Dog attack kills 21 sheep in one day at Cheshire farm

A farmer who lost 21 sheep to a dog attack in a single day described the aftermath as looking “like a battlefield”.

Alan Jackson has called for tighter rules for dog owners after the attack in Nether Alderley, Cheshire, which is being investigated by police.

Armed officers attended at about 13:00 GMT on 18 December, but the dog and its owners were gone.

Jackson said: “A lot of people who walk dogs haven’t even got a lead to put the dog on. And asking people to put the dogs on a lead can lead to verbal and aggressive behaviour.”

Caution: Some details and images may be distressing

The 65-year-old said called police after receiving a phone call from a woman to say there were 19 dead sheep in one of his fields.

The force had also received reports suggesting the dog was still in the area and sent armed officers to the fields, off Bradford Lane.

Jackson arrived to find the upsetting scene.

“At that point I wasn’t allowed in the field because the armed response was still there, but once they went, we then went to count up and gather up what happened,” he said.

“When we went to have a look around it was like a battlefield with dead sheep in ponds and everywhere.”

After searching his farmland and rounding up surviving sheep from neighbouring fields, he counted 21 dead and four injured.

Jackson said dog attacks, although not usually as severe as this, are “not uncommon” and he had lost about 37 sheep last year alone.

The costs of the latest attack ran to about £5,000, and while the flock is insured there is still an excess of several hundred pounds to pay on every claim, he said.

But there is also an emotional impact.

“This is an ongoing thing, it does affect you,” Jackson said.

“Especially something you’ve reared and all that effort you’ve put in and then somebody’s dog just killed it, or mauled it, for what reason?

“Why can’t you keep your dog under control?”

Jackson praised the police response and said the force appeared to have been taking reports of such attacks more seriously in recent times.

“To be fair to the police they are responding better, as you can see with the armed response,” he said.

“People who lose their dog or allow it to stray and gets in amongst livestock – if they are prepared to do that it should be a warning to people to keep the dogs on the lead.”

Cheshire Police said the breed of the dog was unknown and no suspects had been found so far.

Officers believe the dog may have come from the direction of Artists Lane.

The force said: “Photographs taken at the scene are too graphic to circulate, but the suffering caused to the livestock would have been extremely significant.

“The incident also caused significant distress to the hard-working farmer who owns the livestock and takes great care to ensure their welfare.”