A local sheep farmer has urged people walking in the Togher Woods area to please keep their pets on leashes while enjoying the walkways.
The farmer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they came across a loose dog killing two of their sheep last weekend.
The incident, the farmer said, happened on Sunday April 16 around 6.15pm.
Following the bleak discovery, the dog owner was found and the situation is currently in the hands of An Garda Síochána.
A fine of up to €2,500 is in place for people convicted of worrying sheep.
The two sheep lost is the latest in what the farmer called an “ongoing problem.”
“Since COVID, we’ve had six incidents of dogs running in and attacking sheep,” they said.
“Other farmers in the area have had their calves chased and attacked by dogs as the problem continues to worsen.
“I spoke to the owner, who in fairness, was very apologetic and had seen the blood on the dog but thought it was from a hare. It was a pit bull dog.
The farmer was keen to press home the importance of keeping dogs on leashes for the safety of our animals.
Speaking following an incident in Rathdowney last year, Fine Gael Councillor John King echoed the farmers calls for dog owners to do more.
Cllr King said: “Dog owners must be vigilant in order to stop this from happening.
“The death of sheep is one thing, but the damage done to those that survive is just as serious.
“If the dogs pull the wool off a sheep, they can damage blood vessels which can result in cloths of blood and severe pain.
“Then there is the mental damage. An attack like that can traumatise other ewes that are in that flock – affecting their pregnancies.
“They become worried all of the time and will run in all directions at the sight or sound of a dog.”
Warning: The picture below is of a graphic nature:
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