A FARMER has called on a minority of dog owners to be more responsible after he was forced to put down a ewe chased by a bull terrier.
For the third time in two years a dog off its lead chased sheep in a field farmer Chris Hodgkins owns near Worthing Golf Club.
One ewe had to be put down because of its injuries while a number of sheep were left shaken after the bull terrier chased the animals on Friday.
Chris said it was not clear if the chased sheep will now lamb successfully in March.
Police are now investigating the incident.
Chris, who has fields from Storrington to Worthing and his own farm in Washington, said it was a small minority of dog owners who needed to be more responsible.
He said: “98 per cent of people with dogs are superb, so it’s not like I have a vendetta against dog owners. They come out to enjoy the countryside, which I’m happy about and a lot of the time they’re the first to help out.
“But you’ve also got the people who are perhaps naïve enough to think they could control their dog in a stressful situation. A lot of the time they can’t.
“If you’re not sure about whether you can, you should keep the dog on a lead.
“The sheep are innocent and they shouldn’t be treated this way.”
For the full story, read the Worthing Herald, out from Thursday, February 28.
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