Omagh farmer wants stricter dog controls after sheep attacks

A LOCAL sheep farmer has called for tighter restrictions on hunting dogs after six of his lambs were killed in a series of brutal attacks.

Lee Alexander, who farms near Gillygooley, spent hours on Monday searching for the remains of his lambs after being alerted to roaming dogs in the area.

The previous night, a neighbour – who also lost livestock – spotted a large hunting-style dog carrying a dead lamb in its jaws.

Lee wasn’t the only victim. His cousin in Drumlegagh lost 12 sheep, while a neighbour’s flock was hit with the loss of four lambs and two ewes.

Several other of Lee’s sheep were left injured, suffering puncture wounds to their legs and bodies.

“They’re petrified,” he said. “I’m trying to get them back into a routine, to come down to the feeding trough, but they’re too scared.”

The financial impact of the attacks is significant, factoring in the lost value of the lambs, the time spent recovering them, and vet costs for the injured animals.

Lee believes the dogs responsible are large hunting breeds, likely more than one.

“We have a community farming group chat, and at first, we thought it was just one dog.

“But as more attacks happened, we realised there were at least two,” he said.

“These are strong dogs with large teeth.

“If they’re capable of killing and carrying off lambs and ewes, imagine what could happen if they got into a garden with children?”

While dog wardens have been involved, Lee insists more needs to be done.

“There needs to be stricter licensing for these kinds of dogs. The ones we found had no collars or tags. I don’t want financial compensation – I want to meet the owners so they understand the damage this has caused.”

A spokesperson for the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) said that investigations are ongoing.

“Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is aware of reports of sheep worrying incidents in the Gillygooley, Drumquin and Drumlegagh areas of Omagh and investigations are ongoing and consequently no further comment can be made at this time,” said the spokesperson.

They added, “Anyone with information in relation to the sheep worrying incidents in these areas should contact Dog Control at Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on 0300 303 1777.”