A farmer in Redwood, Lorrha, Co Tipperary, is facing into the new year with a major financial loss after his flock of sheep were savagely attacked by dogs over the Christmas period, leaving 70 dead, 20 more injured and five missing.
Donal O’Donoghue was met by a sight of “unimaginable horror” when he went to look at his flock of sheep on rented land in Ballymacegan, Lorrha, on the Tuesday morning after Christmas.
An emotional O’Donoghue said: “These were killer dogs. They went for the hoggets’ faces and throats and in a few instances, they ripped their stomach wide open.
“They didn’t pull clumps of wool out of the sheep, they attacked savagely with the sole purpose to kill. It was like something out of a horror film.”
The Redwood farmer, who has always rented land in the area and outside of the parish, said that “as a sheep farmer all my life I have never witnessed such carnage, nor have any of my neighbours”.
His dead sheep were found all over the fields and in the adjoining forest.
Forty-five were killed outright, while another 20 had to be put down because most had their eyes and faces ripped away and another five are missing.
“Four more died on Sunday 1 January, and there are 16 more that have less severe injuries and have been injected by the vet to protect against infection. They are traumatised, but we have to try and keep them alive if possible,” he said.
The farmer recounted: “All of the sheep were singled out bar five, and were brutally killed in a horrific attack because when sheep are attacked by dogs, they race together into a corner so tightly that they often smother each other, but that didn’t happen in this instance.
“It is obvious that there was more than one dog. One or two held the sheep in place while a third and possibly a fourth dog did the killing I imagine.”
Most of the sheep had their faces and throats ripped apart. / Rose Mannion.
O’Donoghue estimated the cost to be at least €12,000 and possibly more, between the income lost on the sheep, vet bills and carcase removal.
The financial loss will be hard to take given the circumstances of the kill, and unlike cattle, sheep killed in this manner are not covered under his insurance policy.
The remaining 43 hoggets that escaped the attack are terrified and he does not expect them to thrive either.
The farmer is urging dog owners of these vicious and dangerous breeds to take responsibility for their dogs and keep them away from livestock at all times.
“Those dogs that attacked my sheep are killer dogs. I’d advise the owners to have them put down immediately because dogs like that are vicious and dangerous. The way they killed my sheep with pure savagery tearing off their faces for sport, they could attack a human or a child and do the same to them,” he warned.
“They will most certainly kill sheep again now that they have tasted blood and executed such a rampage. It is simply not good enough and I don’t want to see another sheep farmer suffering like we are, it’s unimaginable and something that I will never get over.”
This animal surprisingly lived but had to be put down for obvious reasons. \ Rose Mannion.
Neighbours’ help
The Lorrha farmer praised his neighbours who came to his assistance to clean up the corpses and gather up the sheep that survived.
“I couldn’t cope, I just hadn’t the strength to cope with the sheer savagery the day I found them. It was so horrific for all of us, myself, my wife and my children,” he said, name-checking Liam King, Michael Rushe (the landowner), Martin Young, Daniel Bugler, Darragh Guinan and Barry Moran, who along with his own children and wife Nuala, helped him over the shock.
“Some of my neighbours spent two days and even a third day combing fields, drains, ditches and the nearby plantation searching for the sheep that had scattered in all directions. Their support and kindness will never be forgotten.”
Forty-five sheep were killed outright, while another 20 had to be put down. \ Rose Mannion.
Garda investigation
Gardaí in Nenagh are investigating the incident but O’Donoghue is calling on politicians to change the law to enable gardaí and dog wardens more power to act in such cases.
“Their hands are so tied in how far they can go to investigate, and this compounded the distress,” said Nuala O’Donoghue, Donal’s wife.
IFA sheep chair Kevin Comiskey said stronger regulation was needed.
“It’s simply not good enough for dogs to be allowed to roam free and cause this level of damage. We need stronger regulation around dog ownership,” he said.
Most of the sheep had their faces and throats ripped apart. \ Rose Mannion.
Comiskey led a delegation to meet ministers Heather Humphreys and Charlie McConalogue in early 2022 and they put forward strong measures that are needed to curb dog attacks. “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen progress on any of these proposals in the past number of months and the attacks have continued,” he said.
“The persistent failure of the authorities has frustrated farmers who have suffered significant losses as a result of dog attacks, and those attacks continue to take place across the country,” Comiskey added.
Read more
Graphic photos: sheep kill causes losses to the tune of €10,000
Devastation caused by two recent dog attacks ‘shocking’ - IFA
Sheep attack: what to do if you see a dog worrying your flock
A farmer in Redwood, Lorrha, Co Tipperary, is facing into the new year with a major financial loss after his flock of sheep were savagely attacked by dogs over the Christmas period, leaving 70 dead, 20 more injured and five missing.
Donal O’Donoghue was met by a sight of “unimaginable horror” when he went to look at his flock of sheep on rented land in Ballymacegan, Lorrha, on the Tuesday morning after Christmas.
An emotional O’Donoghue said: “These were killer dogs. They went for the hoggets’ faces and throats and in a few instances, they ripped their stomach wide open.
“They didn’t pull clumps of wool out of the sheep, they attacked savagely with the sole purpose to kill. It was like something out of a horror film.”
The Redwood farmer, who has always rented land in the area and outside of the parish, said that “as a sheep farmer all my life I have never witnessed such carnage, nor have any of my neighbours”.
His dead sheep were found all over the fields and in the adjoining forest.
Forty-five were killed outright, while another 20 had to be put down because most had their eyes and faces ripped away and another five are missing.
“Four more died on Sunday 1 January, and there are 16 more that have less severe injuries and have been injected by the vet to protect against infection. They are traumatised, but we have to try and keep them alive if possible,” he said.
The farmer recounted: “All of the sheep were singled out bar five, and were brutally killed in a horrific attack because when sheep are attacked by dogs, they race together into a corner so tightly that they often smother each other, but that didn’t happen in this instance.
“It is obvious that there was more than one dog. One or two held the sheep in place while a third and possibly a fourth dog did the killing I imagine.”
Most of the sheep had their faces and throats ripped apart. / Rose Mannion.
O’Donoghue estimated the cost to be at least €12,000 and possibly more, between the income lost on the sheep, vet bills and carcase removal.
The financial loss will be hard to take given the circumstances of the kill, and unlike cattle, sheep killed in this manner are not covered under his insurance policy.
The remaining 43 hoggets that escaped the attack are terrified and he does not expect them to thrive either.
The farmer is urging dog owners of these vicious and dangerous breeds to take responsibility for their dogs and keep them away from livestock at all times.
“Those dogs that attacked my sheep are killer dogs. I’d advise the owners to have them put down immediately because dogs like that are vicious and dangerous. The way they killed my sheep with pure savagery tearing off their faces for sport, they could attack a human or a child and do the same to them,” he warned.
“They will most certainly kill sheep again now that they have tasted blood and executed such a rampage. It is simply not good enough and I don’t want to see another sheep farmer suffering like we are, it’s unimaginable and something that I will never get over.”
This animal surprisingly lived but had to be put down for obvious reasons. \ Rose Mannion.
Neighbours’ help
The Lorrha farmer praised his neighbours who came to his assistance to clean up the corpses and gather up the sheep that survived.
“I couldn’t cope, I just hadn’t the strength to cope with the sheer savagery the day I found them. It was so horrific for all of us, myself, my wife and my children,” he said, name-checking Liam King, Michael Rushe (the landowner), Martin Young, Daniel Bugler, Darragh Guinan and Barry Moran, who along with his own children and wife Nuala, helped him over the shock.
“Some of my neighbours spent two days and even a third day combing fields, drains, ditches and the nearby plantation searching for the sheep that had scattered in all directions. Their support and kindness will never be forgotten.”
Forty-five sheep were killed outright, while another 20 had to be put down. \ Rose Mannion.
Garda investigation
Gardaí in Nenagh are investigating the incident but O’Donoghue is calling on politicians to change the law to enable gardaí and dog wardens more power to act in such cases.
“Their hands are so tied in how far they can go to investigate, and this compounded the distress,” said Nuala O’Donoghue, Donal’s wife.
IFA sheep chair Kevin Comiskey said stronger regulation was needed.
“It’s simply not good enough for dogs to be allowed to roam free and cause this level of damage. We need stronger regulation around dog ownership,” he said.
Most of the sheep had their faces and throats ripped apart. \ Rose Mannion.
Comiskey led a delegation to meet ministers Heather Humphreys and Charlie McConalogue in early 2022 and they put forward strong measures that are needed to curb dog attacks. “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen progress on any of these proposals in the past number of months and the attacks have continued,” he said.
“The persistent failure of the authorities has frustrated farmers who have suffered significant losses as a result of dog attacks, and those attacks continue to take place across the country,” Comiskey added.
Read more
Graphic photos: sheep kill causes losses to the tune of €10,000
Devastation caused by two recent dog attacks ‘shocking’ - IFA
Sheep attack: what to do if you see a dog worrying your flock
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