City-slickers ship out to avoid canine fleecing

DEAN KOZANIC/The Press

ON THE MOVE: Guy Rietveld, with help from son Kees and neighbour Ruth Henderson, secures his two remaining sheep for their evacuation from suburban Christchurch after three lambs were killed by a dog.

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Christchurch sheep Gloria and Woolly have been forced out of town by a rogue killer.

Dallington resident Guy Rietveld, who has kept livestock on a neighbouring suburban lot for 28 years, has opted to send his two last sheep to his son's Marshland lifestyle block after a dog killed three lambs last week.

He was also worried about the potential danger for young children "as this dog has a taste for blood now".

Rietveld's lambs, Victoria and Velma, were killed by a dog on Wednesday night. A third lamb, Daphne, was killed on Saturday night.

Rietveld said it was the first time his animals had been attacked.

"It is a shame, because it is so lovely when we see them walking around in the morning," he said.

"It is like living in the countryside when the lambs are there. I will miss them a lot.

"It is lovely that in the middle of Christchurch you can do this.

"All the people on this street love them. The children always stop at the gate to look at the animals."

Resident Kim King lost her six chickens on Saturday night.

"The dog obviously has a taste for blood now because it just ripped them out of the coop, but didn't eat them," she said.

Rietveld said Gloria and Woolly could return from their Marshland refuge if the killer dog was caught.

Neighbours were sad the animals had to leave.

Ruth Henderson said her two-year-old daughter loved the lambs.

"[We] walk past a couple of times a week and pet the sheep," she said.

"It has been lovely watching the lambs grow. It is a bit of the country in the city.

"It is just terrible. It is a shame they are not going to be here."

Lynette Ferriss was also upset. "It's just tragic. My children have enjoyed those animals. It's been a real thing for the community, everybody takes their kids past to feed them".

- © Fairfax NZ News