A beloved pony was found dead in bush with a broken neck as her distraught owners blame a local dog.
Shetland and Welsh Mountain cross pony Arya is thought to have been chased to death in a "blind panic" in the Flintshire village of Penyffordd, north Wales.
Peta Hutchinson, who leases the land where the ponies live, told North Wales Live that her tragic death was "totally avoidable". The incident is thought to have been sparked by a loose dog chasing the pony through the field.
She said: "My grandson and daughter went up on Wednesday to feed the horses as usual, and only noticed two horses in the field. They rang me and we spent hours looking for Arya.
"We checked all the fences and couldn't find anywhere she could have got out. We were getting so worried."
Her grandson Josh has grown up around the ponies and shares "an extremely close bond" with all three. Peta explained how the 16-year-old has emotional issues and always feels calm around the horses.
She said that that made it "all the more heart-breaking" that he was the one who found Arya lying dead in the shrubs in the furthest corner of the field.
Peta said: "It was obvious that she'd gone in there during a blind panic. It looks as though she's gone headlong into the trees.
"The fields surrounding ours have public footpaths criss-crossing through them. It doesn't matter what time of day, you'll always see somebody with a dog."
In the past, dogs which were off the lead have managed to slip into the field. Peta has even had to pick up and hand dogs back to their owners.
She said the older ponies are not often fazed by dogs, but young Arya's reaction could have spurred on a loose dog. She said that, no matter how well trained a dog, it's sometimes "in their DNA" to instinctively give chase.
The horse owner said: "It's exactly the same with horses, they'll either fight or fly. If anything spooks them, the majority will turn and run blindly to get away from danger.
"In this case, the problem is that the dog gets excited and continues chasing. It becomes a lot more dangerous then for the horse who can't get away."
Sadly, the family will probably never know for certain what happened that day. The four-acre field isn't covered by CCTV cameras.
Helen Lacey is the founder of North Wales Horse Watch, a registered charity that works closely with North Wales Police. She said: "Loose dogs have become a huge problem for livestock and horse owners around the country.
"Many have lost their lives after being chased and attacked by dogs. Part of the work the charity does is to provide workshops to organise groups and schools across North Wales as well as awareness sessions to include the countryside code."
This incident has been reported to the police, said Helen. Anyone with information, or who may have witnessed anything, is urged to contact the force's 101 line and quote the reference B079060.
