WORRYING OF SHEEP

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25246, 26 July 1947, Page 10

WORRYING OF SHEEP

IDENTITY OF DOG AT ISSUE

TWO FARMERS CLAIM DAMAGES

The identity of a dog which worried sheep was the chief point at issue in claims by two farmers against a saleyards employee in the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch yesterday. Mr A. A. McLachlan, S.M., presided. Arthur Edward McFadden, farmer, of Marshland, claimed £3O from Clarence Albert Denton, being the value of 20 sheep alleged to have been worried and killed by the defendant’s dog on or about August 2,3, 4, and 5, 1946. John William Barker, a farmer, of Brooklands, claimed £l2O from Denton, being the value of 80 sheep alleged to have been worried and killed by the defendant’s dog on or about August 2,3, 4,5, 1946. Barker further claimed £25 from Denton, being the value of 50 lambs born dead allegedly as the result of the dog’s worrying of the sneep. Mr A. H. Cavell appeared for both plaintiffs and Mr W. F. Tracy for the defendant.

McFadden said that about 4 p.m. on August 2 he found a dog worrying a sheep on his property. The dog was a bluish-grey bearay with tan markings. He had a shot at the dog and hit it but did not stop it. Ten days later he saw an advertisement in a newspaper describing a dog which had been lost This description applied to the dog he saw worrying his sheep. On August 3 he found a ewe which had been worried by a dog and two lambs had been torn away from her. Two days later he went to a neighbour’s place and saw the dog there dead. It had a collar but the brass tag was missing. He lost 22 sheep. He valued lhem at 30s each, though at that time similar ewes were sold at up to £2 5s at Addington. On August 25 he told Denton his sheep had been worried by Denton s dog. To Mr Tracy, witness said the nearest he got to the dog was eight to 12 yards. He was about 28 yards from the dog when he shot at it.

Evidence was given by Mrs Jean Collins and Raymond Collins. Ba ker said he saw Denton at the saleyards and asked him if he had got the dog he was advertising for. Denton said he Lad the dog there. "Well, you haven’t got it alive, for my boy shot it,” witness said he replied. Barker said he then asked Zenton what he was going to do about the worrying of sheep by Denton’s dog. Denton replied that ne was a working man with a family. Barker said he would rot be hard on Denton and if Denton found him 40 ewes it would be all right. Tlier were about 80 sheep worried on his property. The ewes were worth 30s to ?5s each. All had been peaceful and quiet since the dog was shot. Barker told the Magistrate.

Alfred George Stephens, a ranger, employed by the Christchurch City Council, said he counted 20 sheep on McFadden’s property which had been worried by a dog and 77 on Barker’s property. Henry Winter, farmer. Brookiands, said that on August 5, 1946, he saw a dog worrying his cows. He told Edward Barker, son of the plaintiff, about the dog and he shot it. The dog was like the one advertised for.

Defendant’s Evidence Denton said his dog had a blackish body with blue hairs running through it. li had a white ring round its neck and this lan in under its chest. It was a beardy dog and had tan points. He did not admit any responsibility when Barker spoke to him. He had not seen the dog since he advertised for it. Howard Alexander Dickson, stockman, said ne saw Denton’s dog in Bealey aveJ* u< ; at midnight on the Saturday, August 3. 1946. He was in a car at the time Evidence was also given that the dog was seen in Kilmore street on the preceding Friday night. The Magistrate said he was reasonably satisfied the dog shot was the dog that had worried the sheep and that as far as it was humanly possible the dog in the advertisement had been connected up with th ??~ d 2 g - 1116 onl y thing he was not satisfied about was the total number of sheep destroyed through the dog and their value He would reserve his decision as to that. He thought the claim was excessive but perhaps not by much