With the peak of lambing season imminent, Dartmoor’s livestock protection officer, Karla McKechnie is urging dog walkers to be extra vigilant.
The pleas comes as the lambing season which peaks typically in February and March in the UK sees pregnant ewes more susceptible to dog attacks.
In 2024, Karla dealt with 109 dog attacks on Dartmoor, some of them where the dog had attacked multiple sheep at one time. She believes however that the numbers are not completely accurate as so many attacks on the moors go unreported.
Only at shearing time are the actual number of attacks more visible as the sheep lose their fleeces and bite marks revealed, says Karla. She believes the problem on the moors with out of control dogs is severe.
“It’s a busy time for farmers as well as a stressful time for the animals, and I’d really like to see dog owners take a serious grip of exercising their dogs,” she said.
“It’s a criminal offence for a dog to attack, chase or worry livestock. Just chasing them is enough for a stress response in the sheep and can lead to sheep to abort their unborn lambs.”
The public has legal open access to about 47,400 hectares of Dartmoor and according to the Dartmoor Common byelaws, it’s an offence to let dogs run uncontrolled on the moors.
Common land covers about 37 per cent of the Dartmoor National Park with grazing rights for up to 145,000 sheep, although the actual number of sheep living on the moor is estimated to be far smaller than that number.
“Dartmoor is a working landscape and a lot of effort goes into breeding these hardy moor sheep,” she said. “It’s taken generations and then all that work can be destroyed. Sheep should be able to graze and live in safety without the added worry of dogs bothering them.”
She also wants to remind people, however much they think they know their dog, that it’s essential they understand each dog’s potential to chase and attack livestock. She says every breed and size of dog will attack sheep.
“When you’re getting a puppy or rescue dog, if you don’t know if it has instant recall, and if you don’t trust your dog to come back, then don’t let it off. Seeing sheep grazing can feel quite overwhelming for a dog that normally doesn’t spend time around livestock,” she added.
The discovery of a sheep suffering is heartbreaking for the officer whose job it is to protect the livestock who live on the moors. “It’s a horrible slow death. Sheep have a habit of running and hiding when they’ve been injured,” she explained.
Karla is also urging moor users to report any injured sheep or if they see an attack happening.
“They need to call it in immediately. It’s not fair to leave the animal to suffer,” she added.
If you witness dog worrying, livestock attacks or any other issues involving livestock on Dartmoor contact Karla McKechnie on 07873 587561
