dog attacks

marknjb

been hearing a lot about dog attacks on sheep lately .i am not a sheep farmer but am a dog owner
i was wondering why do attacks become more commonn at this time of year
ps mine sleep in the kitchen so i know where they are at night

Galvium Irredentum

answer: lambing, lots of body fluids - dogs are the schniffers after all!

Galvium Irredentum

the best schniffers i meant to say - long nights too; nighttime - hunting time? season of hunger in the wild?

timfromsneem

See this old TV ad from the 1980s... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BTCY5xhrIY

Dickie10

hi all, I was just wondering now that it is coming into winter about dog attacks on sheep and is there any anti dog devices on the market that could be put at gateways or other access points to keep dogs away, something like an anti dog sonar or electronic piercing sound that only dogs can hear? personally I am always fearful in winter/spring of dog attacks ill live with foxes all year round but not dogs, in my opinion a fox is very close to harmless compared to a dog or worse still a pack of dogs

Birdnuts

I'd say the folks over at the Animals and Pets forum will have a few ideas. AFAIK theres a good few anti-bark and other pet detterent devices on the market. As detterents go a few strands of an electric fence is probably the best detterent out there.

KatyMac

Aren't alpacas supposed to help drive off dogs?

Conmaicne Mara

Haven't found any preventative devices besides using the angry end of a rifle or shotgun on any pooch on my land.

fredweena

An angry goat.

time lord

There are very strong laws supporting farmers/owners of livestock in this area. The law supports farmers who are proactive in this area to the point of telling you when you can shoot dogs on your land.
I work for a couple of local authorities in this area and after many years I've noticed farmers with firearms have somewhat decreased. I attended 3 bad mutilations of sheep last year and one horse incident and the poor farmers felt paralysed with fear about breaking some laws whilst protecting their stock.
I took tea with them all and I must say when the control of dogs act was explained to them mixed in with experiences of their given local authority they seemed much relieved and more empowered. The last incident the farmer didn't have a gun anymore but still was happier after the chat. He had physically caught the two dogs attacking his flock and held them in a pen for me.
One had a bark/fence collar on but I knew nobody would come for them. They were dispatched after 5 days. He lost 5 sheep and the tax payer was down too with paying for 5 days double lodgings and vets bill along with visit and retrieval
costs.

Dickie10

ok thanks, it would be great to find somekind of thing to deter them, we could have a bit of self assurance that a flock is safe. im definitely thinking of buying a shotgun, but there isn't a ttradition of a firearm in the family, so its hard to get practice, did a bit of clay shooting but id like to be fully accomplished and confident before id buy one.Am I being a bit over the top in relation to shotguns?

Dickie10

Id like to call on the IFA and department of Agri to run a really strong PA ad campaign this winter/spring and perhaps show people that there will be big fines for dogs that kill sheep, a fine and compo

Conmaicne Mara

Dickie10 wrote: »

ok thanks, it would be great to find somekind of thing to deter them, we could have a bit of self assurance that a flock is safe. im definitely thinking of buying a shotgun, but there isn't a ttradition of a firearm in the family, so its hard to get practice, did a bit of clay shooting but id like to be fully accomplished and confident before id buy one.Am I being a bit over the top in relation to shotguns?

A little IMO. A farmer has good reason to have one so you shouldn't have trouble there once you don't have some class of a rap sheet. You don't need a safe for one shotgun, but you should get one for peace of mind. A separate safe for cartridges isn't a bad idea either.

Safety is the most important thing. Learn how to handle the gun in a safe manner, never point it at anything (or yourself, feet etc) you don't wish to kill, loaded or unloaded. Always be 100% sure of what you're shooting at, if you're only 99.99% sure, don't fire. Always be 100% sure that you have a safe clear backstop behind what ever you're shooting at on the ground, this is more for rifles but wayward pellets aren't good either.

Once you're safe with a gun you'll have little else to worry you with it. Then you can develop the skill of hitting **** with it Which can be a life long obsession.

Rovi

Dickie10 wrote: »

ok thanks, it would be great to find somekind of thing to deter them, we could have a bit of self assurance that a flock is safe. im definitely thinking of buying a shotgun, but there isn't a ttradition of a firearm in the family, so its hard to get practice, did a bit of clay shooting but id like to be fully accomplished and confident before id buy one.Am I being a bit over the top in relation to shotguns?

Better to be too cautious than too confident!

Shotguns aren't WMD's or mind-control devices as some people appear to think, but they do demand respect and informed use & possession.

Part of the application form asks for your 'Proof of Competence' with firearms.
Previous uneventful possession of firearms fulfils this requirement, but it sounds like this'd be your first firearm, so you'd likely need to do a basic firearms handling course of some sort.
This would be a GOOD THING to do anyway, whether it was required by the Gardaí or not.

Ramble in to your local Garda station and ask to speak to whoever deals with firearm licencing. They'll walk you through the whole procedure, and will tell you what the local Superintendent will accept as regards firearm security and qualifications.

Have a look over in the Shooting forum, there's loads of information and expertise on all this over there.

Dickie10

that's great info, thanks very much

bbam

Dickie10 wrote: »

Id like to call on the IFA and department of Agri to run a really strong PA ad campaign this winter/spring and perhaps show people that there will be big fines for dogs that kill sheep, a fine and compo

Lad in Cavan shot three dogs that were worrying sheep... He got the local rag to coe out and the dogs were photographed and on the front page the following week...
Funny, there were much fewer strays hanging round the area after that... people will learn to keep it in..

Conmaicne Mara

The worst candidates around me for leaving dogs stray are farmers, and to make it worse, sheep farmers! One family in particular, dogs always out on road, in fields alone rounding up sheep, off out in the hill. Knocked one of them down last year in the car, ran out on the road in front of me.

farming93

I seen in the paper yesterday, one sheep farmer had 16 sheep killed by a Rotweiler and two terriers a few days ago..

Zoo4m8

farming93 wrote: »

I seen in the paper yesterday, one sheep farmer had 16 sheep killed by a Rotweiler and two terriers a few days ago..

And thankfully the dogs (and the owner) were got.. There is nothing worse than finding dogs were at your sheep and knowing they will be back but not knowing when..:mad: