Police search for owner of dog who attacked cow in Street field
Dog owners are being urged to keep their pets under control after a cow was attacked in a field at Street.
Police have warned that landowners have the right, as a last resort, to shoot any dog worrying their livestock, while owners could face large fines and even imprisonment for failing to control their animals
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Call police on 101 with any information
PCSO Tim Richards from Street Police Station is trying to track down the owner of a dog which injured a cow in a field near Cemetery Lane.
The incident took place on November 18.
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“A dog walker was walking their animal along a public footpath through the field, when the dog chased a herd of cows,” he said.
“The dog managed to bite one of the animals, which had to be taken to the vet.”
He said that despite a course of antibiotics to try and treat the wound, there is a possibility that the animal will not survive.
The farmer is said to have been left “angry and upset” by the attack on his cattle.
A police spokesman warned:
“Farmers have the right to shoot any dog which is worrying or attacking their animals,” he said.
“By worrying, we don’t just mean attacking the animals physically, but running after them and chasing them around,”
As well as controlling their animals, he called on dog walkers to be responsible when walking their animals in central Somerset.
The spokesman said: “I urge dog owners to keep their dog under control and on a lead at all times.
“Dog walkers should ensure that any gates they pass through are closed securely behind them.
“Fortunately, most dog owners are very responsible and it is only the few exceptions that are causing issues for farmers in the local area.”
Anyone with information about this incident should contact PCSO Tim Richards at Street Police Station on 101 and quote crime incident number 126843/12.
Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. No personal details are taken, and information is not traced or recorded.
Comments
by ChaniMoon
Friday, November 30 2012, 9:33AM
“Unfortunately I think farmers may have to start getting tough and shooting a few dogs to make people think twice before letting them off the leash near livestock, because they really don't seem to care, or understand the distress it causes to both livestock and farmers. A couple of days ago, from a distance I watched a woman stand and do nothing apart from shout at her dog while it chased a sheep around the next field (this was Palace Fields, Wells. If you're the owner of said dog, you should be ashamed). Eventually the farmer noticed, the dog retrieved, and I think a few sharp words said. (I think the sheep was okay; as the farmer was there to check I didn't trek across the fields to investigate.)”