ON Sunday, March 17, I saw my first spring lamb on the moor between Long Ash and Horrabridge. I saw it again on Monday and on Tuesday morning.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, March 19, I and about a dozen others witnessed the killing of this lamb by a large, completely uncontrolled dog, out for a walk with its owner.
The dog caught the lamb in its jaws and rushed to and fro, mauling and tossing it in the air. With over a dozen people chasing it, including its owner and a very angry farmer, it ignored all shouts and commands. The lamb was almost certainly dead for some minutes before the dog was finally caught.
No dog can be trusted to ignore sheep and lambs. The very fact that they run away will inflame its hunting instinct. There are notices on every gate and cattle grid leading to the moor, asking dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead during the lambing and bird nesting period.
I am sure the owner of the dog was upset over the incident, and so she should be. She must be aware that she could be prosecuted and her dog put down. She must be aware that it could have been shot on the spot. If she is fortunate enough to escape these consequences, I hope that she will follow the sensible rules of the countryside and keep her dog on a lead.
Farmers (and lambs) have had enough to contend with over the past year. Dog owners can at least save them from further needless loss by simply obeying a reasonable request.
Donna Baker
41 Chapel Meadow
Buckland Monachorum