A 28-year-old has been charged after his dog was seen worrying sheep in a field.
At approximately 4.30 pm on Thursday, March 10th, 2022, a dog is reported to have been seen chasing a sheep on agricultural land in Kenardington, Ashford.
At one stage, a witness reported seeing the dog dragging the “distressed” ewe across the field by it and its owner left the area.
The landowner found the sheep, which had sustained “serious” injuries to a hind leg and its body. Due to these injuries, a vet had to put the ewe down.
Police later arrested Charlie Hawker, with an address at Appledore Road, Ashford, in connection with the incident.
The judge charged him with one count of being the owner of a dog worrying livestock.
Police have released him on bail to attend Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, April 28th, 2022.
Worrying sheep
Police Constable Michael Sutton, from Kent Police’s Rural Task Force, said:
“I encourage all dog walkers, particularly those visiting agricultural areas, to take appropriate action to ensure their pets do not endanger livestock.”
“Failure to adhere to this basic responsibility is a criminal offence.”
“Livestock worrying is an unacceptable hindrance to farmers. Combatting offending such as this is a leading priority for our team.”
“We will always review all available information to ensure proportionate action is taken,” Sutton concluded.
Dog attacks in-calf cows
Meanwhile, we reported that Police in Cheshire has launched an investigation after a dog attacked cattle.
According to PC Moss of Cheshire Police Rural Crime Teams, most of the cows that the dog chased and worried are in-calf.
The incident occurred in the southeast of the county earlier on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022.
According to PC Moss, “a dog has panicked them [cows] into falling, bursting fences and gates, thereby causing injury”.
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