POLICE are advising dog owners to keep their animals on leads during the lambing season, after a dog was shot dead this week.

Tavistock's Sgt Dave Anning said problems were still occurring with dogs being let off the lead in fields where there are sheep.

Sgt Anning said: 'As a result a dog was shot dead this week by a farmer who found the dog worrying sheep on his land and was absolutely within his rights to do this.

'Farmers in the area are extremely tolerant and on many occasions have shown almost superhuman restraint at a time when their sheep and lambs are being killed on a regular basis by dogs.

'Obviously the dog's owners are deeply distressed and sadly are having to go through what the farmer has to go through whenever he finds dead sheep.'

Sgt Anning said that dogs off the lead in the same area as sheep is labelled as 'sheep worrying'.

'If your dog actually chases after a sheep then any lamb is almost certain to be aborted and of course many sheep each year are mauled to death by dogs.

'Owner responses are invariably the same — if the dog attacks the sheep "He's never done anything like that before" and if the dog is running about with sheep "He's just having a bit of fun".

'It's not fun and it's not fair on the dog when it is shot.

'Dog owners — you are responsible, not the farmer. Keep your dogs under control and away from livestock.'