He had been contacted immediately after the Staffordshire bull terrier was found in the field at Newbarns Farm on Tuesday. The owner of the dog is still being sought by police.
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| The dog is now in the care of the police as the effort to find its owner continues. |
Mr Smith put the loss at a ''four-figure'' sum after the death toll rose to six sheep, with 17 others still being cared for at his farm.
He said: ''The injuries to the sheep were horrific. It was certainly one of the worst things I have ever seen as a farmer, or even heard about. There were bloody sheep strewn all over the field.
''I immediately phoned the police and the vet. One sheep was dead on arrival and another three were humanely destroyed because their injuries were that bad.
''I took 19 sheep home to my farm but a further two have had to be destroyed.''
He and the vet spent hours attending to the flock.
The dog is now under police care and officers are looking for information to try to track down its owner.
''The injuries on the sheep were terrible,'' Mr Smith added. ''Eleven sheep required stitches and facial rebuilding. On every sheep it wasn't just one or two puncture wounds. The stitching the vet did was on six to eight wounds, with two or three stitches on each one.
''Some have been gripped over the nose, others required reconstructive surgery over their eyes, some had ears almost ripped off. The dog must have a very powerful bite.
''A further seven had superficial damage and were sprayed to prevent infection. Every animal was jagged for pain relief and given antibiotics.''
Mr Smith examined the wounds the six dead sheep had suffered and wanted a strong message sent to the public.
The farmer's warning was not just to owners of Staffies — he wanted to make owners of any medium to large dog aware of the damage they could do.
''My take on this is that we probably won't find out who the owners are and once again the farmer will be left carrying the can,'' he said. ''The root of the cause here are irresponsible owners. It's awful to see what has been done to the sheep, which are defenceless.
''But these dogs are bred for hundreds of years to do these things. Folk should know what damage should be done and keep them on a lead. My priority now is caring for the injured sheep and trying to save as many as I can.''
A leading figure in a local animal charity reiterated that he was not sure a single dog could have been responsible for this level of sustained savagery.
In the wake of the attack, Ian Robb of Help for Abandoned Animals said he was dubious that a single Staffie was responsible for the incident. After seeing the picture of the animal captured at the scene, Mr Robb said he is still of the firm view that more than one dog was involved.
''It looks like a cross-Staffie, but I still do not believe one dog could cause that level of damage on its own,'' he said. ''It is not a massive dog and their make-up is such that they do not have the stamina to carry out that sort of attack on so many sheep.
''They are short, muscular dogs and may be very powerful, but I would doubt if it had the prolonged running ability to chase the sheep on its own.''
A police spokesman said: ''We would appeal to members of the community to contact us if they know the owner or can provide any information to assist the investigation. At this time we are progressing inquiries on the basis that this incident involved one dog, but our minds remain open, as they do in any investigation.''
(The Courier - Jan 6, 2012)
