Lambs are injured in Inverness dog attack
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Carol Munro found her pedigree ewes tangled in a petrified heap in a corner of their field.
She claims they were set upon by two dogs which ran off from their owner to chase down deer and police have confirmed they are investigating the incident.
Describing the scene as one of “carnage,” she said: “There was wool everywhere. One little soul had both cheeks of her bum ripped off. My best show lamb has a lump above her tail and a heap of cuts down each side and there’s another little one with the same kind of injuries on her tail and she’s lame on her front foot.”
Mrs Munro, who owns Ashton Farm behind the Inverness Shopping Park with husband Kenneth, said the pair spent the rest of the day searching for lambs which had scattered during the attack.
“Eventually we found one up a bank in between trees and anther one upside down in a ditch with its head stuck in a fence. It was stuck and we couldn’t get her out. I thought she was going to die on me, her eyes were rolling, she was in so much shock.
“We were both bleeding and cut, we spent our whole afternoon getting the sheep back. I felt hellish all night, I couldn’t even eat my tea.”
Describing the lambs as “our little pets”, Mrs Munro said: “We take them to all the shows in their little halters and they’ve all got names.
“This isn’t just a field of sheep we’re fattening for killing, it’s our future. They’re pedigree sheep that we’ve been rearing for 35 years.”
Mrs Munro called police after the attack and said the vet told her the bill for the call-out and treatment would be £176. A police spokesman said: “Police Scotland was made aware of a sheep worrying incident on land at Ashton Farm near Inverness at around 2pm on Tuesday, September 18.
“Three sheep were injured in the incident. Enquiries are ongoing.
“We would remind dog owners that allowing their pet to attack or chase livestock is an offence. Farmers are also legally entitled to protect livestock and this can result in the destruction of a dog.
“Anyone exercising their dogs in rural areas should keep them under close control and on a lead if walking near livestock.”
Inverness councillor Isabelle MacKenzie, who has been supporting the couple, said it was a “disturbing” situation.
