Carnage as dogs hit farm

DIANA WORTHY

A FARMER is being left to pick up the pieces of a killing spree by two dogs that attacked her sheep while she was asleep.

The attack happened in the early hours of Wednesday morning on farmland in Hillside Rd, between Palm Beach and Ostend.

Mary Stevenson woke to find her land littered with dead sheep and lambs and the rest of the flock suffering injury and distress – see comment P2.

She says most of the ewes were in lamb.

The initial tally of eight dead ewes, four dead lambs, and one dead hogget has grown along with the costs of burying them and medical treatment for the others.

The number of dead now stands at 18, out of around 31 sheep on the property.

Mrs Stevenson estimates final costs will be nearly $3000.

Two cross-breed dogs that wandered on to her land later on Wednesday are thought to be responsible, returning for another "go" after the morning attack.

They were caught threatening one of the surviving ewes and penned for collection by Auckland City Council animal control officers.

The dogs were identified as belonging to residents Alan and Jenny Knight, who kept them as pets at their fully fenced property three kilometres away.

Both dogs were taken to Auckland by council officer Pat Burgess and are facing euthanasia.

The incident follows a series of dog attacks on livestock in June.

One sheep and more than 20 poultry were killed at various locations in Palm Beach and Onetangi.

The council issued a warning at the beginning of this month, urging island dog owners to ensure their pets do not wander.

Ms Burgess believes it is still important for people to listen.

She confirms Mr and Mrs Knight had fully fenced their property but says they knew their dogs were still wandering.

"You shouldn't have a dog if you can't contain it on your property one way or another. If they're getting out, find out why."

The couple, who adopted their dogs as puppies, say they are devastated by the attack on the farm and accept full responsibility.

They say they had shut the dogs in the house at bedtime on Tuesday but the animals must have figured a way out.

"When we realised the older one had a problem with roaming, we went to great efforts to fence our property to keep him contained. In fact, on the night in question both dogs were locked in the house yet still managed to find a way out by pushing at the door lock.

"We can offer no excuses for what happened and are willing to meet our obligations to the owners of the sheep.

"Finally, we hope everyone concerned can realise that all dogs are not as bad as ours turned out to be. We have always owned dogs and until the adoption of these ones have never had any problems.

"Sadly, it is impossible to tell from the start how problems may develop. In our case we made the wrong choices and must now accept the consequences."

Council dog contracts manager Clare Connell says she is satisfied the dogs were responsible for the attack and confirms they will be put down.

She says the council will also be facilitating discussions between the Knights and Mrs Stevenson about financial compensation.

Ms Connell believes dog owners should be more aware of how ingenious and determined their animals can be about getting out.

She says the Knights’ dogs had been caught wandering before, despite the property being fully fenced.

‘‘Dogs can sometimes find a way out by jumping on a nearby compost bin or a pile of wood and then they are free to wander. This can happen to good people with family pets but dogs are capable of more than just chasing seagulls.’’

A spokeswoman for the island’s Dog Owners Group agrees with Ms Connell and says people have a responsibility to supervise their dogs at all times.

‘‘We are horrified at the news of yet another attack on sheep by dogs.

‘‘There is no excuse for allowing this to happen. We believe that dogs are part of families and should not be left to their own devices at all.’’

- Waiheke Marketplace