A TV advertisement first aired almost 30 years ago warning dog owners about the dangers of letting their dog run free has been doing the rounds on social media.

The animated "Bonzo the dog" ad was issued by the Department of Agriculture and aired on RTE television in 1984.

The ad features a dog called "Bonzo" being let outside by his owners, joining a pack of other dogs and then attacking a flock of sheep.

The tag line of the ad is "Keep your dog under control. Running free he can be a killer."

The ad was first posted on Youtube in March 2013 and since then has gained almost 5,000 views.

As lambing season begins, there have already been incidents of dog attacks, including one on a farm in Laois where 14 hoggets were killed by two husky dogs.

Read more about the attack here.