Police, politicians and an animal welfare charity have united to condemn a frenzied dog attack which left 17 lambs dead and a family traumatised.
Shepherd Stuart McDougall (43) from Kinross described the scenes in the aftermath of the horrific incident on his farm as absolute “carnage”.
He has since struggled to sleep and said his youngest daughter has been up through the night crying.
Police believe the newborn lambs, some who were just hours old, were savaged by at least one large dog at Blairadam Estate, Kinross-shire, on Monday. Stuart describes witnessing lambs “mutilated” and walking around disembowelled but still alive.
Mr McDougall said he left his flock at about 10.30am but when he returned at 1pm, six lambs were dead.
A further 11 have since been put down by a vet due to their injuries with another four lambs suffering less severe injuries.
Stuart also believes one pregnant ewe is on the verge of a miscarriage. The tragic incident comes as farmers, land managers and police launch a dog safety campaign coinciding with lambing season to keep canines on leads.
Stuart, who has run his farm for 15 years, described his family as “devastated”.
“There were lambs walking around disembowelled and had their guts hanging out,” said the former Kinross High School pupil.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before. They had broken legs, lacerations all over their bodies – they were mutilated – and they had been separated from their mothers.”
He said six were killed outright but 11 have had to be put down, adding: “We’re expecting more to die in the coming days if they get infections.
“The oldest ones there were four days old and some were just hours old.
“We have a ewe in the middle of aborting as she has a bloody discharge. I spoke to the vet and they said to wait and see if the lamb passes naturally.
“It is difficult to work with the sheep or herd them because they are that traumatised. It is still really raw.”
On Tuesday he said: “The emotional devastation it has caused the farm and us is just huge. I never slept a wink last night and my youngest was up through the night crying.”
Stuart rents his land and has a farm of over 350 sheep, which is right beside Blairadam Forest. He lambs pedigrees that are then sold for breeding.
The estimated value of the damage is around £7000 to £8000.
“This is the most important time of the year if you are a shepherd,” he explained. “It is a big financial loss.
“This was such a frenzied attack, they’ve just gone from one lamb to the next. The vet and the police are saying it’s a large dog that’s injured them.
“I don’t know how someone can let their dog do that and then just take off.
“I have no problem with people enjoying the outdoors but every dog owner has responsibilities for their pets and livestock.
“Dogs need to be kept on leads. Every dog, no matter how well trained, is capable of running off. It is their instinct.
“That can’t be stressed enough. I have no other form of income due to a spinal injury a few years back. It’s devastating.”
Stuart revealed that forensic police are taking four of the dead lambs for testing and analysis at labs in Aberdeen. The findings could determine the exact nature of the deaths and what breed of dog caused the carnage.
Sheep farmer turned politician Jim Fairlie stressed that the mental and financial toll on farmers following incidents like this is “severe”.
The MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire added: “I’m very disappointed by recent reports in my constituency of serious sheep worrying incidents. We have been raising these issues for many years now but clearly the message is not getting through.
“This is a devastating loss of lambs, as well as severe anguish to the ewes, who the farmer will have to try and catch and then twin lambs on to in order to avoid mastitis if the ewes milk is not taken off them by the lambs.
“The stress caused by a huge amount of added work and financial loss for him is severe at a time when his extreme work burden was already at its maximum.
“This type of event can cause very real mental strain for folk.”
We told you recently about sheep farmer Grace Reid who hit out after a dog owner fled with their pet after allowing it to chase her flock of pregnant ewes in Auchterarder.
Grace (28), was left horrified after a dog got into her field, raced after the 93-strong flock - biting one on the neck - before the canine and its owner left the scene before they could be confronted.
She feared a number of her ewes could miscarry due to the trauma of the hounding incident on March 16.
Grace, also the National Sheep Association Scottish region coordinator, revealed she will only find out at the end of the month if there is any loss of life.
”It cannot continue and yet another incident has occurred in the area”, she said. “How bad does it need to get?”
She added: “My sheep seem to be okay, they are calming a bit now.
“Someone has come forward identifying a person who may be responsible and I forwarded it to the police. They have done nothing so far and they have not updated me.
“Three weeks and nothing has been done and personally it is very frustrating.”
MSP Jim Fairlie added: “The act of uncontrollable chasing alone can make ewes abort unborn lambs or die from stress as a result.
“While folk may think their dog wouldn’t hurt anything, or that they are only playing, the reality is that this kind of action is reckless and dangerous to the lives of livestock.
“If it’s cows with calves that are in the fields, owners put their own lives at risk as cows will chase dogs and people have been killed as a result.
“This is a very serious issue that people need to understand.”
It is a criminal offence to allow a dog to worry sheep, and dog owners under new legislation can be fined up to £40,000 and face 12 month imprisonment, according to the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021.
Mr Fairlie called on all dog owners to keep their pets on leads when near livestock. He said: “I’m a dog owner myself and know only too well that even if your dog is well behaved that their instincts are to chase.
“Once a sheep starts running it’s very difficult, even for a dog with generally good recall, to go against its instincts and return. It’s far safer for all concerned to stay out of fields with livestock and keep dogs on leads if livestock of any kind are nearby.
“This is a time of year when folk typically want to get out more, and it’s absolutely right they should be able to access the countryside, but it must be done responsibly and with full knowledge of the Access Code.
“This is a very delicate time of year as we are in lambing season and unfortunately far too many of these incidents continue to occur in my constituency and around the country.
“My message for people is to be mindful of their surroundings and if there’s a chance they might come into contact with sheep and lambs please make sure your pet is kept under control because the reality is this causes completely unacceptable and serious harm for livestock and devastates the livelihoods of hard-working farmers.”
Police believe the Blairadam Estate lambs were attacked by at least one dog, and are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area at the time to get in touch.
Inspector Stephen Gray said: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident and we are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
“Dog owners could face prosecution 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.”
Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101.
