Peebles Crime: Farmer speaks out after suspected dog attack in the Scottish Borders, which left 11 of his sheep dead

A farmer has spoke of his ‘nightmare’, after a suspected dog attack which killed and injured many of his sheep.
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On Thursday evening last week, Sandy Smellie, the owner of Posso Farm in the Scottish Borders, found out that two dogs were missing in the local area.

Mr Smellie said he was “immediately concerned” that the dogs could be amongst his sheep.

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His fears were confirmed the next morning when he found several of his herd that had been “ripped to bits”, and many others that were seriously injured or distressed.

“It was so upsetting finding them”, he said.

Police confirmed that the injuries inflicted on his sheep were all consistent with being attacked by a dog.

A total of eleven sheep have died or been put down as a result of the attack, and Mr Smellie is concerned that there could be further fatalities.

At the time of the incident, several of his herd were pregnant. Any stress caused to these sheep could result in them aborting their lambs – which would cause significant detriment to Mr Smellie’s operation.

Several sheep were killed in the attack, which happened during the evening on Thursday, March 10.Several sheep were killed in the attack, which happened during the evening on Thursday, March 10.
Several sheep were killed in the attack, which happened during the evening on Thursday, March 10.
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He estimates that the death of his livestock will cost the farm around £45,000 pounds. However, if more sheep die or if any lose their lambs, he said they could be looking at a loss of tens of thousands.

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Posso Farm is a family-run farm, and is managed by Mr Smellie, his father, and his brother.

He said: “It’s been a lifetime of work breeding these sheep, which has been ruined by somebody’s careless act”

New legislation was passed last year, which means dog owners responsible for livestock worrying can face a fine of up to £40,000 or 12 months imprisonment.

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While Mr Smellie is hopeful that those responsible will be prosecuted, he is concerned that the dogs he believes carried out the attack are still with their owners.

"They will do it again. If they get out, they’re going to cause damage to somebody else’s sheep”, he said.

He added: “I hate to think what would happen if they got a hold of a small child.”

He urged the public to keep their dogs under control and on a leash at all times, and encouraged them to keep their pets away from livestock.

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Police are currently investigating the incident, and are following a positive line of enquiry.

Last week, officers issued an appeal, asking the public to come forward with any relevant information.

Sergeant David Rourke wrote: “Dog owners could face prosecution under The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 if their dog attacks livestock so we are urging them to keep dogs on a lead when walking near livestock as well as making sure they do not run or escape into fields on their own.“I am asking all dog owners to be considerate.

“Please remember that it is your dog and your responsibility to keep them under control.”

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Sheep worrying is a problem in rural communities across Scotland, with police in Edinburgh and the Lothians putting out repeated appeals for people to keep their dogs on leads.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0989 of Friday, 11 March, 2022.

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