later that evening and there was a batch of cattle I had just bought and they were sweating.”