KILLER DOGS STILL FREE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29271, 1 August 1960, Page 10

KILLER DOGS STILL FREE

Sheep Attacked Again

The dogs that have been killing and mutilating sheep in the Burwood district are still at large, but two of them narrowly escaped being shot on Friday afternoon. A farmer in the area was unable to shoot at the dogs because of their proximity to couples in cars and residences on Horseshoe Lake road. The farmer saw an Alsatian and a black and white sheep dog on the road. He telephoned Mrs Rosemary Eckert, whose husband, a woolbuyer, has a small farm at 232 Lake Terrace - road, to warn her to keep a watch on her sheep. It was too late, said Mrs Eckert. The dogs had already been on her property and attacked the sheep in daylight At the back of the paddock she'had found one sheep dead and two very badly injured. Mrs Eckert had to lift another two badly gashed sheep from a deep creek. Twin lambs which were about to be born were lost, and another sheep had two broken legs During the last three weeks, Mrs Eckert said, she had had six sheep killed out of a flock of 24. Fifteen or 16 had been injured. Some of them were found dead and others died later from their wounds. ‘‘The day before the first attack we saw the dogs near the property, but we just scared them off, as we don’t shoot every dog which comes on to the farm,” said Mrs Eckert. ‘‘Now we feel inclined to shoot. We sat up all night for a fortnight before my husband went away to the wool sales in the north, but nothing happened.” Four Attacks There had been four separate attacks on the sheep on the property, Mrs Eckert said. On one occasion in the middle of the night a brindle cross Alsatian pig dog chased three sheep right up on to the terrace on which the house is built. ‘‘My husband heard a low growling and rushed outside. He was putting a cartridge into the gun as he went and he ahnost tripped over the dog. which made off at high speed before he could take a shot.” Mrs Eckert said. The shotgun was not kept loaded inside the house because of the danger to the children, Mrs Eckert said. After the attack on the sheep on Friday three dogs were seen going up Marshland road, Mrs Eckert said. The ram had not been attacked. He would probably just back in to a corner and put his head down, but the ewes would run madly about in terror. Four of the ewes which had been killed were going to have twins. said Mrs Eckert, and this was an additional loss. The sheep were found with gaping holes in their rumps and necks. Some ,of them were so badly mutilated that she did not know how they remained alive. Police, milkmen, and bread delivery men are keeping a close watch for the dogs and are passing information on to farmers.