Speaking in the Cooley Mountains to coincide with the beginning of the lambing season, IFA National sheep chair Sean Dennehy spoke about dog owners who allow their pets to roam without restriction, accusing them of acting in a grossly irresponsible, reckless and selfish manner.

According to Dennehy, a family pet can turn into a marauding killer and cause mayhem in a defenceless sheep flock.

Marauding dogs are a nationwide problem for sheep farmers

“People who have dogs as pets need to take on the responsibility that goes with that. If dog owners saw the destruction from an attack, they would have a very different mindset. Unfortunately, there are too many people who casually take on a family pet, but they are not prepared to devote the time to responsible dog ownership.”

Dennehy said the national sheep flock amounts to 2.5m ewes: “Marauding dogs are a nationwide problem for sheep farmers, but flock owners in the Cooley Peninsula have been under siege from dog attacks since the beginning of the year.

Dog owners can be held responsible for any losses from attacks on sheep

In this blackspot, over 50 sheep have been killed and many more injured since the beginning of the year. In 2018, there were 18 attacks reported to the Dog Warden Service in Co Louth and 31 dogs were seized in the Cooley region alone.

“Dog owners can be held responsible for any losses from attacks on sheep, with serious financial and legal consequences. Farmers have a right to protect their sheep flock and can shoot a dog worrying, or about to worry, their flock.”

Statistics gathered by IFA indicate that the problem may be in the order of 300-400 attacks each year, with 3,000 to 4,000 sheep injured and killed.

Data shows an average of 11 sheep are killed or injured per attack.

Dennehy also called on the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to re-run the TV ad campaign on responsible dog ownership from the 1980s.

The key message of the advert was ‘keep your dog under control. Running free, he can be a killer’.

He reminded all dog owners, including farmers, that under the Animal Health and Welfare Act all dogs must be microchipped and registered on an authorised database since 31 March 2016.