A farmer has spoken of his frustration after three heavily pregnant sheep died after an attack by an escaped dog.
The incident happened on Monday afternoon in a field near Kirby Wiske, between Northallerton and Thirsk.
Farmer Tom Houghton, from nearby Well, said he received a call from a resident to say there was a dog loose in his field chasing sheep.
Tom keeps around 700 mule ewes in the field which are due to lamb in days.
Tom arrived to find one ewe suffering from severe injuries to its mouth and head.
This sheep had to be put down.
The farmer later found two other ewes dead and he believes they died from shock.
Tom was told a passer-by had been forced to hit the dog with a lump of wood to stop it from attacking the sheep.
The police were called and traced the dog’s owner, who the farmer said lived locally.
Officers found the dog — understood to be a bull terrier cross — had escaped from its owner’s garden.
The farmer said the police told him this meant they could not prosecute the owner, who had offered to pay compensation for one sheep.
Tom said he wanted dog owners to understand the damage their pet could cause.
“People have dogs because they’re animal lovers but at this time of the year with young lambs and heavily pregnant sheep loose dogs can cause a lot of harm.
“Even if their dog isn’t biting a sheep, they can still kill it.”
He added: “It’s just really frustrating given all the hard work you put in.
“It’s not about the money — it’s the fact she can just barter and offer compensation for one sheep.
“But I’ve lost three sheep, which might have had six lambs, and who knows have many will have aborted because of the stress.”
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