A judge has given a dog owner an ultimatum over his two dogs in a sheep worrying case – build an enclosed pen or face the destruction of the dogs.

At Gort District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett told dog owner Patrick Landers that he not was in favour of putting electronic collars on his dogs as a means of ensuring that the two stay on Mr Landers’s property.

Judge Gabbett told Mr Landers: “If they are bold enough, the collar will get them a jolt and they will keep going. My difficulty here is the worrying of the sheep and no collar will stop that."

He said: “A high pen is the solution. It is that or destruction – I have given you every opportunity. Personally, I don’t think a collar will work.”

Mr Landers, of Ashfield Demesne, Gort, Co Galway, is before the court for not having his dog under control at Ashfield Demesne on 23 February 2024 and Judge Gabbett has previously found that the facts were proven against Mr Landers.

In the case, Judge Gabbett previously commented: “This is an area where there are a lot of sheep. Once a dog has done this, they get a taste for it and it doesn’t go away.

“It is lambing season and you’ll have dogs back out and they won’t be chasing big sheep, they will be chasing baby sheep and that is a very different target.”

Evidence

Judge Gabbett said that the court had heard evidence from Galway Co Council’s dog warden Seamus Goldrick to say that two dogs belonging to Patrick Landers were not under control.

Previously in evidence, Mr Goldrick said that he received a call of a sheep attack in the Ashfield, Shanaglish, area.

Mr Goldrick said that on arriving at the area, he came across three dogs not under control walking on the road. The dogs were traced back to the Landers home.

In March of last year, one of the three Landers dogs was voluntarily surrendered to Galway County Council and two remain with Mr Landers.

A solicitor for Galway County Council told Judge Gabbett the up-to-date situation.

He said: “I am instructed that Mr Landers has got dog licences for the dogs, but we are not entirely satisfied that the dogs are under his control."

Judge Gabbett said: "All I want to know that the dogs are suitably housed, not running out on the road and that they have licences.”

Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to 24 July and said that 24 July is Mr Landers’s "final shot".