Four lambs put down after dog attack in Kildare

A sheep farmer from Kildare was forced put down sheep that were injured in a dog attacked for the sixth time in recent years after dogs struck his flock over the weekend.

Five two-month-old lambs with bite marks were awaiting farmer David Shaw when he checked on his flock in Eadestown, Co Kildare, on Saturday.

Four of the lambs have been put down by a vet due to the severity of their injuries, Shaw told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“This is the third attack there has been in the area over the past week and we are in the middle of the country, halfway between Naas and Blessington. It’s not as if we are just on the edge of a town,” he said.

“It was Saturday when I checked them, so the incident could have happened on Friday. No one saw the incident and has been reported to the guards, but there is nothing much they can do when there was no one there when it happened.

It’s the not knowing if it will happen again that is nearly the worst part of dog attacks

“It is the sixth attack we have had to deal with over the past few years and every time, we have had to put sheep down. Each attack has happened on a different piece of land too,” he said.

The farmer has resorted to now flying a drone over the batch of sheep that were attacked hourly to monitor them, as he is unable to check up on all sheep every hour with some ewes still requiring extra attention at lambing.

“It’s the not knowing if it will happen again that is nearly the worst part of dog attacks. It is something that is always a worry in the back of your mind,” he commented.

“I really don’t know if there’s anything can be done to stop it if you are not there when it is happening.

“People have been told enough [regarding] what to [do to] stop things like this from happening, but some just don’t seem listen.”